Social Utopia

A social utopia or a society wherein the political, social and legal systems all work in perfect harmony and perfect justice is unrealistic. From the readings by Dr. Martin Luther King, Elizabeth Cody Stanton, and the speaker Slavoj Zizek, the idea of a social utopia seems to be impossible. While each author seems to believe that, they have the correct model for an idealized society in each of the cases these societies that they propose do not work in the idealized manner for which they have spoken. The foremost reason why their idealizations do not work is because they make assumptions that the society will en mas agree with their position that their way of ruling society is the best possible solution and give up whatever Individual liberties that the singular person has become accustomed to under the old form of government.

In Dr. Martin Luther King's I have a Dream speech, he talks of the ideal society that he wishes to create in which "all of God's children, Black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands." However, Dr. King's social utopia is unrealizable because he seems to theorize that once the legislation is put in place that creates racial harmony people will suddenly give up all of their ancient and inherited racism and prejudices and join hands with the people for whom they have previously held, an oft times irrational, hatred. His belief in cultural harmony can also be used to create odious legislation that seeks to create equality but nevertheless creates a new form of inequality.

With respect to the idea of all men and women joining hands in racial and cultural harmony. This is an unattainable model for society because not every person within the society will want to come together with people from other cultures. Take for example the Ku Klux Klan; this is an organization within America that has persisted in continuing their beliefs in the separation of the races and general racism. No amount of legislation will sway the members of the Ku Klux Klan to believe that it would be best for society that they eschew their racism. They believe that they have a fundamental right to be and continue to remain racists. There are also religions that believe that they should not engage in miscegenation, which is the mixing of the races or religious cultures. While, many may not believe that racism is an appropriate belief, every human being on earth has the right to believe whatever they would like because as it says in the Declaration of Independence, every human being is “endowed by their creator” with the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If their individual liberty is created through allowing them to remain racist, any society in which racists are forced to eschew that right is a society that does not have a perfect legal, social, or political system as the rights of the racists would be non-existent.

Additionally, there is the situation where the society would create laws in order to create racial and cultural harmony; however, as is seen in our own American society, these laws create another form of injustice. In America, legislators in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement created laws in order to combat the institutional racism that plagued American society. The laws of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity were supposed to create a situation where race, sex, and other identity information were not supposed to play a part in education or employment. However, these rules which started out as procedural affirmative action, affirmative action that is supposed to create laws that combat racism, became preferential affirmative action. Preferential affirmative action is when companies use race as a factor in education or employment and create a system where while once African Americans were penalized because of their race they are now given preferential treatment because of their race creating a reverse racist situation.

Another idealized worldview that is presented is that of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in her Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions is that of a world that does not impose upon women any subjugation; however, this worldview also does not consider the individual liberty of other human beings. There are the religious beliefs that disagree with her sentiments as well as women who are perfectly happy living the traditional role as a woman. Additionally, while she asserts that women should have the right to assert themselves within society she does not make any claims as to the pressure that is put upon men to conform to the traditional roles that they are bound to within society.

While Ms. Stanton might believe that it is a man's duty to “encourage [a woman] to speak and teach, as she has an opportunity, in all religious assemblies,” there are many religions that disagree with her statement. Christians, Muslims, Jewish and other religions all have traditionalist and orthodox sects that believe a man and a woman have distinct, significant roles that some may see as backwards and primitive. Ms. Stanton may have the best intentions when she requests that religions give women equality, but she cannot rewrite established doctrines that are believed to be the word of God and by not following those rules the believers are in danger of eternal damnation. Furthermore, she misinterprets the bible by making it seem as though there aren’t any quotes in the bible, Koran or other religious text that state that women are given specific realms within the religious ministry; while one such example would be 1 Timothy 2:11-12 which states, "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." This verse from the bible is in contrast to her statement and in order for someone to comply with Ms. Stanton’s Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions they would have to go against their religious belief which would create a dystopia rather than a utopia for those that hold those specific religious beliefs.

She also fails to make knowledge of the idea that there might be women and men within society that enjoy the roles in which they play and also that there might be men that feel beleaguered by the role that they are forced to play as men. When she says that women “may no longer publish their degradation by declaring themselves satisfied with their present position, nor their ignorance, by asserting that they have all the rights they want” she is imposing upon women and men who are perfectly satisfied with the traditional roles that women have played her will and thus she is depriving them of the “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;” which she purports to support in the second paragraph of the declaration. If it makes a woman happy to raise children, take care of her husband, and spend her life at home, what right would Elizabeth Cady Stanton have to force women to pursue a life that does not create happiness for her? Ms. Stanton also does not seem to make an argument for the men that are oppressed by societies view that men must gather the lion’s share of income for the family, or the perception within society that if a man were to care for the children while the woman worked outside the home that he was in some way less of a man for doing so. Because she does not consider the other half of the society that she is imposing these rules upon.

There is also the idealized society that Slavoj Zizek promotes in his documentary “Living at the End of Times” where he shows all the wrong that comes from what he calls Liberal Capitalism and suggests that communism would be a better society because it doesn’t have the problems that are associated with capitalism one of those being Bernie Madoff. He also mischaracterizes the problems that occur in China as occurring because they have embraced some aspects of Liberal Capitalism. Mr. Zizek however, refuses to believe that there are some people that enjoy capitalism. Furthermore, he doesn’t realize that oftentimes, in communist societies the will of the people as a whole destroys the individual liberty that all human beings have a right to pursue.

One such problem with Mr. Zizek’s idealized society is that he assumes that communism will not have the same problems as capitalism and that the people will embrace communism after it takes hold within society. This is not a correct assertion because every form of realized communism that has ever graced out society has had rampant problems. In Russia, there was the mass slaughter of nearly 20 million people under Stalin which is significantly more than the people killed by Adolf Hitler (History Channel). Furthermore there are the reports that millions of people in China do not have the freedom to choose how many children they can have and how they can practice their religion (Olesen). All these things are done in the name of keeping the society together and that these religions as Mr. Zizek believes are put in place to oppress the society. However, the realistic realization of communism has resulted in the lack of individual liberty for many of its subjects.

Furthermore, he also forgets that there are people that enjoy capitalism. If one looks to the culture of rap music, it is very obvious to see that money is enjoyed by these artists as the fruit of the creative labors. Mr. Zizek believes that it is a mental disorder to love money that loving money is an addiction and that it can be cured through communism. However, there will always be people who love working and creating and if they receive the same compensation as a person who provides no added value to the society what extra incentive would they have for making more music? Especially if they enjoy the fruits of their labor like the jewelry and expensive liquor that is part of the hip-hop culture are fond of. By following Mr. Zizek’s communist utopia rap artists would have their right to pursue happiness taken away from them which would not be a perfect social system.

Due to the multitude of differing ideals within society, there cannot be a social utopia that would help everyone. While Feminists might enjoy the social utopia of Elizabeth Cady Stanton there are many women that would much prefer their traditional roles without being looked down upon by people like Ms. Stanton. And while others might enjoy a society that is free from racism members of the Klan, Nazi’s or even racist African Americans would find such a society oppressing and against their conscience. And while redistributing wealth and having all goods owned by the community as would be the case in Mr. Zizek’s Communist Utopia would be beneficial to Communists and Socialists alike, capitalists, the selfish, and those who just love making money would all be denied their individual liberties. Thus, there is no way to create a social utopia where no person is oppressed by the government and because a utopia must have a perfect government, legal, and social system by failing the citizens of the society in regards to their individual liberty creates imperfection.