Justification And Injustices In Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy

Human civilization is like a well made salad. The lettuce, the chunks of carrots and cucumbers don’t necessarily taste the best, but eating them is great for your body and your mind. You feel amazing having eaten your salad; you committed to your goal and you succeeded, sort of. Upon closer inspection, you realize you’ve glazed ranch over the salad, and washed your lunch down with a sugary soft drink, simply to distract from the bitter taste comes with accepting good nutrients in your body. Much like you have shielded yourself with the ranch and the soda, society seems to naturally provide itself with a waxy layer of protection, justification. Not the factual or honest justification that an astrophysicist, mathematician or a philosopher might bring to the table, but the ever adjusting, contextual justifications that avoids self-assessment. …show more content…
When this form of justification is left un-checked in an environment that claims to be for equal rights, serious injustices can be swept under the rug, waiting to be stepped on. The nature of these issues and injustices provide key arguments to lawyer/writer Bryan Stevenson’s autobiographical novel, Just Mercy, as well as rapper Eminem’s most controversial song, White America. Just Mercy and White America provide two opposing perspectives for the same idea; that the misuse of justification does nothing but detract from the issues concerning racial injustice in the United States, whether it be in the justice system with Stevenson or in the media with