Work Text:
Midoriya collapsed on his bed after a day of moving, decorating, viewing the rooms, and making his friend cry. It was while dwelling on that thought that he remembered his teacher told them that he would have emailed them their punishment instructions. Groaning, he rolled onto his stomach and pulled his laptop off the desk.
Essay Instructions:
Write an essay on the topic of the stabilization of society with three detailed proposals on how to achieve this goal. These should be realistic plans, not something fit for an ideal society. You have one week.
Midoriya grinned. This would be a fairly easy assignment, all things considered. He had been drafting ideas for once he went pro for quite a while and only added to them once he entered U.A. He had been too nervous to share these with anyone – more so than his analysis notebooks. Feeling confident about what he needed to do for this, he put his laptop aside and let himself fall asleep.
There are many aspects to consider when it comes to stabilizing society. The primary goal to consider, then, is what the goal of stabilization is. If it is simply to return to the status quo while All Might was at the top of his heroic career, then stabilization will simply require an adjustment period. If the goal, however, is to work towards a healthier society with fewer criminal activities, then there are many options to approach this; three ways to accomplish this task are community support systems, criminal rehabilitation, and vulnerable peoples’ support.
Before addressing these topics, it is important to note the difference between villains and criminals – a distinction that has begun to dissolve over the past fifty years. A villain is defined as “a cruelly malicious person who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime.” This contrasts with the definition of a criminal, “a person convicted of a crime.” There are many nonviolent crimes committed by people, sometimes repeat offenders, sometimes not, that should not have the perpetrators considered villains. Yet society is quick to judge all lawbreakers the same.
Community support systems should be designed to remove the motivations that compel people to criminal activity. Less than 8% of criminals in federal prisons are there for violent offenses. Approximately 15% of adults incarcerated have some form of mental illness. Often, those arrested come from poverty or groups that will be hereafter referred to as vulnerable peoples (those who are often stigmatized or discriminated against). The majority of arrests are linked to drugs or theft. These abound in low-income areas. Drugs are often used as a coping mechanism for people or sold as a means of income for those who struggle to find a job. Theft from stores is often in the form of food or basic household supplies.
Community support systems should be designed to target these demographics and issues. The first would be transferring money from the prison system to the healthcare system, particularly focusing on mental health. While those with mental illness only make up a small percentage of the incarceration rate, access to appropriate mental health services would decrease the dependence on drugs as a coping mechanism. Further, treating drug addiction as a disease would decrease the stigma and increase societal reintegration. Having a support network of family or friends greatly increases the odds of a person improving from such illness.
The next step would be to focus on providing resources to reduce poverty. Creating a safe environment for those who are homeless increases their stability in life; providing them a permanent address increases the likelihood of getting hired; giving access to healthy food and preventative healthcare decreases the likelihood of committing crimes. This in turn allows people to use their skills towards their community and build the social bonds that will aid them in leading fulfilling lives.
I picture a sample community support location as an apartment complex. The bottom floor would have a small library and computer lab for education improvement and job searching, a free laundry matt, regular free classes or activities to build social bonds (such as quirk management, conflict resolution, dance, art, etc.), a therapist’s office, and a doctor’s office for basic health concerns. The apartments would be very basic one-to-three-bedroom apartments with small kitchens and living spaces. Families would be given priority for larger apartments and should single bedroom apartments run out; roommates may be assigned for the larger ones.
The next point is criminal rehabilitation. When society is quick to label all criminals as villains, those who intentionally commit cruel or violent crimes, they view the process following arrest to be one of punishment and not reformation. When a child misbehaves, punishments are designed to teach them a lesson on appropriate action, not to make them miserable. Our justice system should work on a similar principle, with those who have served the adult version of a time-out given the resources to make better choices. Further, alternative forms of punishment should be given depending on the crime. Punishments should focus on rectifying the mistake made. If a person stole from a store, then perhaps they should spend time volunteering in retail. If a person is convicted of vandalism, perhaps they need to not only repair the damage but add something as an improvement. If the other party is willing, mediate a conversation about what happened and what would be an amenable solution. Incarceration or set fines can lead to continued problems as they can contribute to poverty. If something is fineable, it should be done proportionally to income to prevent wealthy from abusing the system. With rehabilitation, the state could set up small stores or restaurants that focus on hiring (and adequately paying) those who have been convicted of a crime. By providing work experience, they gain the skills needed to hold a job once they are ready to move forward with their lives.
Finally, support for vulnerable peoples. This is possibly the trickiest of situations to address because of how rampant discrimination is. While random checks on compliance with hiring practices and admittance policies are an excellent start, many businesses and employers find loopholes to maneuver around these situations. A beginning step would be to remove quirk listing on forms of identification. This helps remove it from the hiring practice or from admittance to public spaces. However, this does not target the problem of those who discrimination against mutant-type quirks.
One method can be begun as early as preschool. This is the time when those with quirks often have them manifest. It is also when bullying can begin for those with quirks considered villainous or those who are quirkless. Celebrating these differences and emphasizing their strengths is a one way to subtly influence society as a whole. This can be done through a variety of media: radio, television, film, books, and so on. However, that is a slow-moving process and direct campaigns may be more beneficial. One start would be to address marketing of quirk-suppressant items. Mild quirk dampeners designed for those with destructive quirks while a person is developing control or specialized items to allow a person (such as if Uraraka chose to wear a thin mostly fingerless glove) to navigate life more simply is one thing. However, full quirk suppressants should only be given to the proper authorities. Furthermore, some devices should be strictly banned, such as muzzles.
The next issue facing vulnerable peoples is that of safe housing. The foster system is disproportionately full of those who are stigmatized against. While there are many wonderful families in the system, those who have what are considered difficult quirks are at high risk of bullying from adults and children alike. Families and group homes should be thoroughly vetted for biased practices and outlooks. Those who do not feel safe in their foster homes often become homeless, leaving school to avoid being sent back. This often sets their life on a downward track as they lose crucial bonds and resources during their formative years.
Finally, community centers for youth should be constructed throughout cities. With a focus on aiding those who are often discriminated against, it would be a place to celebrate differences and build skills often discouraged. For example, self defense classes aimed for those who are quirkless or have non-physical quirks. Classes designed for utilizing quirks in the workforce – such as the Uraraka family using the gravity reduction for construction or if Todoroki chose to pursue welding. These could also be a place to provide anti-bullying literature and programs.
Overall, the best way to create a stabilized, improved society is to build up communities to be accepting and developing preventative measures against crime. Holding all citizens accountable, including heroes and the wealthy, to show that power and money don’t dictate the laws. Improving police forces to give them greater control over smaller crime and allow pro-heroes to focus on larger crime and disaster relief. The community is only as healthy as that of its weakest member. So, in order to stabilize our society, we need to help those at the bottom of the societal food chain.
Izuku frowned as he finished typing his essay. Frankly, it wasn’t his best work, and he wasn’t sure how to fully explain how his ideas would function. But he desperately wanted to help people who had been in his position or Shinsho’s position. He knew that people couldn’t always rely on a hero to rescue them and wanted to make it so heroes didn’t need to be responsible for so many facets of society. He stretched, deciding to get some water, and read over it again the next day. Maybe some fresh eyes would help him articulate what went through his mind.