Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Newton may have been talking about physics, but this statement can easily be applied to a number of occasions of social injustice.
For example, with the discussion of affirmative action comes the argument that it isn’t fair to help those who need it most at the cost of others. What began as a way to ensure that all had a shot at their pursuit of happiness soon experienced a whiplash of disdain from those who see it as an unfair way to take from some to give to others.
And in this scenario, it’s not entirely wrong to say we are taking from some to give to others, but it’s important to be aware that this Robin Hood-esque technique is used not because it is the fairest system out there. It’s used because at its most simple level, it is the right thing to do.
Rather than the equal and opposite reaction being one of feeling scorned for not receiving what is fair and deserved, it should be one of added support to the matter at hand.
In a workshop titled, “A black woman took my job,” American sociologist Michael Kimmel asks white men who supposedly suffer from affirmative action, “What makes you think it was your job to begin with?” This sort of example serves as wonderful fodder for thinking about how entitlement works in the United States.
When the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter starting trending, it wasn’t long before #AllLivesMatter rose to the surface. Following the murders of several African Americans, certain people decided to exert energy into reminding us that all lives matter. Rather than highlight the fact that this is a recurring social issue targeted specifically at the black community, these people undermined the importance of the matter at hand and chose rather to focus on the irrelevant and oversimplified fact that all lives matter.
After the May 2014 Isla Vista murders, the hashtag #NotAllMen quickly became popular. Following the grotesque murder spree committed by a man with clear sexist and misogynist values, the issue some chose to press was that not all men are like the murderer. They chose to forget about the victims and pay no mind to the sexist and misogynist roots of the issue. Rather, they focused on remembering those who are really being repressed in their eyes: men.
These arguments are not wrong by any means. It is true that all lives matter and that not all men are sexists. The problem is that these reactions come at the wrong time for the wrong reasons.
It’s an elementary school playground set up. If one kid falls and gets a “Toy Story” Band-Aid to cover the scratch, it won’t be long before you have others lining up to receive their Band-Aid too.
As a society of mature people, it is time we allow issues of pressing importance to take precedence. It is time we stop thinking only of ourselves and the groups to which we belong. Sometimes it isn’t about us. It’s time we come to terms and realize that the right thing to do is sometimes not the most fair.
We have the option of standing behind the issue at hand instead of dividing our attentions to less pressing matters. Rather than the equal and opposite reaction being one that undermines the relevant issues, it is time we leave the Band-Aid for those who need it most.
