Oppression and the Inadvertent Suffering amongst Society

There is a struggle of power. Society has become marginalised, oppressed and limited to an inescapable realm of misery, impairment and self-humiliation. The proletariat suffers upon the advertent control of the boujoise, and although the proletariat struggles to defame the corruption of the all-powerful regulator, it is a vain attempt. Outside a war rages. The struggle against oppression and the right to express concern is diminishing. Defamation, vilification, shame and slanderous accusation stands at the forefront of modern freedoms and liberty itself. The modern state is now controlled by laws of oppression, which although protects individuals with funds to defend supposed false accusation, it has silenced the truth and subverted justice to only those who can pay for its luxury.

Amongst the midst of oppression stands a freedom fighter. This fighter, known formerly as the almighty Social Enterprise, propagates not to disadvantage and suppress individual freedom like most capitalist ventures, but to unite communities and help marginalised groups maintain dignity and live more fulfilling lives. Law and freedom are binary opposites. The substantive injustice of society to let individuals live in squalor and suricate, then blame them for their inability to escape such oppression is derisory. The imprecation of implicit moral rights being denied by the majority to minority groups seems inconceivable. For where one can grasp gratification, self-indulgence and power, there is always overwhelming suffering for all concerned.

Justice seemed to be a dominantly portrayed throughout the course. It was perhaps the most challenging aspect but also the most enjoyable. The inequality of justice is definitely a vexing problem. Justice is defined as the “quality of being just, impartial or indefinitely fair.” Often when justice is spoken about, it is referred to as an indefinable trait within an individual who has an abundant amount of social justice or social morality. This idea of individual justice, however, raises many more issues. For, what is just by one individual is obviously capable to be unjust by another. This ambiguity forces society to encompass social norms, and base social morality on other norms that encompass individual inequality.

In The Republic, by Plato, justice is treated as an overarching virtue of individuals, meaning that almost every issue that could be regarded as ethical comes in under the notion of justice. Therefore, justice is only for the norm of society and disregards those who are marginalised or on the fringes of social relativity. This would imply that ‘justice’ is only obtainable for those who fit perfectly within society’s regime and if anyone was actually able to obtain justice, it would merely be a justice that has marginalised another individual. So really, justice is merely an illusion. It is an unobtainable premise.
Perhaps the most compelling learning from the course was how Social Enterprises create bridges for society to walk across. The grass is not always greener on the other side, but if you cannot view where you stand from a different position, you never truly can appreciate and comprehend where you once stood. Improving rights and striving for equality, freedom, justice and human dignity are all aspects that makes a social enterprise invaluable to society. The ability to critically interpret, utilise knowledge, search for unexplained truth and to further explore the many shades of grey within life is imperative to a well rounded approach to all matters. Even though an individual may never truly be able to see through the eyes of another, at least envisaging to see is a step in the right direction.

A Bachelor of Arts is unlike any other degree undertaken at University. It forms differing opinions, encourages individual learning and helps students to grasp a greater sense of their cultural surroundings. It is only through acceptance that we can further ourselves, but accepting the unknown is perhaps the hardest facet to achieve. Where once it was culturally accepted for Indigenous Australians to be considered and protected under the Flora and Fauna Act, it is now an abhorrent and despicable moral injustice that society itself must be blamed for. Not all what is taught is truth and not all truths are truly true but only mere accepted opinion. Humans admire what they do not understand, rather than believing what they cannot doubt. After having experienced the Social Enterprises course, it has come seemingly apparent that a BA should be compulsory for all graduates after year 12. Three further years of study in a BA, with a selection of varying and diverse topics, can only lead to greater acceptance of difference and further knowledge. All of which, surely can do no harm for an individual.

Above all things, learnt in Social Enterprise, are the continuance of civil liberties and a further sense of empathy towards others in society. The Choir of Hard Knox is a fantastic representation of how society can be benefited through the support and compassion of a few good people. Their benevolence and support for the disadvantaged is heart-warming. The need to understand the target audience and the implementation of surveys to truly comprehend what is needed to benefit society is also imperative. The constant inclusion of outsourced guest lecturers contributed to my understanding of Social Enterprises running in our community. The one thing in common with all the speakers was their humility and appliance of themselves to make a difference within there community for the betterment. I enjoyed listening to their insightful stories of how they were lead to serve the community, which have encouraged me to further myself and make a difference outside the usual capitalistic endeavours.

Currently I am enrolled in a double degree of both Law and Arts. In the future, I hope to become an advocate for freewill and opportunity, as well as preserving individual liberty and moral/human rights. Although I am not an idealist, these are values I believe cannot be contended. Perhaps as a barrister, I will be able to right society’s injustices and maintain personal convictions of cultural dignities and equality. The BA allows further studies in cultural, psychological and philosophical areas which I enjoy. Which may lead me to write non-fictional books about justice and politics. I have learnt a great deal this year, and I look forward to working within a social enterprise in the future.

References

Hardin Russell, Journal of Ethics: An International Philosophical Review. 2004. 8(1), 77-95.

Peonidis Filimon. Freedom of Expression, Autonomy, and Defamation. Law and Philosophy: An International Journal for Jurisprudence and Legal Philosophy. Ja 98. 17(1), 1-17.

Broughton, Janet, Descartes’s Method of Doubt, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003
Smart Barry, Michel Foucault 3/9/08

A. Daniel, How To Identify a Target Market