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The Trendiness of Social Justice Movements: Where do we draw the line between helping a cause and exploiting it?

Thanks to social media, social justice movements have become more prevalent over the past decade. The prominence of social justice sounds like a great thing; promoting equality between sexes, improving rights for marginalized groups, and recognizing that there are more than two genders are just a few examples of the diverse, multifaceted social issues that exist in our society. However, many companies and celebrities use buzzwords like "feminism" and "equality" to win the favour of their audiences. Does this bandwagon approach trivialize serious social issues? To what extent are we helping a cause and to what extent are we exploiting it?

  • This is such an important thing to consider. I think of Forever 21 selling shirts with the word "feminism" on them, when they were likely made by underpaid women in poor conditions. – Heather Lambert 6 years ago
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  • WOW, great topic. I mean, how timely could you get? I would especially like it if intersectionality were part of this discussion, since a lot of people think if you aren't 100% intersectional, you're not supporting anyone/exploiting everyone. (That might be true, but sometimes the way it's handled is more than a little exploitative). – Stephanie M. 6 years ago
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  • There might be ways to measure impact: 1) Duration, 2) Money raised and where it went, and 3) Precise organizations helped and how exactly. – Joseph Cernik 6 years ago
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