Aslongassocietyhasexisted,sohastheconceptofsocialjustice.

Attheveryleast,as
longassocietyhashadelementsofinequalityandiniquitiesandtherewerethosewilling
enoughtospeaktruthtopowerandquestionthestatusquo.Asthefamouscivilrightsactivist
Dr.MartinLutherKingJr.wrote,ThearcoftheMoralUniverseislong,butitbendstoward
Justice.Thisisimmediatelyevidentinhistory.Thingsimprove.And,thosedoingthe
improvementaretypicallyportrayedastheheroes,andtheopponentsvillains.
Inawellmeaningattempttobeinclusiveofothersocialgroupsandtoviewissuesof
socialjusticethroughthelensofintersectionality(thecrossingoverofsocialissues),afew
issueshavearisen.Nolongerisanindividualjudgedwithameritocraticmentality,butratherfor
theiridentityanunchangeableconsequenceofbirth.Withthatinmind,thisentirearticlemay
bediscountedduetotheblindingprivilegeintrinsicwithmystraight,uppermiddleclass,white
maleness.
Andyet,inawonderfuldisplayofthepoliticalhorseshoetheory,modernsocialjustice
warriorshavetwistedwhatcouldbealaudableprincipleofeconomic,political,and,most
importantly,socialequity,intoanunapologeticallysociallyauthoritarianmovementdisguisedas
thatofsensitivity.Thismodernsocialjusticemovement,pioneeredbyJezebel,HuffingtonPost,
Tumblrblogs,etal.ismoreevocativeoftheMcCarthyismoftheSecondRedScarethanthe
onemovementthattheyclaimtobeacontinuationoftheCivilRightsMovement.
Whenthe
oppressivewhitemale
authorsGeorgeOrwellandAldousHuxleyfirstput
pentopaperinwritingNineteenEightyFourandBraveNewWorld,respectively,theywroteto
warnofthedangersofextremismandauthoritarianismonbothextremesofthemodernleftright
politicalspectrum.If,asDr.Kingsaid,thearcofmoralitybendstowardsjustice,heremustthe
arcofpoliticsbendtowardsauthoritarianthought.

In the end theParty wouldannouncethattwoandtwomadefive,andyouwould

have to believe it. It was inevitable that they should make that claim sooner or
later:thelogicoftheirpositiondemandedit.Notmerelythevalidityofexperience,
buttheveryexistenceofexternalreality,wastacitlydeniedbytheirphilosophy.

GeorgeOrwell,NineteenEightyFour

Moreworryingthanmostformsofadvocacy,thisclassattacksrationalthoughtin
quitepossiblytheworstwaybypretendingitdoesntexist,andattackingthosewho
speakout.
Thosewhoareprobablyinthemostneedtohearthismessagewillcertainly
respondthatIam1.awhitemalewithtoomuchprivilegetoempathize2.oppressing
othersbywayof#1,or3.aracistandasexist.IexpectallthisIveseenithappen
enoughinthenews.
However,thefactremainsthatanyonewhorefusestoengageinopenand
mutuallybeneficialcriticaldebatewiththosetheydisagreewithundertheguiseofmoral
superiorityarenotsocialjusticeadvocates,theyaresocialjusticeauthoritarians.