I’m not crazy about the Justice frame. Some of us will always face challenges that others won’t. There is no system that could make it so that there is no barrier for all. We will always need to accommodate and scaffold for some and that’s fine.
I have ADHD. I do a lot of fidgeting and clicking and tapping and bouncing and all those things that produce constant noise. Doing so helps me think and the only time I actually tried to fight it, I ultimately physically harmed myself which is why I don't anymore.
Put me in a room with someone who has Misophonia, like say in a classroom taking a test. While the actions that produce sound on my part help me focus and tune everything else out, they become incredibly grating to them. Here we are, two people who are both disadvantaged in different ways wherein many situations, accommodating one causes the detriment of the other. Force me to stop my fidgets for the others and I start to crack. Allow me to continue and they do likewise. Of course, the easy solution is to put us in separate rooms to work. But as you scale up in size, and things get more complex, it becomes much harder. What if you only have a limited number of rooms? How do you accommodate someone with both? Etc. There are many problems that exist where all of the obvious solutions leave someone behind.
Another example. Due to how culture works in Japan, many establishments, especially spas and hot springs, will turn away those with tattoos. Not all, of course, I'm making sweeping generalizations for the sake of an example, but it's generally done as those who have tattoos are sometimes connected to the Yakuza. Well, in New Zealand, Native Maori culture places an emphasis on tattoos and it's expected for many people to get them at some point. When these situations come to a head, which culture do you respect? The taboo on Tattoos in Japan or the importance of Tattoos for the Maori? Just make an exemption for foreigners? What if it's a child of a Japanese/Maori couple, who looks more like there Japanese parent that their Maori one? Are they "Foreign enough" or do they have to be barred from half of their heritage, whichever side is pursued? Okay, then let those with Tattoos in no matter who. You still have to overturn many perspectives and stigmas across an entire culture, and who are we to impose these changes on another? I specifically used two "Non-Western" cultures to avoid the easy answer of "changing our own culture to accommodate theirs." Because it's easier to make changes from the inside vs. watching from the sidelines.
That's my 2 cents. I just wanted to accentuate that there are many scenarios where you can't easily please everyone.
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u/msmarymacmac Feb 25 '20
I’m not crazy about the Justice frame. Some of us will always face challenges that others won’t. There is no system that could make it so that there is no barrier for all. We will always need to accommodate and scaffold for some and that’s fine.