Some act as though there is a pecking order to social justice. That it is not enough to be concerned about inequality. It is only ok to speak out if about the right inequalities. Thus, if you raise concerns about something from the wrong categories – something defined as small or inconsequential by others – you will be told off for trying to draw attention from “real” battles, and attacked as a result.
Such a response is not only controlling, it also hampers our ability to act. It fails to recognise the interactions of power; how in an unequal society those in charge secure their domination over others in many different ways, whether cultural, economic or social.
This week the “bigger things” debate was raised about Page 3 and the objectification of women. That in a world full of injustice it is demeaning to be troubled by the odd nipple in a national newspaper. But challenging Page 3 has never been about breasts. It is about what decides the worth of women. As progressives our mission is to overcome the many different ways in which sexuality is used to oppress rather than liberate people. Achieving this doesn’t require waiting for the most perfect example of patriarchy before asking if any change is possible. It means picking away at any and all the barriers to improvement – little and large – until they crumble in their entirety.
As the party of social justice Labour should also be the party that joins the dots. We must show how seeming minor inequalities buttress those gaping divisions that scar our world – whether rooted in class, gender or ethnicity. Everyday inequalities are not irrelevant. They create an environment where these “bigger” ones seem more immovable. Violence against women appears less critical when they are easier to dismiss as bodies not brains. Poverty more justifiable where those on benefits can be dismissed as workshy. Human rights possible to deny where online freedom of expression is also curtailed.
This is not about the merits of picking battles on issues seen as low-hanging fruit. Of course some causes make bigger waves than others. So too we should never be, as Nye Bevan warned, pure but impotent – holding out for the perfect radical cause and so blind to any progress we can make now. The problem is in failing to see the connections we limit our ability to act. We overlook at our peril how, like dominoes tipping into a cascade, tackling one issue, however small, can begin to reverberate throughout the firmament. Ideals, institutions and individuals all become more exposed to questions, accountability and ultimately pressure for change.
Last summer two separate incidents involving the sexual assault of young girls by their peers in my constituency sickened me. They spoke to our failure to uphold that most basic of egalitarian concepts. Respect. Respect for consent and respect for each other. Sadly such events are not unusual. One in three girls report being sexually harassed in school. Female genital mutilation has damaged the lives of many. Cyberbullying, pornography and gang culture all eat away at self esteem and self worth.
That’s why this weekend young campaigners launched the Our Bodies, Our Future campaign in Walthamstow. They want every school to offer sex and relationship education covering more than the mechanics of making babies. And they are asking for the help of all – parents, teachers, community leaders and neighbours – to do it.
The impact will reach far beyond the classroom. Empowering our young people with age appropriate and realistic information will help them not only make healthy choices individually. They will also be more able to call to account each other in creating the culture of respect and consent that is at the heart of equality itself.
We don’t have to choose between the “big” and “small” injustices per se, but we will increase our chances of success if we acknowledge their shared origins. Like a house of cards, each subject, symbol and symptom of inequality can be toppled to build a compelling case for change. In turn, the seeming icebergs of social immobility, patriarchy, climate change and terrorism are broken up and made easier to melt. Multiple incarnations of inequality require multitasking progressives. Let us not be divided in our passion for justice. Instead let us use these links to create an unstoppable momentum for a better world.
Stella Creasy is the Labour MP for Walthamstow
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