Social Justice

Meritocracy

A system, organization, or society in which people are chosen and moved into positions of success, power, and influence on the basis of their demonstrated abilities and merit 

Meritocrats

A person who advances through a meritocratic system 

Economic Privilege

The advantage that wealthy and powerful people have over other people in a society 

 

Investment 

The outlay of money usually for income of profit : capital outlay 

Caste

A division of society based on differences of wealth, inherited rank or privilege, profession, occupation, or race 

John Dewey says:

“Education is the process of coming to terms with your role in the world” 

 

Neoliberalism

Ideology and policy model that emphasizes the value of free market competition 

Earnest

Characterized by or proceeding from an intense and serious state of mind 
 

Dominant Group

A group, not numerically defined, that has (given themselves) more power, privileges, and social status in a society. They make up social groups that have and have historically held power and thus control the value system and rewards in a particular society, and are reflected in the norms, languages, cultures, and values in society. 

Positionality

Refers to how differences in social position and power shape identities and access in society. 

Marginalized

Groups that generally experience discrimation and exclusion (social, political, and economic) because of unequal power relationships across economic, political, social, and cultural dimensions. 

Minoritized

A term used in place of minority to highlight a community of people whose access to power has been limited regardless of the size of the population. They aren’t inherently minorities, but they live in a society that has created this social status. 

What is privilege?

The advantages that certain groups, typically the dominant group in the society, accrue from society, and the disadvantages that others, minoritized/marginalized people, experience. The advantages are because of their membership in a certain group/s and not necessarily because they have earned them. 

What is oppression?

The discrimination of one group (who controls the institutions against another backed by institutional/political power embedded historically. 

Globally, systematic privilege is:

Male (vs. Female, non-binary etc.), European/White, Christian, Cisgender, Able-bodied, Neurotypical (non-autistic), Wealthy etc. 

What is intersectionality? 

A term used to describe that someone is not simply oppressed or privileged: we can be simultaneously privileged and oppressed by different aspects of our identities. For example, somebody can be privileged by the fact that they are cisgender, thin, and white, while being oppressed by the fact that they are queer, disabled, and female. 

 

Example of using one’s intersectional lens

Rather than making a generalized statement like “women make 71% to every dollar a man makes”, you analyze how racialized women’s pay does not fully reflect that percentage. 

Dysconscious/impliicit/aversive bias

Assumptions and conclusions we jump to without rational thinking. These biases do not indicate hostility towards certain groups; they reflect how the individual has been socialized. We all have this bias, it doesn’t make us bad, it makes us human but needs to be checked.