Reference no: EM133473576

Case: Despite whatever complaints people may have, the United States remains one of the best countries to live - this may explain why so many people from around the globe take extraordinary efforts to experience the freedom and opportunity offered here. However, no country is without some degree of imperfection, whether economic, social, political, or in many instances all of the above. This week we've explored ideas related to equal protection under the law, whether that includes issues of privacy, race, or even gender and sexual orientation. Given the diversity of people and experiences living in the United States, the government is constantly in a state of fluctuation to determine how to balance the rights of some against the rights of others. Central to this struggle however is the question of whether we as a society are allies to the idea of equality, or instead are we married to institutions that provide benefits to some at the cost of others?

In his "Letter from Birmingham Jail", Martin Luther King, Jr. explores this very idea. He mentions the following:

"I must make two honest confessions to you... I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that [an oppressed group's] great stumbling block in [their] stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: 'I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action'; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises [oppressed groups] to wait for a 'more convenient season.'"

The idea espoused by MLK is quite interesting: groups that face oppression need individuals who are members of the group engaged in upholding the system of oppression, to stand against laws, policies, legislation, and inaction that allow oppression to exist and continue. When all we offer are hollow platitudes that say we are aligned with principles of equality, but our actions do not reflect it, what we truly are, is a group of citizens aligned with the maintenance of a status quo that protects our freedom at the expense of others.

Discussion Question

(1) Consider MLK's argument and examine this principle from a variety of perspectives, including race, gender, age, and sexual orientation. Do you believe he is correct? Why or Why not? What examples in our society (economic, social and/or political) guide your perspective?

(2) Do you believe it's "fair" to place a present responsibility on any group in society to undo the effects of historical discrimination and injustice? If so, why? If not, why not? Do our social and political narratives need a "villain" (i.e. the President, the police, White people, Black people, Hispanic and Asian immigrants, etc.) in order to justify present circumstances?

(3) Currently, there is a growing debate regarding whether transgender athletes should be required to compete in sporting events based on the gender assigned at birth. Considering this issue as an example, do you believe it's possible for an individual to stand for principles or laws that restrict the freedoms of some, and still believe that the United States provides a suitable degree of equality for all people? Why or Why not?