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Social Inequality Esther Lim Shu Yi
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without permission of the copyright holder This edition is published by Esther Lim Shu Yi, Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore. With the help and consultant of David Lee, Lecturer of Visual Communication, Temasek Design School. www.tp.edu.sg, Singapore. ISBN: 959-7-96973-034-1 Printed in Singapore 2011 by Canon.
Contents Introduction
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ABCs of Social Inequality
Adultism Brutality Chauvinism Disability Enough of Enthocentrism Facism Gender Inequality How old of a woman do you see? (Ageism) International Inequality Judged by Intelligence King or Pauper (Social Stratification) Language Discrimination Mental Illness No LGBT(Homophobia) OH MY! You’re so tall!! (Heightism) Power Quit explotation of children Resting Racism Social Stigma Torturing of animals Unequal distribution of Wealth Victims of domestic violence are crying help What’s your religion? (Religioncentrism) X-clusively Classism Your ability will get you there Zone & territories
06 08 10 12 14 16 18 24 26 27 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 61
Acknowledgements
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Social In equality Refers to the situation in which individuals in a society do not have equal social status.
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There is certainly a lot of social inequality issues going around the world right now. However have no stress, because there is also social justice. Social justice simply means working to create a world where we all can be our whole selves. It is working to create a world where everyone is respected and treated fairly. People doing social justice work are working to combat oppression. This book will give you insights about social inequality issues ranging from alphabets A to Z. As you flip through the pages, you can see some social justice at work and most importantly, become more aware of the world around you. So happy reading folks!
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DULTism
}
A
Adultism is a predisposition towards adults, which some see as biased against children, youth, and all discrimination against young people and is distinguished from ageism, which is simply prejudice on the grounds of age; not specifically against youth. Adultism is ostensibly caused by fear of children and youth. Did you know that there is a blog set up by Margaret Pevec where she raises awareness and focuses on Adultism?
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Margaret is a single mother to four teenagers and has a passion to share her life experiences that led her to support the unique individual that was emerging in each of her children even when they drove her mad. Margaret updates her blogs regularly on topics relating to Adulitsm and encourages chilren and youths to send in their stories on it. The blog can be accessed at adultism.blogspot. com and an excerpt taken from the blog is featured on the adjacent page.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2010
Invading the Personal Space of Young People
The following was submitted to my website by Jessica M. from Ireland. I have a space there for Anpeople example of adultism I experienced and still feel strongly to share their stories of adultism. about is physical touch. As a child I remember adults seemed to thinkofitadultism was okayI to openly touch An example experienced andme, stillhug feelme, strongly orabout play with my hair, even if I didn’t know them. I think the is physical touch. As a child I remember adults seemed assumption you’re young, youme, don’t to think itwas wasthat okayif to openly touch hugunderstand me, or play with boundaries, so they don’t have worryIabout my hair, even if I didn’t knowtothem. think overstepping the assumption boundaries with a young person. I have mild Asperger’s was that if you’re young, you don’t understand boundaries, symptoms and one is about a strong aversion to boundaries touch. so they don’t haveoftothem worry overstepping Being a child at the time, I didn’t really know how to handle with a young person. I have mild Asperger’s symptoms and theone behaviour except by recoiling or saying loudly and of them is a strong aversion to touch. Being a child at defiantly “I Idon’t like being touched!” called the time, didn’t really know how toI was handle the“rude” behaviour and told they were just being friendly; that the appropriate except by recoiling or saying loudly and defiantly “I don’t like response was to smile politely. I find that ironic, since if being touched!” I was called “rude” and told they were just anyone behaved like that to an adult, it would be the person being friendly; that the appropriate response was to smile doing the touching who would be called rude and the adult politely. I find that ironic, since if anyone behaved like that would be quite within their rights to refuse the unwanted to an adult, it would be the person doing the touching who touch. Yet because I was a child I was expected to tolerate would be called rude and the adult would be quite within the behaviour and smile about it. My mother, to her credit, their rights to refuse the unwanted touch. Yet because I explained that it was okay to refuse physical touch but that was a child I was expected to tolerate the behaviour and I should do it in a calm and polite way, such as “Excuse me smile about it. My mother, to her credit, explained that it but I don’t like being touched unless it’s by someone I know was okay to refuse physical touch but that I should do it well.” in a calm and polite way, such as “Excuse me but I don’t like had being touched by someone I know well.” I also teachers at unless school it’s behave in this overly familiar way. They would casually take hold of my arm or even mess I also at school behave in this familiar with myhad hair,teachers and would act very shocked andoverly concerned way. They would casually take hold of my arm or even when I refused their touching. At one school there was mess with hair, andrights, would one act very shocked actually a listmy of students’ of them beingand “to concerned when I refused their touching. At one school refuse unwanted touches.” Yet they didn’t like it if I said I there was actually a list of students’ rights, one of didn’t like being touched and acted as if I were beingthem rude being “to refusebasic unwanted touches.” Yet they didn’t like just for asserting boundaries. it if I said I didn’t like being touched and acted as if I werefeel being rude justrecalling for asserting boundaries. I still angry when thesebasic incidents. They were the adults, I was the child, yet I was the one expected to tolerate theirangry inappropriate behaviour, theyThey were I still feel when recalling thesebecause incidents. adults it was weretherefore the adults, I wasokay. the child, yet I was the one expected to tolerate their inappropriate behaviour, because they were adults therefore it was okay.
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Brutality is the state
or quality of being ru
thless, cruel, harsh or
unrelenting. 9
C
hauvinism
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By Csanad http://hubpages.com/ hub/Chauvinism The national feelings of people in their certain country has always been present in all over the world. It sometimes is carried to extremes resulting in chauvinism. Then it changes the whole history of that particular nation, and sometimes even the whole world. Nationalism is defined as having patriotic feelings, principles, or efforts. So it is actually not a bad thing. It helps bringing forth economic growth and public wealth and wellness. There has been plenty of example of nationalism. One prime example of a person with strong national feelings were István Széchényi who, seeing how underdeveloped his beloved Hungary was in the early 1800s compared to the West, but especially to Austria, he started reforms that he did not benefit from. For example, when the National Diet was debating
whether a national, where the subjects were thought in Hungarian, university should be founded or not. As a sign of his patriotic feelings, he offered his whole year’s income. Nationalism, as I have mentioned before, sometimes are taken to extremes. Chauvinism, when the patriotic feelings become too intense and extreme, lots of wars and violence conflicts. We don’t have to go very far back in time to be able to find an example of it. The Kosovar conflict is a really good example of chauvinism.
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) started bombing Jugoslavia which made Jugoslavians hate NATO, especially the United States, causing the rise of nationalism and chauvinism among the Serbs. I, personally, think that, chauvinism, or nationalism is probably always a good and positive feeling.Chauvinism is not always good.
Kosovo was a part of Jugoslavia. The majority ethnic group there is the Albanian. The whole conflict started out by the Kosovars forming an army, terrorizing, and demanding territorrial autonomy. So the Jugoslavians, including Milosevics, started doing ethnic cleansing on the Kosovar Albanians. So the
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isability A disability in humans may be physical, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these. In society, many disabled people are deemed as unfit for employment because of their disability. However, some of these people are highly talented in arts. Two examples are Stephen Wiltshire who has Autistic Savant and Peter Longstaff who is missing both arms.
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Wiltshire was born in 1974 in London to West Indian parents. He is an autistic savant and world famous architectural artist. He learned to speak at the age of nine, and at the age of ten began drawing detailed sketches of London landmarks. While he has created many prodigious works of art, his most recent was a eighteen foot wide panoramic landscape of the skyline of New York City, after only viewing it once during a twenty minute helicopter ride.
Peter is a foot painter. He creates all of his artwork using just his feet, having no arms. Peter’s disability stemmed from the drug thalidomide, which was prescribed for morning sickness until it was discovered that it caused deformities fetuses. After living most of his life without arms, Peter considers his right foot to be like the right hand of most people, using it dexterously to open doors and perform many other everyday tasks. 13
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime� Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad
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E
NOUGH! of
nthnocentrism Yes, enough of believing that one’s ethnic or cultural group is centrally important, and that all other groups are measured according to one’s own! Mark Twain, the famous American writer though that travel is the antidote to Enthnocentrism. It’s difficult to think any particular culture or race is truly superior, once you’ve traveled enough to see how much alike we truly are.
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F
acism is a radical and authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to organize a nation according to corporatist perspectives, values, and systems, including the political system and the economy. Fascists believe that a nation is an organic community that requires strong leadership, singular collective identity, and the will and ability to commit violence and wage war in order to keep the nation strong. They claim that culture is created by the collective national society and its state, that cultural ideas are what give individuals identity, and thus they reject individualism. Viewing the nation as an integrated collective community, they see pluralism as a dysfunctional aspect of society, and justify a totalitarian state as a means to represent the nation in its entirety. Animal farm is a book written by George Orwell that reflects Facism.
In Animal Farm, Napoleon (a pig) is one of the main character. Napoleon doesn’t play much of a role in the initial rebellion against overthrowing the humans out of the farm, which happens largely by chance. Yet he’s introduced, along with Snowball (the pig responsible for the rebellion) , as being one of the most intelligent pigs around. Later on, as the story progresses, Napoleon exiles Snowball, gets complete control of the farm and tightly controls his public image. He is always seen and protected by his nine fierce-looking dogs. Napoleon relies on the gullibility of the strongest animals, like Boxer the horse, and the apathy of the wisest, like Benjamin the donkey. When anyone questions Napoleon’s version of history, he has a herd of sheep chant loudly over their protests. All of this is not, of course, merely a study in one pig’s power play. Napoleon does not make sense unless you
realize that he is a double for Joseph Stalin, who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1922 until his death more than 30 years later. Like Napoleon, Stalin was a master at pulling strings behind the scenes. He grew a secret police force, the NKVD (later the KGB), which behaved a bit like Napoleon’s dogs, ultimately proving its effectiveness by assassinating Leo Trotsky, Snowball’s double and one of Stalin’s chief rivals. Both Napoleon and Stalin were faccists. As you read Animal Farm and look into the reign of Stalin, you will realise that facists often do horribly violent things to get their way and are creatures that are hungry for power.
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G
ender inequality
refers to the obvious or hidden disparity between individuals due to gender.
Afghanistan’s last century of history provides us with a tragic example of what to expect in a society that openly discriminates against one half of its population due to gender bias. It seemed that a progressive era was dawning in 1920s Afghanistan, when King Amanullah and Queen Soraya began reforming strict social customs that disenfranchised women. These included the wearing of head-to-toe veils in public, seclusion of women, arranged marriages, FGM, restricted access to education and work, and other harsh traditions. However, from the end of the 20s through the beginning of the 60s, the old codes were once again enforced.
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In the mid 1960s, change began to be felt in Afghanistan, resulting in the election of the first woman cabinet member, a relaxing of dress codes and even the adoption of the far less restrictive clothing of Western women. Many freedoms were granted while the communists were in power from 1978 to 1996, including the right of women to work. But when the Taliban--the recently removed regime of hard-core extremists--took over in 1996, they brought with them the harshest restrictions on women’s rights of the century. These included severe restrictions on participation in public life and extremely limited access to education, work, travel, health care, legal resources and recreation.
The Taliban issued edicts forbidding women from working outside the home except under limited circumstances in the medical field; hardest hit were the 30,000 widows who were sole providers for their families. Under the Taliban, women and girls in certain regions were required to wear a head to toe covering called the burqa when out in public. Women were also forbidden to appear in public with a male who was not their relative. The Taliban’s claim to be a pure strain of Islam is bogus as they have been heartily condemned by the great majority of Muslim scholars and countries.
rule in Afghanistan. But, as many Afghan women and political observers are quick to point out, their successors, the Northern Alliance, are also implicated in many human rights violations and must be pressured by the international community if women are to have a greater role in the future of this troubled land.
Since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and other U.S. targets on September 11th, the Taliban has been removed from 21
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At least 97 per cent of the women in Afghanistan are suffering from major depression.
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H
ow old of a woman do you see? -Ageism
Ageism is stereotyping of and discrimination against individuals or groups because of their age. It is a set of beliefs, attitudes, norms, and values used to justify age based prejudice and discrimination. This may be casual or systematic. The term was coined in 1968 by Robert Neil Butler to describe discrimination against seniors, and patterned on sexism and racism. Butler defined ageism as a combination of three connected elements. Among them were prejudicial attitudes towards older people, old age, and the aging process; discriminatory practices against older people; and institutional practices and policies that perpetuate stereotypes about older people. The term has also been used to describe prejudice and discrimination against adolescents and children, including ignoring their ideas because they are too young, or assuming that they should behave in certain ways because of their age.
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I
nterna tional nequality
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International inequality is inequality between countries. Economic differences between rich and poor countries are considerable.
J
udged by
Intelligence Intelligence is an umbrella term used to describe a property of the mind that encompasses many related abilities, such as the capacities to reason, to plan, to solve problems, to think abstractly, to comprehend ideas, to use language, and to learn.
Intelligence comes from the Latin verb intellegere, which means “to understand”. By this rationale, intelligence (as understanding) is arguably different from being “smart” (able to adapt to one’s environment). 27
K ing or
pauper
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-Social Stratification Mark Twain’s ‘The Prince and the Pauper’ is one example of Social Stratification in society. The novel begins with Tom Canty, an impoverished boy living with his abusive family in London. One day Tom Canty and Prince Edward, the son of King Henry VIII and Jane Seymour meet and as a jest, switch clothes. While dressed in the pauper’s rags, the Prince leaves the palace to punish the guard who knocked Tom down. However, the boys look remarkably alike and because they switch clothes, the palace guards throw the prince out into the street. The Prince fares poorly in London because he insists on proclaiming his identity as the true Prince of Wales. Meanwhile despite Tom’s repeated denial of his birthright, the court and the King insist that he is the true prince gone mad. Edward eventually runs into Tom’s family and a gang of thieves and Twain illustrates England’s unfair and barbaric justice system. After the death of Henry VIII, Edward interrupts Tom’s coronation and the boys explain, switch places, and Edward is crowned King of England.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gVpIwc3T0Y
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L
anguage discrimination occurs when a person is treated differently because of that person’s native language or other characteristics of that person’s speech. There is an interesting video circulating on youtube. The video was intended to create awareness for language discrimination. It is entitled: Where Is The Love: A Project on Language Discrimination (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO). People from different racial backgrounds sing lines from the song and the product is a beautiful mix of accents. Directed by Jason Millar and a Beatbenders Production and Kriiate Productions. The screenshots are captured on the adjacent page.
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M
e n t al ll i n e
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S
s
Mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which are not a part of normal development or culture. 33
o
LG B
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T
LGBT is an initialism referring collectively to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. LGBT have Pride parades , which are events celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) culture. Singapore had its memorable “Pride parade” on 16th May 2009 at Hong Lim Park and more than 2,500 pinkattired people participated. The milestone event, held for the second time here, is organised by a group of local volunteers and aims to raise awareness and foster deeper understanding of the basic human need to love and be loved, regardless of one’s sexual orientation. This year’s theme is family, and the peaceful event was attended by both straight and gay Singaporeans and permanent residents, some who came with their family members.
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O H MY! YOU’RE SO TALL!!
-Heightism
O The term heightism was coined by sociologist Saul Feldman in a paper titled “The presentation of shortness in everyday life—height and heightism in American society: Toward a sociology of stature”, presented at the meeting of the American Sociological Association in 1971. In Business, some jobs do require or at least favor tall people, including some manual labor jobs, most professional sports, and fashion modeling. Military pilots have to be 64 to 77 inches (160 to 200 cm) tall with a sitting height of 34 to 40 inches (86 to 100 cm). These exceptions noted, in the great majority of cases a person’s height would not seem to have an effect on how well they are able to perform their job. Nevertheless, studies have shown that short people are paid less than taller people, with disparities similar in magnitude to the race and gender gaps.
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Power is a measure of an entity’s ability to control the environment around itself, including the behavior of other entities. The term authority is often used for power, perceived as legitimate by the social structure. Power can be seen as evil or unjust, but the exercise of power is accepted as endemic to humans as social beings. Often, the study of power in a society is referred to as politics.
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Power is a source of social influence and context manipulation of objective facts, such as actions or results of another person’s behavior. Power is the essence of our conscious manipulations which have been brought forth to pursue desires. The mind uses power in many forms in order for the entire human organism to progress. Power is necessary, therefore the mind has an everlasting thirst for it which is illuded in the subjective conscious as satisfiable. Power is subjectively and objectively relative in its measurement and assertion.
Power may be held through: Delegated authority (for example in the democratic process), Social class (material wealth can equal power), Personal or group charisma, Ascribed power (acting on perceived or assumed abilities, whether these bear testing or not), Expertise (Ability, Skills) (the power of medicine to bring about health; another famous example would be “in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king” - Desiderius Erasmus), Persuasion (direct, indirect, or subliminal), Knowledge (granted or withheld, shared or kept secret), Celebrity, Force (violence, military might, coercion), Moral persuasion (including religion), Operation of group dynamics (such as public relations), Social influence of tradition (compare ascribed power) and In relationships; domination/submissiveness.
P
P OW足 ER
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Q
Q
uit exploitation
of
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Racism esting
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I have a dream...
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I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen is not an end, but make a beginning. who that hope that Assixty-three we walk, we must theThose pledge wetheshall always Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who returns to business as usual. There will be neither nor tranquility in America until“When the Negrowill is are asking therest devotees of civil rights, you be granted his citizenship rights.satisfied?” The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is nation until the bright day ofthe justice emerges.But there is something thathorrors I must sayof to my peoplebrutality. We victim of the unspeakable police who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the our rightful place we must not be guilty of of wrongful Let usgain not seek to satisfy in our the thirstmotels for fatigue travel,deeds. cannot lodging of the freedom by drinking from thehighways cup of bitterness and hatred.We must forever conduct our struggle and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as on the high plane of dignity long and discipline. must notbasic allow our creative protest to degenerate as theWe Negro’s mobility is from a smaller ghetto to into physical violence. Againaand again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting larger one. We can never be satisfied asphysical long as our children force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed and the Negro community must dignity by are stripped of their selfhood robbed of their not lead us to a distrust of allsigns white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their stating “For Whites Only”. We cannot be satisfied as long presence here today, have come thatin their destiny is tied up with ourvote destiny. Theyahave astoa realize Negro Mississippi cannot and Negro in New come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk York believes he has nothing for which to alone. vote. No, no, we are
not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
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I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
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I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.” And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring. And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
-Martin Luther King Jr, I have a dream.
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SS
laico tigma Social stigma is a severe social disapproval of personal characteristics or beliefs that are perceived to be against cultural norms. Erving Goffman defined stigma as the process by which is normal. The three forms of stigma recognised by Goffman include: The experience of a mental illness (or the imposition of such a diagnosis), A physical form of deformity or an undesired differentness or An association with a particular race, religion, belief etc. (Goffman, 1990).
Examples of existing or historical social stigmas include mental illness, physical disabilities and diseases such as leprosy (or Herpes), about which leprosy stigma may also be called, as well as illegitimacy, sexual orientation, skin tone or affiliation with a specific nationality, religion (or lack of religion) or being deemed to be or proclaiming oneself to be of a certain ethnicity, in any of myriad geopolitical and corresponding sociopolitical contexts in various parts of the world. The perception or attribution, rightly or wrongly, of criminality carries a strong social stigma.
Stigma comes in three forms: Firstly, overt or external deformations, such as scars, physical manifestations of anorexia nervosa, leprosy (leprosy stigma), or of a physical disability or social disability, such as obesity. Secondly, deviations in personal traits, including mental illness, drug addiction, alcoholism, and criminal backgrounds are stigmatized in this way. Thirdly, “tribal stigmas� are traits, imagined or real, of ethnic groups, nationalities, or religions that are deemed to constitute a deviation from what is perceived to be the prevailing normative ethnicity, nationality or religion.
T
orturing of
animals
Animals are being tortured, killled, skinned and even eaten. This is the cruel and harsh reality that humans have brought upon them because of money making profits. Thus, PETA steps in to help these poor animals. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest animal rights organization in the world, with more than 2 million members and supporters. PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in the clothing trade, in laboratories, and in the entertainment industry. The use of nudity in PETA’s camapign has garnered a lot of attention by media and is a good way of promoting and advertising. This is because PETA’s has very strong opposition, which is mostly composed of wealthy industries and corporations, so they have to do something eye catching.
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U U
nequal
U
distribution of wealth The distribution of wealth is a comparison of the wealth of various members or groups in a society.
Here are the top three richest people in the world as of 2010.
http://www.justsharethis.com/top-10-richest-person-in-the-world-2010who-is-the-richest-person-in-the-world-2010/
Number One: Carlos Slim Helu
Number Two: Bill Gates
Number Three: Warren Buffett
$53.5 billion Telecom, Mexico.
$53 billion Microsoft, U.S.
$47 billion Investments, U.S.
Here are the poorest people in the world as of 2008. http://www.hottnez.com/the-10-poorest-countries-of-the-world/
Number One: Republic of the Congo
Number Two: Republic of Liberia
Number Three: Republic of Zimbabwe
GDP – per capita: $300
GDP – per capita: $500
GDP – per capita: $500
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V
ictims of domestic areVIOLENCE
crying help.
Domestic abuse, also known as spousal abuse, occurs when one person in an intimate relationship or marriage tries to dominate and control the other person. Domestic abuse that includes physical violence is called domestic violence.
Domestic violence and abuse are used for one purpose and one purpose only: to gain and maintain total control over you. An abuser doesn’t “play fair.” Abusers use fear, guilt, shame, and intimidation to wear you down and keep you under his or her thumb. Your abuser may also threaten you, hurt you, or hurt those around you.
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W
hat’s your
Religion?
Religiocentrism, contrasted with ethnocentrism, is a value-neutral term that primarily refers to a disposition or mode of inquiry in which religious concerns or methodology is central.
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clusively classism
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Classism is prejudice or discrimination on the basis of social class. It includes individual attitudes and behaviors, systems of policies and practices that are set up to benefit the upper classes at the expense of the lower classes. It can also include attitudes and behavior of prejudice and discrimination by members of the lower class to members of the higher class. Class Action is a national nonprofit organisation founded in 2004 that wants to inspires action to end classism. Through their website, you can access their blog, which has topics on Classism. The url is http:// www.classism.org/blog. 59
Y
our ABILITY
will get you there.
Yeap, that sounds like meritocracy. Meritocracy is a political system in which the paths of people’s lives are determined by their individual abilities and effort. Chance is reduced and nepotism abolished. What you know and what you can do replaces the former selection process based on who you know and what they can do for you. Thus the able take the top positions in society and the less able are slotted into other positions according to their lesser abilities and effort. Expressed as such it may have the ring of social justice. But there is more to it than that. Inevitably a meritocracy in a high pay, high stakes society goes sour. 60
In a meritocratic society people gain senior positions in society because of their merits. These people are paid high salaries such that the more senior the role, the higher the pay. This conveys many advantages on their children.
catchment area of primary state schools judged to be excellent; the families have holidays in exotic locations which broaden the children’s experience; the parents provide expensive equipment for their children, visits to ski resorts; etc.
Among the ways in which meritocrats spend their high incomes, the education of their children is prominent. This can happen in various ways: the children are sent to fee-charging independent schools which hone their natural talents and give them social contacts of future value; they may have home tutors to coach for examinations; the parents may move house to the
The enhanced educational provision of the children of the meritocrats, compared to the children of the rest of society, gives them considerable advantage over the latter in the selection processes for elite universities and for senior posts in industry, business and finance. And there you see the issue of social inequality poping out again.
Z
ones & territories Migration and Social Inequality are related by the position which is most often assigned to the immigrants when they come into a new country of residence. The immigrants are offered lower job positions than the average and they are usually underpaid as well. This situation leads to them swelling the number of poor and unemployed, with a small number of chances to change their social condition and enjoying less human rights than the citizens.
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A
cknowledgments
First and foremost, I would like to credit and say a big thank you to my Lecturer David Lee, for his advice and time spent in helping me with this publication. Thanks for all the patience, guidance and passion for the subject. It taught us a lot.
Gender: http://www. iamapeacekeeper.com/ genderinequalityinsociety. htm & http://www.webster. edu/~woolflm/taliban.html Ageism: http://www.askix. com/avav/zoi_wife_and_ mother_in_law.htm King or Pauper: http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_ Secondly, to my classmates Prince_and_the_Pauper for their constructive Language Discrimination: feedback during critics. http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=6gVpIwc3T0Y Thirdly, thanks to my family and friends who were there to No LGBT: http://www. fridae.com&newsfeatur support me. es/2010/03/02/9692.pinkdot-singapores-secondAlso, I would like the public-lgbt-supportiveacknowledge the sources for event-to-be-held-15-may images and context: http://pinkdotsg.blogspot. Adultism: http://adultism. com/ blogspot.com/ Chauvinism: http://hubpages. Heightism: http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ com/hub/Chauvinism Height_discrimination Disability:http://www. Power: http://psychology. webdesignerdepot. wikia.com/wiki/Power com/2010/03/the-amazingart-of-disabled-artists/ Quit Exploitation Facism: http://www.shmoop. of children: http:// com/animal-farm/napoleon- thelaststraw.files.wordpress. com/2006/11/abused-sadpig.html & http://farm1. static.flickrcom/95/25997874 child.jpg 6_9ac3a90023.jpg
Racism: http:// bigdaddyseashell.wordpress. com/2008/04/04/earlymorning-april-4/ http://www.usconstitution. net/dream.html Social Stigma: http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Social_stigma Torturing of animal: http:// www.peta.org/ Victims of domestic violence: http://www.thirdage.com/ news/domestic-violencevictims-have-new-resourcesavailable_9-9-2010 Ablitiy: http://www. convivial-politics-couldsave-the-world.com/ meritocracy.html Zones and territores: http:// wiki.triastelematica.org/ index.php/Social_Inequality This book is for my beloved parents, and my aunt Pearle. Esther Lim
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Well, most of you have heard about sexism and racism. But, do you know there is a also such a term called heightism ? And Adultism? What’s LGBT? What’s pink dot? What’s the socal inequality in it? What’s got nudity got to do with torturing of animals? Who are the three top richest man? And who are the least three? If you want to find out, you gotta pick up this book! This is a book about social inequality issues around the world. Take a look inside, explore and be informed of what’s happening around you. It’s good to be aware. Happy reading folks!