Six days ago, precisely on 23rd of August was celebrated in Brazil, the day of fighting injustice. We all must defend justice, because when there is some injustice happening for so long, a dangerous precedent can happen, destroying democracy, undermining rule of law and fundamental human rights. So, the public trust in our institutions is severely harmed. Besides, when there is not justice, the abuses tend to grow, spreading and affecting many more people. So if you have witnessed any violation of human rights, record it and help fight injustice. I have been fighting for justice, democracy and human rights for so many years and I intend to keep this work for more years ahead. I'll give never up to make Brazil a better country, more democratic, fairer, and where human rights are truly respected. The systematic violations, the impunity, the daily bullying in the mainstream media, the threats online and offline exist to do the victims give up to fight for their rights and reparations. Besides the violations, the systematic abuses, the daily humiliation and the impunity can have a dehumanizing effect in the population, trying us accept what can not be accepted, do not let this happen to you, the solidarity and the emphaty are the essence of the human beings. We all should recognize who have courage to defend our human rights including our political rights. Because always there are costs to do this, so help who is losing to defend our rights. This post is a summary of two articles. The first was published at https://www.bartleby.com/essay/Fighting-Injustice-P3KF8XZVJ. The second was published at https://cms5.revize.com/revize/haddonfield/HRC/HMHS%20-%20Honorable%20Mention%20-%20CC%20-%20edited.pdf
I believe that the idea in this quote, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" (Martin Luther King) relates to how if one country is allowed to abuse, mistreat and terrorize their citizens that countries all over the world will fall like a domino and will eventually allow themselves to give similar treatment to their countries. I understand this quote as being a statement given by Martin Luther King against communism, fascism, civil rights abuses and unjust treatment in general because of the brutal and horrible lives that some people during that time had to experience and suffer under. One example of injustice is the Cambodian genocide. The hardships and the pains that the Cambodian people went through during the mass genocide of the people of Cambodia were horrible and was largely overlooked by the rest of the world. The heart wrenching story of how over 20% of the entire nation's population was wipe out in a blink of the eye by Pol Pot. His rule over the country influenced a regime of terrible tragedies and it was only noticed and talked about more than ten years after the fact. Literature functions as a unique venue to communicate social injustices to society by letting the readers experience the bias treatment through words and how the characters felt. This makes the readers connect and think more deeply about the injustices that are happening in the world today. "In the Bluest Eye", by Toni Morrison, "Night", by Elie Wiesel, and "Flowers for Algernon", by Daniel Keyes, each author uses literary devices such as tone, symbolism, and character to inform injustices. However, each writer approaches the theme of injustices differently with their unique descriptions and styles. In "Night", Elie Wiesel uses a frustrated tone to show how the injustice of the holocaust impacted Eliezer. Eliezer expresses his frustration towards God: "Why, but why should I bless him? I rebelled. Because he had had thousands of children burned in his pits? Because he kept crematories working night and day? Because he had created Auschwitz, Birkenau, Buna, and so many factories of death? How could I say to him: Blessed be thou, almighty, master of the universe. Injustice involves oppression, prejudice, and discrimination. Oppression occurs when forces tend to hold people down and block their pursuit of a good life. Which makes it possible for individuals to vary in their personal experience of being oppressed. Another aspect of injustice is prejudice. It occurs when we judge a person based only on stereotypes about them, rather than a rational evaluation of the facts available to us. Prejudice is an attitude and can it involves both ideas and feelings. Discrimination is another part of injustice, where the unfair treatment of people is based on some characteristic where prejudice is put into action. Discrimination can be either blatant, where it involves hate crimes or physical aggression, or subtle where avoidance and exclusion is used as a tactic. People have all the necessary components to challenge and combat injustice. With the evolution of the internet, information is widely available. Unlike years ago, injustice can not be hidden and they must be attacked head on. The smallest act of injustice can be shown to millions of people almost instantaneously. People must take advantage of resources and educate themselves of others perspectives. Currently, many people lack empathy and say, "that is not my problem". Ignoring injustices is like leaving the elephant in the room then watching it trample others. Being a bystander only exacerbates the issue and prevents anything from ever being solved. To confront injustice, it requires people to get out of their comfort zone. MLK never said someone else will do it. He went straight to the frontline and eventually sacrificed his own life in the name of civil rights. I am not telling people to fight injustice with violence and hate, but rather with knowledge, love and compassion. Being able to know the true causes and issues of the injustice are crucial. You can find helpful information scattered from books, websites, or social media. Make sure, however, that all information you find is accurate and not misleading. Once you understand the topic, you must educate others on the topic. We still have injustice today because there is a lack of general public awareness. The more popular the topic becomes, the more political influence it will carry. Politicians must be pressured and held accountable. One of the most important rights to ensure adequate people hold the power in our country is the right to vote. People can spread the message and promote appropriate candidates. They must learn about the candidates and be able to make an educated decision. To not use your vote to combat injustice is like not using a fork to eat spaghetti. Many people do not realize how simple and easy it is to help. The resources available today are unmatched to anything before. There is no better time to help others than today.
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