I keep hearing comments about two tiers of justice in the United States, but when I try to parse it out, I keep finding more than two.
There’s the justice for the ordinary folk vs. the elite. Then there’s the justice for the people favored by the incumbent administration vs. its enemies.
On top of that, some people would add different tiers based on race and sex.
The perception that justice depends on such factors is very bad for our culture.
QUOTE: The perception that justice depends on such factors is very bad for our culture.
Is it merely a “perception”? Or, is there some factual basis that drives this perception?
If it’s merely a perception…it is indeed very bad for our culture. Yet, if there’s truth to the perception, we have a more crucial problem than the number of tiers.
A perception can be an accurate perception. I perceive that my cat is lying next to me. That is my perception. It is also a fact.
The perception is bad and the reality is bad, but the perception can be destructive all on its own even if it’s accurate. To the extent that it’s reality, that means, much of the time, certain classes of people won’t get treated fairly. But if the perception that it is so takes over, even when it’s correct, that means there will be a cynicism about the situation that actually multiplies the negative effect of the reality in various ways, and there will also be people trying to game the system based on the unfairness, which also exacerbates the situation.
I am not saying that therefore we should cover things up to avoid the perception, just that it’s reality that when there’s a bad situation, the perception of it being bad takes over and multiplies the objective badness of the situation and makes it even harder to combat. Think about how this works in a bad marriage, or a bad employment situation.
So it’s entirely reasonable for Crowhill to say that the perception is bad for the culture, even when the perception is accurate and the reality is also bad. It gets to the point where even if you fix the reality, if the perception is entrenched, things aren’t actually much better if at all.
QUOTE: So it’s entirely reasonable for Crowhill to say that the perception is bad for the culture, even when the perception is accurate and the reality is also bad.
Agreed…as I said…“If it’s merely a perception…it is indeed very bad for our culture.”
QUOTE: It gets to the point where even if you fix the reality, if the perception is entrenched, things aren’t actually much better if at all.
If the reality that’s driving the perception is true…you may never get to fix it (nor the perception) given it’s likely more complex than the number of tiers.