Social justice
Reservation is not a choice, but a right. Meaningful in the long run.
The first step to achieving social justice is to understand the different ways in which privilege and discrimination exist and operate. It’s not rocket science. Humanity is all we needed to understand this, don’t you think?
Privilege
It is not always about having more than others. It can also be about having fewer obstacles to overcome - this is the core concept that we need to digest.
I’m listing out some realities.
Cultural - people from dominant cultures have an unearned advantage over people from marginalized cultures.1
Cast - people from higher castes an unearned advantage that has over people from lower castes.2
Race - the unearned advantage that people of the white race have over people of color.3
Money - people who inherited a lot of money have an unearned advantage over people without money.4
Gender - women, and girls are often denied opportunities and treated differently than men and boys.
Sexual orientation - LGBTQ+ people are often discriminated against and denied opportunities.
Religion - treating individuals differently because of their religious beliefs and practices.5
Disability - People with disabilities often face discrimination and have fewer opportunities.
In my opinion, it is important to be aware of your own privilege (in many forms) and try to be an ally of the marginalized. If you want someone to stay with you during your misfortune/casualty, you should do the same.
That's how the world works.
We all have biases, but it is important to challenge them and work to overcome them. When we challenge our biases, we open ourselves up to new perspectives and new ways of thinking.
- somewhere I read.
Privilege vs Reservation
Creating a bridge to social justice and equality.
There is a complex relationship between these. It is difficult for privileged people to understand the challenges that people from marginalized groups face. They have never experienced this before, so It’s just another story to them. This leads to a lack of support and empathy for policies that are designed to address these challenges.
Reservation is a policy of setting aside a certain number of positions or opportunities for members of a particular group, such as a minority group or a group that has been historically marginalized.
Is it so hard to understand?
And if you look from the privileged perspective, reservation is like reverse discrimination, sometimes they feel that they are being unfairly disadvantaged.
Here it is important to remember that this is not targeting individuals, but society. We are in this for the long run, a better future.
I hear many people saying that, due to all these reservations we are losing our space. But in this aspect, there is one thing that everyone forgets. They are not conquering, they are slowly reclaiming their own place that our older generation reserved for themselves.
People can be both privileged and disadvantaged at the same time.
The goal of social justice is to create a society where everyone has equal opportunities, regardless of their social identity. Do not associate it with one person's problem. That will create a different level of social anarchy.
People who belong to dominant cultures often do not realize that they have privilege. They may think that they have earned their success when in reality, they have benefited from a system that favors them.
Cast privilege can include things like having more opportunities for education and employment, being treated with more respect, and being able to live in safer neighborhoods.
Race privilege can include things like being less likely to be stopped by the police, being less likely to be denied housing or employment, and being less likely to be the victim of a hate crime.
Money privilege can include things like having access to better education and healthcare, being able to live in safer neighborhoods, and being able to have more control over their lives. And of course, you may have earned the money, but if you think broadly it gives you an unearned advantage when compared to others.
For example, they may be denied housing or employment, and they may be the targets of hate crimes.