Social Injustice: Torture Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A social injustice, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is an unjust act that violates the rights of another. As society changes, the groups of individuals who experience injustice often change as well. When one thing is accepted, something new becomes a goal. The effects of injustice can be seen in a wide range of things. Some individuals experience social isolation, discrimination, and social inequality, while others may experience all of these things in addition to physical and/or mental attacks. Torture, which occurs in the form of both physical and mental violence, has been used as a means of obtaining information and a kind of punishment for many years (Innes 2019). Examples of cases where torture was an unjust act, violating the rights of a group of individuals, include African American slaves in the mid-1800s, Jews during World War II, and the Santa Cruz massacre by the Indonesian army in the 1990s (Stanley 2011 ). While these are more extreme examples, torture and injustice still occur in other contexts today. Common injustices experienced by Americans both today and in the past include things like racial discrimination, gender inequality, discrimination due to sexual orientation, ethnicity or religion, etc. Women are denied the same pay as men, homosexuals are denied the same marriage rights as heterosexuals, and minorities face difficulties that the majority do not. Over time, philosophies have been developed in an attempt to analyze and explain various views of society. The political philosophy discussed in class that would encourage the elimination of torture is the philosophy of critical citizenship. This philosophy is based on the views of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. According to this philosophy, there are four criteria that determine whether a law is just or unjust (Konczal 1997). The first states that any law that degrades human personality is unjust, but any law that supports it is just. Torture is degrading in the sense that physical and/or mental pain and humiliation are inflicted on a person for the benefit or pleasure of another person. The second criterion states that an unjust law is one that a majority inflicts on a minority. (Konczal 1997). This is seen numerous times throughout history, such as white Americans torturing African Americans during the era of slavery in the United States. The third criterion implies that a law inflicted on a minority who was unable to vote or influence the creation of said law is unjust. Again, we see examples of this during slavery. We also see examples of this throughout ancient history, when women and minorities were not allowed to vote. The fourth and final criterion outlined in this philosophy is that a law is considered unjust even when it appears just on the surface, but is unjust in the way it is applied. (Konczal 1997). An example of a situation like this would be holding someone for questioning, which seems fair on the surface, and then using physical or mental violence to get answers, which is unfair in its application. Overall, according to critical citizenship philosophy, torture falls under all four conditions of unjust law. On the other hand, some political philosophies support injustices rather than advocating their elimination. The philosophy of Super Patriotism dictates complete obedience to the State and its laws, so if the State says torture is right, then so do we,.