Trying to counter social injustice is admirable, but . . .

The circumstances where people are most accountable to each other and responsible toward each other are “in community” . . . by which is meant living in proximity, directly visible to each other, at least somewhat familiar, somewhat interdependent.

In the relative anonymity of mass society people will feel accountable and responsible to the circle of those they know, but much less so to the faceless mass of Others.

The mass “system” is huge, remote, and felt to be impersonal. People confront it and relate to it as a challenge to be dealt with. It is sensed, and generally true, that people are striving to get what they can from the system. It doesn’t have much impact to expend a good deal of energy trying to “help take care of” all the people who the system encompasses.

The system is huge and is full of a lot of everything . . . including resources, wealth, power, etc. The most healthy and/or talented and/or aggressive and/or connected will often be able to get a lot. Others will not.

No matter the circumstances, human social interaction inevitably includes, to some degree, hierarchies, even some dominations, even some oppressions. Within local, familiar community such are contained by direct peer pressure. Within mass society they are not nearly as contained. All being magnified, hierarchies tend to be greatly exaggerated. Dominations and oppressions are pervasive; they can be “under the radar” unless laws are broken and transgressions reported.

Social justice movements are admirable, but they will never fully “succeed” within the context of mass society. It’s not a waste of time, but it’s advisable that expectations be realistic.

We live in an egregious extent of mass society. Injustice, inequality, exploitation, dominance, oppression, discrimination, etc. — are rampant. They have been since community was overrun by mass society and they will be until we get back to the sane lifeways we are capable of (but have forgotten about).