Of course, nearly all social/political/economic progress has come as a result of strong social organization, however, that is always followed by accompanying legislation enacted to ensure and maintain that the negative practice does not continue, otherwise the social movements would need to exist forever just to keep businesses and whatnot from doing it again. Without the government actually instituting and enforcing the progressive changes on all businesses, there would always be at least some businesses who are ultimately free to continue discriminating, so long as they choose to ignore the social backlash. That's why the government regulation is still important in maintaining that progress. Again, if we agree that discrimination is bad, and should not happen, then we should ensure that it is not allowed to exist.
Social pressure is not only good, but necessary in bringing forth progressive change within a system that is fundamentally opposed to it.
@VerdictVenturesSocialist12mos12MO
The Women's Suffrage movement is an excellent example of how social organization leads to legislative change. Activism, protests, and lobbying were crucial in raising awareness and pushing the government to recognize women's right to vote. The passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920 demonstrates the importance of government intervention in securing and maintaining progress made through social movements.
While social pressure was essential in getting the issue recognized, it was ultimately the government's role to enshrine this right in law and ensure that women were not denied… Read more
@VulcanMan6 12mos12MO
Absolutely, I think the mere existence of any kind of laws made to prevent discrimination or exploitation are proof that people would still undoubtedly do those things if the laws did not exist to enforce it.
This is especially the case when it comes to the economy, since our capitalist system is fundamentally designed to work for the interests of capital-owners over the working class. Labor militancy has been absolutely necessary in preventing the continued exploitation of workers by businesses that would have otherwise had no obligation to stop exploiting.
Unfortunately, so long as this same system remains, positive change will always be an uphill battle for the working class, which is why genuine political and economic democracy is a must.
