I used to think that the term “social” was interchangeable with the term “political.” In other words, avoiding politics meant avoiding social issues, and being apolitical meant ignoring social justice. I just didn’t put much thought into the distinction between the two. However, with everything occurring today, it became clear to me that fighting against social issues should not be dependent on one's political stances.
In fact, in today’s climate, it is almost impossible to engage in social justice without getting political. In the U.S., supporting social issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement, and ultimately a Black American’s right to live, often falls along political party lines. For example, many of us liberals are quick to assume that anyone who doesn’t support a social issue must be a Redneck Republican who proudly wears MAGA gear. We saw this with Amy Cooper – a white woman who threatened to call the police on an African American man when he, abiding by the rules, politely asked her to leash her dog in Central Park. Many individuals, including myself, immediately assumed she must have been a Trump supporter. However, an article by The Independent suggests that Cooper is likely liberal.
It is undeniable that today, social issues are also political issues, but it was our society that made them this way. Democrats have gained the reputation of being more progressive about social issues and Republicans more conservative. However, it is extremely dangerous to closely label social issues with political parties, as demonstrated by the Amy Cooper situation. Such associations further polarize our society.
Even more dangerous, making social issues political means that people can avoid them if they want to avoid politics. However, social issues should not be political, as human rights should not rely on politics. Regardless of what an individual’s stance on politics is, they should always care about social issues.
From the Black Lives Matter movement to LGBTQ+ rights, what we are seeing today are human rights issues. Everybody should have the right to safety, whether that be on the streets, in the workplace, or even at home. Safety should not be exclusive. There should not be any debate regarding such rights, meaning the involvement of politics shouldn’t even be necessary.
To me, all of these social issues have an obvious correct stance, that stance being the one that gives the community of interest the most rights. In this way, our society will move towards equality. Unfortunately, however, there are many people who would disagree with me. We have resorted to using our differences in politics as excuses and even justifications for the divide in social issues. In other words, individuals often “prioritize” their political views over social issues, brushing off the gravity of the issues. One’s loyalty to their political party can cloud their ability to truly view social issues as what they are: human rights issues.
Rather than supporting and celebrating the valuable differences in humanity, we are taking steps to squash it. From limiting the rights of marginalized communities to outright denying their humanity, society is being pushed into a mold that just does not fit anymore. By this I mean that the United States of America is trying too hard to conform to a two-party political system. It is no doubt that the U.S. is extremely diverse and that there are more than two major sides to almost every issue – social and political – that we are confronted with today. Thus, we need to break free from this two-party mindset and embrace a more complex political system, one that allows multiple perspectives to be heard and one that does not result in the further polarization of this country.
Ultimately, since we are still living in a two-party system, we cannot allow our differences in political affairs to justify police brutality, for example. Two-party system or not, social issues must be seen as what they are: the denial of the rights of marginalized communities – not as an opportunity to use politics to diminish the issue and divide the people.
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