Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with socialjustice

Teach me about Catholic social justice

naoko — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:25:46 -0800

I want to learn about the Catholic social justice movement. What are some good books or other sources? I work with people who come from this background/perspective, and I want to get inside their heads a bit. Me: lefty (and generally into social justice sorts of issues), atheist (grew up Protestant, knowledge of Catholicism in general is pretty basic), huge fan of Paul Farmer.

Help teenagers make a difference

roaring beast — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:23:34 -0800

I have about a hundred teenagers in a room for about two to four hours. What type of service project could we do on-site that would require little capital (less than $100), but could make a difference in someone's life here or somewhere around the world? We have lots of energy and time, but are lacking money and transportation.

Help me explore careers in social justice and manage my hypocrisy

elke — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:25:11 -0800

By day I work as a content strategist for big corporations, and by night I write essays on social justice issues for independent media. Over the past year, much to my surprise and delight, my essays have been well received by others, forwarded to policy makers, and commented on in traditional media. Recently, I’ve started channelling my weekend passion for street photography into photo essays for social change, too.

I’d like to spend more of my time promoting social justice, and have considered heading back to university to study law or social work. However as an introvert (Myers-Briggs INFJ) who avoids conflict, I fear that my personality might not be suited to law. Also, despite the emotional appeal of counselling others, I don’t feel comfortable with the immense responsibility, and the salary for social workers in Australia is incredibly low.

Ditto the salaries on offer from non-profits -- I recently left the corporate world and started a low-paying content role with a global non-profit, but an unexpected health and financial scare gave me a reality check.

I realised that as a single woman in my early thirties, I must maintain at least a moderate income and maintain my employability in order to support my future and myself. (I live within my means, but wasn’t able to save on the non-profit salary, or replace my emergency savings.)

What other social justice careers are there aside from law and social work? How might I combine my existing writing and project management skills with a career in social justice that allows me to fully support myself? And until I make a career change, how can I deal with the hypocrisy *cringe* I feel about simultaneously promoting corporate greed while championing social change?

Top social justice issues and organizations

roaring beast — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:07:02 -0800

What are the most important social justice issues in the world today (such as AIDS, poverty, clean water, human trafficking, slavery, etc.) and what is one organization that is working in that field to make a difference? I am giving a presentation on this topic, and specifically looking for organizations where "normal" people could learn about the issue and get involved to help change the biggest problems in the world.

Shoot the Messenger? Cult of Personality?

divabat — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:11:26 -0800

Which causes or ideas have become more about the messenger than the message? I remember, for a while after "An Inconvenient Truth" came out, there was a lot of fuss given on Al Gore personally alongside (and sometimes more than) the attention on climate change. Now Al Gore's fame has quelled a little, but I was wondering if there have been any other social causes or new ideas that are now only remembered because of the presenter - or even if those ideas have fallen by the wayside in favour of the presenter's personality.

While Princess Diana brought landmines to greater public attention, it wasn't the cause of her fame, and the landmines cause hasn't diminished just because of her. Similarly, there isn't one clear person that can be credited for the gay rights movement or the feminist movement.

However, how many people would understand Albert Einstein's Theory or Relativity or how it's relevant to today's world? How about Stephen Hawking's work on astrophysics? Has their "celebrity" overshadowed understanding of their work on a mass level?

Also, has there been any studies or research done in this area? Is there a name for this phenomena?

Help me Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.

yoyoceramic — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:09:12 -0800

I am looking for an anti human trafficking/slavery group to work for this summer in South America. Can anyone offer any ideas or suggestions? I am trying to research social justice groups in South America who are effectively serving and/or fighting for victims or potential victims of human trafficking and/or modern day slavery.

An ideal organization will either be likely to pay us (UN, or other well funded programs) or provide at least a bed... eg., a church without much money but can provide a home stay.

Organizations could range from a small town mom and pop shelter all the way to a huge international group. Note: there is no need to only look at groups that are currently looking for someone like me. This is going to be a non-traditional job experience, so I think I will be creating a job opening for myself.

Anyone have any experience with this, know of any organizations I can get in touch with?

Social Justice Films

charmston — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 18:15:33 -0800

Recommend me a film with a theme centering around a social justice issue. Preferably fictitious, or at least not a documentary (sorry Michael Moore fans). I realize that "social justice" is a loosely-defined term; basically, if the screenwriter is trying to make a point about a social justice issue, it's fair game. An archetypal example would be The Constant Gardener, but also acceptable would be movies along the lines of American History X, Crash, Children of Men or Gattaca. Thanks, green!

Dude, we should totally start a NORML chapter. Yeah!... wait, what?

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 13:28:30 -0800

Can running a NORML chapter damage my career? I've been a member of NORML for a long time and I've wished there was a NORML chapter near me for just as long. I've done lots of volunteer/non-profit work, but none of it towards social justice. I would start working on this immediately, except for one thing: I'm worried that this would hurt my career severely.

My job is programming, so it's not in the public eye but it's with a rather large corporation and I've been there 5 or so years. I've been moving up rather rapidly, am making loads of cash, wife, kid, nice house, and really have it made both now and for the foreseeable future.

Needless to say, I don't want to mess that up.

I seethe at the damage the War on MJ has caused this country and I don't feel like I can stand by any longer. However, I cannot deliberately sabotage the life I have built for my family on some quixotic quest either.

What sort of impressions would leading a NORML chapter have on a layman? What is the common perception of the marijuana legalization movement from the 'outside'? Could this possibly be viewed as a positive? Would this sort of stuff show up on a background check?