The Social Justice Blind Spot: Part 8, Moral Politics

But the truth remains, there are huge systemic issues that we have to face and big policy recommendations on the table.

For example, the case for reparations.

I support reparations. But for the sake of this post, we don't have to agree on that. What I want to point out is how many of the big policy recommendations social justice warriors put on the table require a moral revolution if they are to ever see the light of day. Just because you're suggesting a policy fix doesn't mean the root problem isn't moral. I believe this is what Michelle Alexander was talking about when she said we need a moral and spiritual awakening in America. You can't get something like reparations off the ground, politically speaking, without the majority of Americans coming to see the issue as the great moral issue of our time. Some systemic fixes will require a moral awakening.

This is precisely what happened during the American Civil Rights movement. America finally began to see the issue of civil rights as a moral issue. That's what finally got the Kennedy brothers, after massive initial resistance, to finally get on board with civil rights. Robert and Bobby began to see the struggle as a moral struggle.

My point is that even when the issues are legislative--like passing a reparations bill--the motive force of politics is fundamentally moral. Moral for the politicians to take courageous stands, and moral for the electorate who vote for a more perfect, more moral union.