Answer

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Part One

Moral panic is an ideology that affects refugees through discrimination 

Discrimination is one of the major social challenges refuges endure all over the world. United Nations High Commission for Refugees states that countries all over the world blatantly disregarded international laws protecting refugees by ratifying actions that discriminate refuges and asylum seekers in their countries (Malaeb &Wahba2018, p.13). This discrimination stems from the fear most governments have concerning the threat these refugees pose to their national security.  Refugees from the Middle East have been on the receiving end of discrimination stemming from moral panic.  For instance, refugees from Syria in Turkey are confined in their camps and prohibited from moving freely.

Key principles of Moral Panic

Moral panic refers to the feeling of anxiety and fear in response to situations that the public feels threatens the wellbeing of society (Martin2015, p.304). Fear and not facts inform moral panic. The ideology of moral panic has the following principles; first,   an action or an entire population is viewed and defined as a severe threat to society. This principle is responsible for most of the discrimination suffered by refugees around the world. Refugees often flee their countries mainly for security and humanitarian reasons. Citizens of the host country see this vulnerable group of people as a threat to their existence because they feel they will take all their jobs.

            To prevent this from happening, they require their governments to limit the movements of the refugees to the camps used to house them. Secondly, most citizens see refugees as a security threat. The war raging in Syria has displaced several Syrians prompting them to seek refuge in other countries. Citizens and governments of the host countries view these Syrian refugees as a security threat by linking them to the murderous ISIS terrorist group. The makes refugees from Syria receive different treatment from other refugees around the world. They are either denied entry in some countries or denied the rights to move freely in counties that accept to host them as refugees.

            The second principle of moral panic is the presence of the media and its role in spreading fear among the citizens.  Media stations have the ability to influence the opinion of the public concerning any matter; their continuous coverage of the risks posed by some of the refugees seeking entry into the country causes moral panic. The panic prompts citizens to urge their governments to discriminate a faction of refugees based on their country of origin; for instance, discrimination of South American refugees seeking a better life in the United States based on the media perception of the wave of violence and drug problem they come with.

Moral Panic and Social Justice

Moral panic as an ideology has the potential to deliver social justice to refugees around the world by stopping the discrimination they are currently facing. Change in public perception about refugees will play a vital role in granting them social justice (Walsh2017, p.644).  This change can be achieved in the following ways; first, the citizens of the host country should view refugees as vulnerable groups that need assistance. This change in the way the refugees are viewed will change the level of interaction they have in society. For instance, it will enable the government to open its borders to refugees regardless of their country of origin.  This will help prevent the discrimination currently suffered by refugees from countries such as Afghanistan and Syria.

Secondly, the media through its ability to influence the public should leverage the power of mass panic and spread positive and touching stories about refugees.  Such a move will appeal to the innate human nature of citizens of the host country to offer assistance to the refugees fleeing violence and persecution.  This has worked in the past, for instance, the story of the death of Allan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian boy who drowned at sea as they were feeling to seek Asylum in Europe touched the hearts of many citizens prompting their governments to open their borders and accept the feeling refugees. According to McCombs (2018, p.23), the media should leverage its ability to influence public concern to ensure refugees in their countries are accorded all their international rights. They should use their power to advocate for the rights of the refugees to find jobs and more freely in the country.   Moral panic although negative in its premise can be harnessed to ensure refugees all over the world get social justice through receiving dignified treatment from their host countries.

Part Two

Nancy Fraser’s tripartite model of social justice affecting people with disability

Social justice refers to equality when it comes to the distribution of opportunities wealth and the rights of people in society. People with disability all over the world still face discrimination in this day and age. In an attempt to stop this vice, governments have created laws that safeguard the interest of the disabled people within their borders. However, these laws although effective in some countries, have not managed to root out the vice. Nancy Fraser’s tripartite model for social justice offers a three-pronged solution to discrimination suffered by people living with disability through advocating for their direct involvement in the redistribution of wealth and representation.

 Key principles of Nancy Fraser’s tripartite model

For societies to achieve social justice, every person in the society must participle in its affairs on an equal footing.  Although this concept sounds easy since it is the ethical thing to do, most societies have conditions that prevent equal participation. These conditions cause social imbalance and injustice in societies.   Irregular redistribution of economic wealth is one of the sources of social injustice.  People living with disabilities are often marginalized whenever these resources are being redistributed, for instance, they receive an inferior level of education making it impossible for them to compete with other members of the society. Such activities create a class structure that ranks those with disability in the lowest tiers institutionalizing deprivation and discrimination.

Recognition is the second principle in Fraser’s theory and is vital in explaining the discrimination of people with disability.  The society has institutionalized hierarchies that prevent people with disability from interacting freely with their peers. These issues stem from cultural beliefs such as the belief that disability is a curse. These notions popularly held in most cultures in Africa expose disabled people in such places to outright discrimination. Additionally, some members of the community have developed a culture of envying disabled people in society. According to Whitley and Kite (2016, p.11), some workers feel reasonable accommodation offered to employees with a disability is a privilege and view it as preferential treatment. Such deluded mentality significantly increases instances of discrimination against people with disability in society.

            The third principle presented by Fraser’s theory is representation. This is a political concern regarding social belonging. Recognition looks at who is included or excluded as a member of the community. Those included have people elected to fight to their rights to get an equal share of the wealth generated by a country. People living with disability because of their few numbers in the society are often classified together with other people leading to exclusion.

Nancy Fraser’s tripartite model and social justice

Societies should leverage the three principles of Nancy Fraser’s tripartite model to deliver social justice to disabled groups in society. This can be achieved through the following methods; first, equitable redistribution of economic structures.  Distributing economic structures and resources equally removes all the social classes currently witnessed in the society. This ensures that all people regardless of their level of ability receive the same quality of education and health care, effectively eliminating economic disparities. People with disability will also receive the same treatment increasing their ability to compete thus reducing the level of discrimination they face in the society. The limited opportunities offered to disabled people in society makes them depend on others increasing the level of resentment some people have for disabled people in society. However, equal distribution of wealth will empower and make them self-reliant reducing the level of resentment and discrimination that comes with it.

Secondly, recognition of those with disability as members of society will play a vital role in reducing the level of discrimination they face in society. The recognition will enable all the people with disability to interact with other members of the society on the basis of mutual and equal respect enabling them to earn back their self-esteem. This will enable their interaction to transcend cultural barriers that link disability to curses or bad omen. The principle of recognition is therefore vital in promoting social justice for people with disability.

Representation of those with disability in the society also helps grant them social justice.  They should have representatives who fight for their rights in various levels of government.  People living with disability have different unique needs from other members of the society. Their needs can, therefore, be better represented by one of them. This representation results in the creation of laws that prohibits their discrimination and gives then equal opportunities in the society.