I don’t think anyone needs any special skill or gift to see what is happening, as this whole pandemic has truly highlighted how hardened we have become as individuals and as a larger society, in a way that I am not sure I can truly say that we have ever observed before. Maybe it is because we have had no choice, because the circumstances of the pandemic have forced us to pay closer attention to our surroundings. In fact, it seems everything is more pronounced, because this is a time when we need each other to be accountable to, for and with each other, and we somehow aren’t. Maybe it’s because we have been forced to slow down, so we have no choice but to pay closer attention. Whatever the case, there is something happening all around that is causing many of us to act in ways that are just downright sad… I don’t know how else to put it than “sad”.
While I will not assert that what is being witnessed now is in direct relation to the pandemic – that it didn’t exist before, it appears that the inequities during this time are somewhat more glaring. On a larger scale, “laws of the land” are not applicable across the board. Depending on who you are and your status in society, certain laws do not apply. The poorer you are, the more accountable you are required to be; imagine, therefore, that the reverse is also true. Your elevated position in society will determine how you are allowed to operate. Thus, inequity and unfairness continue to be the order of the day. This lack of accountability and injustices are reflected in every facet of society – in the workplace, in the classroom, in the boardroom, when we eat out at restaurants, or as a customer in a store, as well as within the confines of our homes.
When I think about eliminating inequalities as a main feature of the Sustainable Development Goals, the first thing (and probably only thing) that comes to mind is that of the male/female disparity (how women are treated in comparison to their male counterparts) because this is what the targets of the SDG 5 highlights[1] , importantly and rightly so. The truth of the matter is that inequalities exist within any space where there is marginalization (between and among same sexes), and I argue that we are all marginalized somewhere at some point; this is the crux of gender inequality. I also assert that within every marginalized space, there also exists intra-marginalization. This means that even people who are considered marginalized by a larger society have groups within that marginalized group that are not given the same allowances as the rest of that larger marginalized group, for one reason or the other, often related to their intersectionality. The literature highlights that marginalization is very complex and fluid as people’s status in society changes. According to Kagan, et al (2004), to a certain extent, marginalization is a shifting phenomenon, linked to social status. Within the context of power dynamics/power imbalance, there are more reports of inequities being displayed, which go unchecked and which serve to sustain power.
It is no surprise to me the ways in which inequality is manifested in the different facets of society. Because the focus is so much on whether women have equal access as their male counterparts, we often miss the signs when the inequities being meted out are being done among sexes or in spaces within our homes, school, organizations, etc.
A few months ago, for example, I observed a person in charge turn a blind eye to the unequal distribution of a particular resource that the worker should have received. It was interesting to see how easy it was for this person to have decided that this would have been their course of action with absolutely no level of accountability. In this case, the power imbalance and lack of accountability within this setting, despite what should obtain, occurred unchecked, which invariably leads to a culture of unfairness. In other words, one group, because of the power they hold, gets to exercise unfairness over those whom are “powerless”.
In a similar vein, about a year ago a group of students expressed their concern about an issue with another class. When I suggested they write about it and exercise their right as students, they indicated their fear and expressed their experience of being victimized when speaking up within the classroom setting. The students all agreed that they would let things remain as they were and simply stay with the issue out of fear of “reprisal” from this “person in charge”, because this is what they had seen happen before. They further explained that the lesser of two evils would be for them to suffer in silence since their tenure (the students, ie) would soon come to an end. As far as they were concerned, there was no accountability in that particular space.
Likewise, a person will ignore the price you have asked for a service you provide and unilaterally decide how much to pay you without any consideration of what the service is actually worth or what you have to do to get it done, because of who they are and what they may have access to vs who they deem you to be as well as your need. Consequently, many experiencing “powerlessness” have had to remain silent for fear of “losing out”, especially within this new pandemic dispensation.
Further, the service you receive or not receive in certain establishments is often hinged on who you are, who you know and the ways in which you are perceived to have carried yourself. The interesting thing is that many of us will have seen these things and remain in our comfort and silently watch another person experience inequalities/injustices. In my estimation, many of us are guided by greed and/or fear and would never operate in fair(ness)… thereby perpetuating a vicious cycle.
We don’t have to look far within our surroundings to realize that despite the systems that may be in place to ensure equality/equity, a person can decide to cheat you out of something you have worked for or are deserving of, for whatever reason convenient to them and then turn around and chastise you for standing up for yourself. In fact, in many instances of unequal distribution of resources, those without the power often feel like they are not able to stand up for themselves; when you do, people are quick to tell you that you are not being humble, because you do not allow them to mistreat you. Therefore, a system is NOT a deterrent; enforcement of a systems is.
Everyone wants more than they have; for some, even if it means cheating someone else out of the little they should get, especially now that the pandemic is looming and tomorrow’s resources appear to be limited and uncertain. People are not just stock piling toilet paper, they are stock piling everything else and ensuring that those they view as being beneath them remain that way – beneath them and with less than them. The funny thing to note is that some are even stock-piling the little power they think they have over others. It is an interesting time and very interesting to observe. So much so, that part of the reason for the silence of those who “suffer” this iniquitous fate and for those who witness it and may be able to do something about it (but don’t) is to NOT run the risk of disrupting “bad behaviour” for fear that we may disrupt that which gives us access to “more”.
As unfortunate as this is to admit, my simple conclusion is that life isn’t fair and will continue in this vein for as long as we remain on earth, regardless of what we do to try to achieve equity/equality. What the “powerful” do not yet realize is that at some point they too will be marginalized and may require the dignity of someone who knows what it means to be treated unfairly to be fair and just. For example, the fact that a person may appear to be in need of something that we may have doesn’t mean that they should be treated unfairly or in an undignified manner. For those of us who care to make a difference, we are encouraged to check and correct ourselves in our daily interactions with others, if fairness/equality/equity is what we aspire toward….
….plus, life has a way of showing us…!
PARENTING, ADVOCACY AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN 
Inequity is sad a constant part of the human experience…. Sigh