SWRK 2040 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Distributive Justice, Structural Inequality, Stereotype
Document Summary
Structural social work contends that oppression is the basis of all social problems. Most structural social work carried out with or on behalf of oppressed groups. So, before we can talk about how structural social workers practice, we need to understand how structural social workers think about oppression. Myth of scarcity: not enough to go around, so inequalities are inevitable. Myth of might makes right: majority should rule; majority rules is a fair and equitable system. Myth of objective information: there is an objective world and the knowledge we have about it represents truth . Stereotyping: all members of groups are the same. Blaming the victim: people are responsible for their own destinies (and failures) Competition & hierarchy: humans are competitive by nature so competition is a good (and fair) thing. Myth of supremacy: some groups are simply better than others and, therefore, should be deserving of more.