Injustice in our Society:
Analyzing the Issues at Various Levels

Is it merely a coincidence that the best engineered and safest automobiles are accessible only to the affluent? Do poor people not deserve the same quality and safety as the wealthy? This is a small example of the underlying failure of our society to treat all people justly. Maxine Hong Kingston’s, senior lecturer at University of California-Berkeley, develops the theme of injustice toward Chinese women by our society in her essay “No Name Woman.” Cornell West, Harvard Professor, also explores inequality faced by black Americans in his essay “Moral Obligations of a Democratic Society.” Lastly, Kofi Annon, Nobel Peace prize winner, summarizes the poor treatment of people on a worldwide basis by our society as a whole, in his "Nobel Lecture." These are all examples of how the perspective of an author can be influenced by their environment.

Fair treatment of people has been a problem since the dawn of time. In Maxine Hong Kingston’s “No Name Woman,” she deals with the wrongs suffered by Chinese women in an American society. Kingston does this by developing a theme of injustice that spawns from the family and outstretches to the community. Traditionally, Chinese women were thought as a burden to their family and did not meet the standard that their culture demanded. Families would go to outlandish depths to ensure their children were worthy of society standards, Kingston even discussed the ritual of binding of the feet, saying “we were lucky that we didn’t have to have our feet bound when we were seven.” Additionally, this desire to meet the norm permeated throughout the household. Her aunt was so upset after finding a freckle, that “she dug it out with a hot needle and washed the wound with peroxide.” This view of Chinese women, not meeting the specified criteria, was present in all aspects of the community. Kingston shared a personal experience of not meeting society requirements with the reader, stating “I made myself American-pretty” because a Chinese woman was not good enough to attract the attention of her schoolmates. She also uses the term “American-feminine” to describe the transformation required of Chinese women to meet status quo; Chinese women have to adjust their walk and speech, in an attempt to rid themselves of their Chinese-femininity. Her personal experience having been shunned by both her family and the community was a small glimpse of the injustice suffered by Chinese women.

Similarly, Cornell West develops the theme of injustice in his essay “Moral Obligations of a Democratic Society;” however, his writing specifically focuses on issues that blacks suffer due to American society. Initially, he focuses on the lack of identity experienced by blacks in this society. For example, West discussed the decline of the neighborhood as the source for problems in the society. He states the lack of interaction and development of family values even threatens their “sense of what it is to be human.” Additionally, he states “once the humanity of a people is problematized, they are called into question perennially,” which effectively continues to lower their self-confidence. Blacks are stigmatized as problematic due to their inability to attain the standard, a standard represented by skin color and physical attributes. Secondly, he discusses how financial difficulties derived from the democratic society are prerequisites for the problems experienced by minorities. West compares the black family to an investment, introducing the concept of nonmarket activity and raising a family, simply stating “much sacrifice and service goes into it without any assurance that the providers will get anything back.” The minimal return seen by parents does not justify the resources invested, creating a rift in family structure, when the investors have to weigh the long term cost associated with such a low return. Furthermore, this scarcity of “nonmarket values” has led to the failure of blacks to rally behind a cause and ultimately losing hope as their neighborhoods and families fail. Most of the problems experienced by blacks can be attributed to their financial status, poor education, and high crime rates. The aforementioned are all caused by a lack of money in the black household, West goes further to compare the average poverty level for people in the U.S. and provides concrete evidence when he explains that, “51 percent of young black brothers and sisters live in poverty in the richest nation in the history of the world.” In conclusion, West not only identified the problems suffered by blacks in this society, but he narrowed them down to society failing to meet the needs of blacks financially, and the erosion of family values due to a loss of self.

Lastly, Kofi Annan’s acceptance speech “Nobel Lecture” focuses on a more global injustice; he discusses the unfairness our society has shown people around the world, contrary to the basic freedoms most nations claim to uphold. Initially, Annan discusses the wrongs that have been portrayed throughout time against poor people. His initial argument discusses an afghan girl, her conditions are seen by him as “inhuman,” because she can’t get her basic needs met due to the economic status of the area in which she is born. Furthermore, Annon discusses how poverty can negate the opportunity for people to maximize their ability and overcome the problems surrounding them. When impoverished people struggle to have their needs met, creativity and opportunity is lost which digs a figurative hole in which they can never overcome. Secondly, he alludes to unfair practices shown to people of different ethnic backgrounds. One of the greatest examples we have of injustice toward people of different backgrounds, is the genocide during the holocaust. Annon addresses such issues stating “A campaign of “ethnic cleansing” begins with one neighbor turning on another,” a practice that we see still today despite the best efforts of our society. All in all, Annons’ speech brought to light how far we are from solving the world’s issues surrounding fair treatment despite race, ethnic, or economic status.

The fair treatment of “man” has been a problem since the beginning of time and was the underlying theme of all the essays discussed today. Kingston emphasized cultural issues related to Chinese women, while West discussed the problems experienced by blacks in America, and a final argument by Annon focused on worldwide issues for people of different backgrounds. Despite the magnitude of each authors’ argument, the overall theme of injustice is dominant. In conclusion, we are challenged by these authors to not only recognize these failures in our society, but to also implement change at home and at work, and by doing so we can affect real change, ensuring the same standard is achieved for everyone on all levels.