Social Justice, the guilt of our time

Posted by Jeff Carter
on April 5th, 2010

There has been a lot of talk about “social justice” in the past several years. It is the “political correctness” of our time. Social justice is just designed to make you feel guilty so that government can utilize that guilt to implement socialized programs that steal your wealth away. There is a huge chasm between “social justice” as designed by socialists, and the emotion that you feel when you want to help someone or a particular group of people. The simile of this idea is the difference between centrally planned and controlled marketplaces and the free market.

Great article in the WSJ today about social justice and what happens in society. Of course, Western socialism in Europe lead the way on social justice. Roger Scruton hits the nail on the head when he writes,

However, the state is taking over many of the functions that were previously performed by charities—not least education, health care, and the relief of poverty. And the state deals on impersonal and equal terms with its citizens. It has no favorites, and it is governed by the rules—anything else is received by the citizens as an injustice. Hence charity is replaced by justice as the ruling principle upon which social benefits are distributed. But while charity deals in gifts, justice deals in rights. And when you receive what is yours by right you don’t feel grateful. Hence people who receive their education and health care from the state are less inclined to give to schools and hospitals in their turn—something that is borne out vividly by the figures concerning charitable giving. The spirit of gratitude retreats from the social experience, and in countries like France and Germany, where civil society is penetrated at every level by the state, people give little or nothing to charity, and regard gifts with suspicion, as attempts to privatize what should be a matter of public and impartial concern.

He goes on to say that “when gifts are replaced by rights, gratitude is replaced by claims.” This is a 180 degree in attitude by both the society, and the individual or group that receives the remedy of social justice.

In countries where there is an aggressive social justice plan meted out by the state, giving to charity is non-existent. Why should anyone with any means help a less fortunate soul when the government is supposed to do it? Meanwhile, if I am a recipient, my life is spent trying to work the system in order to receive that “free” aid. Groups organize, and elect representation that will keep that government milk flowing. Crony capitalism is the result. Innovation ends, as all imaginative power goes into figuring out how to get more and more benefit, and the growth society stops. Eventually, the “have nots” that have sopped up all the productive resources riot. The extremely wealthy are unaffected, they can leave. It’s the middle class that bears the brunt of the “have nots” riots. Think I am off base in my claims? Check out the suburbs, and city of Paris. For years now, there have been riots in the summer.

What should be done? There is no simple solution other than ending it. Stop the river of cash that is being transferred to these people. In America, there will be a short term dislocation. But, American people are far different today than any other people of the world. They will pick up the pieces and individually, help people out. Charity can go back to being charity, and social justice can be an idea like Marxism, better suited to the dustbin of history.

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