Introduction
A contemporary controversial social issue is defined as a societal problem that is being debated or contested in a society. For example, racial injustice is a major social issue that has captured wide attention in different social media platform posts. Racial injustice refers to any form of discrimination or segregation based on race. Recently, there has been a variety of information posted on social media handles, such as Twitter, regarding racial injustice between Blacks and Whites. For example, @PoBCAdvocate, on 2nd November 2022, posted a Twitter handle; “if you are not fighting for racial justice, you are enabling racial injustice” (@PoBCAdvocate, 2022). Further analysis of that post, as described in this paper, will aid in demonstrating different aspects of social media influence regarding racial injustice information.
The Twitter Post Analysis Regarding Racial Injustice
The post by @PoBCAdvocate on Twitter is not based on facts and research evidence. That is because the post does not include a specific group of people or a certain mentioned place, and social injustice may be a rare issue in all parts of the globe. Therefore, mentioning that if one is not fighting racial justice, they are enabling injustice may negatively influence different people who come across the posts. Several people may only be concerned about some social issues if they are concerned about them. Hence, a person does not need to fight for racial justice for them not to be termed as promoting injustice. Therefore, through my editorial counterargument, I stand to oppose the post by mentioning that racial injustice cannot be encouraged through a person not being involved in the racial justice fight. Rather, it can be enabled through other factors, such as discrimination.
Editorial Content
Although fighting for social justice is important, not everybody can be involved in it; hence it can be a hard task to combat injustice. Therefore, the fact that a person may not be involved in the fight does not mean that they are promoting injustice. For instance, social injustice in America is promoted by discrimination against women and minorities (Kovera, 2019). Such discrimination is based on the belief that women and minorities cannot perform well compared to the majority population. Therefore, under that circumstance, only those who believe it is an injustice will be involved in the fight against it.
Furthermore, social injustice can result from other factors, such as unequal access to opportunities and resources. For example, minorities are less likely to be hired for top positions at companies than the majority. Another factor that promotes social injustice is the lack of social mobility (Kovera, 2019). For instance, people from lower economic classes are likely to remain in their social class, while those from upper classes are likely to move to the top economic classes. Therefore, social injustice is majorly due to other factors, not just a failure to participate in racial justice fights.
Social Policies Intended to Combat Racial Injustice
There are a variety of social policies that can be implemented to help reduce the amount of racial injustice in society. Some of these policies may include affirmative action programs, which focus on hiring a more diverse workforce to promote equality. Affirmative action programs are policies that consider an individual’s race, color, sex, religion, or national origin (Kovera, 2019). Affirmative action programs aim to ensure that all employees have an equal opportunity to be hired and promoted, regardless of their background (LaCosse et al., 2021). They are designed to correct past discrimination against certain groups and to prevent future discrimination.
Another social policy that could help reduce racial injustice is increasing the amount of financial assistance and opportunities available to minority communities. This would help to level the playing field and allow everyone to have an equal chance at success (LaCosse et al., 2021). Therefore, that can be done through the:
- Increasing the amount of financial assistance that is available through government programs.
- Working with private sector organizations to create more opportunities for minority communities.
- Forming partnerships with community-based organizations to help connect minority communities with resources.
- Advocating for policies and initiatives that increase financial assistance and opportunities for minority communities.
In addition to policies, governments can also establish laws and regulations that protect people from discrimination based on race. That can be done through:
- Providing educational resources on different cultures and races in primary and secondary schools.
- Encouraging diversity and cultural inclusion through workplace policies and equal opportunity practices.
- Promoting cross-cultural dialogues and forums to open up public discourse about race and racism.
- Pursuing anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies.
- Penalizing hate speech and acts of violence motivated by racial hatred.
Conclusion
Social injustice is a serious problem promoted by various factors, such as discrimination against women and minorities, unequal accessibility to opportunities and resources, and lack of social mobility. Different posts on social media platforms such as Twitter mention different views regarding social injustice. Analysis of a Twitter post by @PoBCAdvocate brings a clear understanding of how different people can interpret a post and what kind of influence it can bring to distinct audiences. Furthermore, several policies can be used to fight social injustice, such as affirmative action programs and government law enforcement.
References
Kovera, M. B. (2019). Racial disparities in the criminal justice system: Prevalence, causes, and a search for solutions. Journal of Social Issues, 75(4), 1139-1164. Web.
LaCosse, J., Krusemark, D., Foltz, J., & Plant, E. A. (2021). Antiracism: Development and validation of a measure designed to identify White Americans who proactively fight to end discrimination toward Black Americans. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 13684302211048886. Web.
@PoBCAdvocate. (2022). If you are not fighting for racial justice, you are enabling racial injustice. Twitter. Web.