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8/16/2004
Defining Social Justice
There's lots of talk these days about Jesus being a so-called liberal. Ascribing modern-day political affiliations to historical Biblical figures (more specifically, the central figure to all humanity and King of Kings and Lord of Lords) is just plain blasphemous and self-serving. I have also heard it said that Jesus was for social justice. In fact, even I have said this myself. Although, I said it with the caveat that the idea of "social justice" as we know it today is not exactly indicative of the true heart and spirit of mobilization and empowerment I saw in Jesus' ministry. Unfortunately, today the words "social justice" conjure up the sensation of dry heaving libcrap.
Some weeks back, in part three of my epic saga "Why I'm Not a Republican" I mentioned my disappointment in much of the Republican party's attention to the yes, dare I say it, the disenfranchised. That opinion still stands. Is it the government's job to feed the poor, heal the sick, and set the captives free? Well, no. However, it is their job to facilitate an atmosphere where outside agencies can move effectively in this respect. In order for this to take place, actually recognizing the problems of our society is necessary.
Here in Seattle, we have this nomadic homeless camp called "Tent City". They go around Washington, copping lawn space (by permission) to establish their literal "tent city" of homeless people. Generally, it is churches that offer up their property for the nearly 70 homeless people to live on for an agreed amount of time. Much uproar has been made as Tent City once existed in the inner-city, but has now begun making its way into the lovely Seattle suburbs; home of the card-carrying Republican. They are not happy.
I am merely using the issue of homelessness as an example of one of the epidemics facing our society right now. And let's be honest, if your city is anything like mine, being "homeless" has become somewhat in vogue. On an average day, you might see some trusafarian white kid with university tuition fully-paid, sitting on the street corner panhandling because it's "cool", or because they've disowned their parents. I have written in the past about my complete lack of tolerance for anyone who is unwilling to get off their tail and make life happen.
I offer the Tent City analogy for a reason. Recently, City Council approved a plan for Tent City to occupy space in Woodinville, Washington; a community with million dollar homes. They were outraged, as I may be too, although watching their outrage has been far more entertaining and indicative than anyone would have thought. There is however, a greater picture here; It's the idea of being forced to deal with the poor. There was once a time when on any given day, I could arrange to locate myself in a place where I wouldn't be forced to deal with the decay of American society on a daily basis. These days, it's everywhere.
So what is social justice? What is our responsibility to it? And who's leading the pack?
posted by ambra at 8/16/2004 07:31:42 AM | link to this entry |
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