# What is the name for this process of viewing injustice and crime through a socioeconomic lens **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 16, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-for-this-process-of-viewing-injustice-and-crime-through-a-socioeconomic-lens/752316 "2016-04-16T00:24:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-for-this-process-of-viewing-injustice-and-crime-through-a-socioeconomic-lens/752316/1 "2016-04-16T00:24:48Z")
So assume you have two groups of people, a group of people who feel the current socio-economic system (SES) is unjust, and a group who feel the current SES is just. Basically liberals and conservatives. Within the SES some are higher and lower. In the United States the SES has white, christian, heterosexual, native born, wealthy men at the peak. So to a liberal, if someone high on the SES commits an injustice to someone low on the SES (a heterosexual white male commits a crime against a black gay female, a white cop commits a crime against a poor black male) then they are outraged because the crime represents the injustice of the SES. However if someone low on the SES commits a crime against another low SES (poor blacks committing crimes against poor blacks) they are indifferent. If someone high on the SES commits a crime against another high SES they are indifferent. If someone low SES commits a crime to someone high SES they are indifferent at best, and have a ‘they probably deserved it’ attitude sometimes. But to a conservative they may be indifferent or openly in favor of downhill injustice within the SES. Someone high on the SES committing an injustice to someone low seems justified. Like if a white cops hurts a poor black person, fox news defends the cop but black lives matter defends the black person. At the same time, a conservative may exaggerate the dangers of people on the low end of the SES. They may exaggerate the dangers of crimes committed by immigrants (who are lower on the SES) while liberals may exaggerate the dangers of people on the high end of the SES like those who run powerful corporations. A liberal may ignore the dangers of those low on the SES (claiming that worrying about black or immigrant crime is racism, even when there is a genuine threat). So what is this called? I’m sure there is a name for it. Basically using all these situations as a proxy to express support or opposition to the current Socio-economic system and how it is structured (who is on top, who is on bottom)? People who support the system ignore crimes by those on the top and exaggerate those done by people on the bottom. People who oppose the system do the opposite. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-for-this-process-of-viewing-injustice-and-crime-through-a-socioeconomic-lens/752316/2 "2016-04-16T00:42:44Z")
[There may or may not be justice in the world.](http://media.aintitcool.com/media/uploads/2015/papa_vineyard/bob-mankoff-justice1juh_large.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-for-this-process-of-viewing-injustice-and-crime-through-a-socioeconomic-lens/752316/3 "2016-04-16T00:52:10Z")
This just sounds like a form of confirmation bias, but I’m not sure if that’s the kind of answer you’re looking for. I don’t think this has a name as a movement or school of thought. ---
**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-for-this-process-of-viewing-injustice-and-crime-through-a-socioeconomic-lens/752316/4 "2016-04-16T01:24:42Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > So to a liberal, if someone high on the SES commits an injustice to someone low on the SES (a heterosexual white male commits a crime against a black gay female, a white cop commits a crime against a poor black male) then they are outraged because the crime represents the injustice of the SES. However if someone low on the SES commits a crime against another low SES (poor blacks committing crimes against poor blacks) they are indifferent. If someone high on the SES commits a crime against another high SES they are indifferent. If someone low SES commits a crime to someone high SES they are indifferent at best, and have a ‘they probably deserved it’ attitude sometimes. This part sounds to me like differing tolerances for [“punching down”](http://www.tobiasbuckell.com/2013/04/12/dont-punch-down/) (versus up or sideways), which is explained as > [@](#): > > … a concept in which you’re assumed to have a measurable level of power and you’re looking for a fight. Now, you can either go after the big guy who might hurt you, or go after the little guy who has absolutely no shot. Either way, you’ve picked a fight, but one fight is remarkably more noble and worthwhile than the other. Going after the big guy, punching up, is an act of nobility. Going after the little guy, punching down, is an act of bullying. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-for-this-process-of-viewing-injustice-and-crime-through-a-socioeconomic-lens/752316/5 "2016-04-16T04:31:17Z")
The word for this is “politics.” Events are viewed from the perspective of which interest groups are helped or harmed. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2016, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-for-this-process-of-viewing-injustice-and-crime-through-a-socioeconomic-lens/752316/6 "2016-04-16T20:23:52Z")
“Come see the violence inherent in the system! Help, help, I’m being repressed!” * * * I’ll call it “priorities”. If your priority is to “fix the system” by changing it, then instances where the system fails while working as it is currently constructed are the problems to focus on. If your priority is to keep the system as is, just make it work better, then crimes that challenge the proper working of the system are what you focus on.