III. Postmodern Justice is ACTIVE Justice!

A critical aspect of postmodern justice is the idea of active participation in working for justice. This active participation should resist the “norms” decided by mainstream culture, tradition, and philosophy, and it should be innovative (avoiding fixed ideas of methods that may have worked in the past). Postmodern justice in action would never accept limitation or boundaries which support hierarchies of power, and postmodern justice tries to push societies and groups to “think outside the box” by working to change accepted conventions, beliefs, and assumptions.

The following video is an outstanding example of Postmodern justice in action, because it is primarily filled with thought-provoking images and statements, which consistently beg the question of how we can solve the problems of the world and create justice based on individual respect, equality, and equity. Postmodernism does not propose that it has all the answers to the world’s problems, and instead it embraces complexity and difficult questions, and seeks to enact change while respecting the numerous perspectives, minority groups, and cultures encompassed in every individual. The video below asks us to back up, look at the broader picture of the world, and take into account every individual. It also calls into question the power of capitalism, a system which creates limited choice and freedoms in the world, and thus decreases our human experience according to some postmodern theorists.



Although capitalism and consumerism can lead to many of the problems that postmodernists are trying to solve, there remain many excellent examples of postmodern justice in action where monetary systems and consumerism are a part of the solution. One group, Carrotmob, was inspired to organize consumer spending power as a way of improving their community and working towards environmental justice in an active, innovative, (and therefore postmodern) way.

Carrotmob Makes It Rain from carrotmob on Vimeo.

Another great example of nonlinear and postmodern thinking can be seen in “Pay It Forward” projects, where participants (often students) are challenged to take one good deed, turn it into three others, and so on.



In 2008, Oprah’s audience was surprised with a gift of $1,000 each, and they were required to spend the money within one week from the show in order to create the greatest good. Several of these stories are shared on Oprah’s web site: http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Paying-It-Forward

Postmodernism in action doesn't always have perfect clarity, but creativity, individual perspectives, challenging norms, and questioning the status quo are cornerstones of seeing this philosophy of justice in action. The effects of it can be widespread and large scale, or small and close-to-home. The benefits of approaching justice in a postmodern manner can provide innovative answers to the world's big questions.