Week of January 23, 2012- Social Work and Social Justice: A Discourse in the Profession

Three main concepts attracted my attention while reading these essays: Equal Access, Validity of Social Science in Shaping Policy, and Privilege.


Equal Access


Starting with Pelton's article, he mentions a part of welfare reform that stopped additional money going to families who have additional children while on welfare. Does this "solution" really address the problem?


I believe a reform that provided education on contraception and ACCESS to it would not only be more beneficial for families, it would also be empowering instead of punitive. And it would save the government/taxpayers money in a helpful way. 


In Scanlon's article he states, "Policies and services should be available to all people in need and social workers should be wary of becoming singularly preoccupied with the elimination of group inequalities," (p. 442).


After reading this, I revised my thoughts on providing education and health care to those on welfare. What if those basic needs were met for all individuals? 

Edit 1/21/12- Providing contraception as preventative care through Health Care Reform is an exciting step forward in equal access to care for Americans. Below is an editorial from Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Cecile Richards PPAF- Birth Control Coverage a Victory for Women's Health

Validity of Social Science in Shaping Policy


Questions were raised in these articles about the application of Social Science in shaping national and state policy, because of its tendency to generalize about groups of people.


Social science research is valued because of its ability to generalize. In fact, when I read a research article, I'm always interested in the sample population and size so that I can judge its relevance to populations that I take interest in and want to influence in a positive way. 


However, these articles have brought to my attention the possible danger of using research to shape policy that ultimately promotes stereotypes. Have you heard the recent news coming out of North Carolina about compensating victims of sterilization?

Through this video you will learn that Social Workers in North Carolina judged people to be feeble-minded, epileptic and mentally diseased, but admittedly targeted them because of poverty and sterilized them. This is not the first time grouping people has had devastating results. Other examples of ethical cases include Nazi Germany (Pelton, p. 436) and Tuskegee.


CDC Info on Tuskegee Experiment 


Privilege


Scanlon uses the word white American "privilege" in quotation marks (p. 442), and Holody addresses this in his response. Is being white not a privilege in our current soceity? This influenced me to cite this blog post on privilege.


Of Dogs and Lizards: A Parable of Privilege


If you don't have time to read it, the gist is not to deny that you have privilege, but to acknowledge it and therefore be sensitive of it. And by being aware of our privileges, we can become activists for social change addressing HUMAN rights, not group rights. 


Edit 1/22/12 A friend of mine posted this video about an exercise that allows whites to experience discrimination. It is very moving, and if you have 30 minutes to spare (I know it's a long shot) I highly recommend it. 

Follow my personal blog.




References


CDC. 2011 June 15. The Tuskegee Timeline. U.S. Public Health Service Syphilis Study at Tuskegee. http://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm


Letters to the Editor of Journal of Social Work Education. 


Melmariemartin (2011 March 12). The Angry Eye Part 1 Brown Eye-Blue Eye Experiment. Retreived 22 January 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf2LB0IG1xo&feature=player_embedded


Melmariemartin (2011 March 12). The Angry Eye Part 2 Brown Eye-Blue Eye Experiment. Retrieved 22 January 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neEVoFODQOE&feature=related


PBS News Hour (2012 January 10). North Carolina Moves to Compensate People Sterilized Against Their Will. Retreived 20 January 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR0bbFH3yZk


Pelton, Leroy. (2001). Social Justice and Social Work. Journal of Social Work Education, 37, 422-439.


Richards, Cecile (2012 January 21). Birth Control Coverage A Victory For Women's Health. HuffPost Women. Retrieved 2012 January 21, From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cecile-richards/birth-control-coverage-a_b_1220668.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=bcvictory 


Scanlon, Edward. Longres, John. (2001). Social Work and Social Justice: A Reply to Leroy Pelton. Journal of Social Work Education, 37:3, 441-444.


Sindelókë (2010 January 13). Of Dogs and Lizards: A Parable of Privilege. Retrieved 20 January 2012, from https://sindeloke.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/37/