When we speak of equality....

[haybierman]

For years, a focal point of almost every Presidency in America has been to preserve “equality”. But I beg the question, what is so bad about in-equality? I should note, right off the bat, that I am not talking about equality in the socio-economic sense. Of course every American should have the same rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But apart from that, what is wrong with calling a white guy white or a black girl black? Why is it so taboo to celebrate our differences rather than strive for perfect equality in every way? Isn’t it our inequalities that make us special or significant against the backdrop of human society? Should we all instead be cast out of plaster molds?

This question can be asked to both creationists and evolutionists.

For the creationist; why would God create each of us differently if he did not have the expressed intent of each human contributing to mankind in a different way, due to our various strengths and weaknesses?

For the evolutionist; the very theory of natural selection would state that if true equality in all humans was the ultimate goal, such large variations in skill and attributes would not occur naturally and we would all be born 6’2, without defect, and the perpetual metabolism of an 18 year old boy. A world full of nothing but alpha males... what a dream.

Given the variances that naturally or culturally occur in people – whether it be race, sex, weight, height, intelligence, athleticism, and of course all the outliers such as addicts, sociopaths, and schizophrenics – why should we strive for true equality when diversity of the human race is what inevitably perpetuates its progress?

[gsj68]

and this is where i see the problem,not only are the races not equal but nobody is equal,we each have our strong and weak points,i cant even make a proper sentence but i can fix pretty much anything,untill we stop this equality crap and start filling in each others weak point we'll be stuck where we are,thats unless you want to be a clone and everyone dressed in grey

[themanishere]

I have always thought of it that way. I never really endorsed the whole "we all are equal" stance.

However, I don't see a society in our world that could functionally celebrate differences. The 'necessary' adoption of societal norms to fit in substantially mutes the expression of our differences. I'm not talking about high school social stuff - I'm talking about subconscious stuff we don't necessarily think about. We all go through a sort of general life process in this country applicable to most people - we go to school, work, have a family, formulate preconceptions of interaction, etc.

The structure of our society prevents the celebration or expression of such differences as those mentioned. Like the law of inertia, societies and people also resist change to their current state. To change how differences are perceived in our society, we have to change the structure and norms of said society.

[haybierman]

I have always thought of it that way. I never really endorsed the whole "we all are equal" stance.

However, I don't see a society in our world that could functionally celebrate differences. The 'necessary' adoption of societal norms to fit in substantially mutes the expression of our differences. I'm not talking about high school social stuff - I'm talking about subconscious stuff we don't necessarily think about. We all go through a sort of general life process in this country applicable to most people - we go to school, work, have a family, formulate preconceptions of interaction, etc.

The structure of our society prevents the celebration or expression of such differences as those mentioned. Like the law of inertia, societies and people also resist change to their current state. To change how differences are perceived in our society, we have to change the structure and norms of said society.

I understand what you're saying and I think you are pretty much spot on, as far as modern society is concerned.. people tend to keep the company of those with whom they identify.

I do wonder, however, how long modern trends will continue. With inter-racial marriage becoming more mainstream, and depending on how the rich-poor gap changes during the Obama presidency - we might see a serious trend toward homogeneity (at least racially and economically) in Western culture in our lifetime.

[ffman]

When people talk of preserving equality, I don't think they mean that we shouldn't celebrate our differences.

No matter one's race, color, religion, gender, disabilities, etc everyone should have access to similar opportunities and should not be discriminated against because of these differentiating factors.

[daniel3417]

People don't realize that we have achieved equality in society. Can we ever conquer the minds of people? No. But every sex, color, and age has a shot at doing what they want to do.

No one is suppressed in the United States. Everyone can do it. How do I know this? Because everything has now been done by all different peoples. Stop complaining.

[themanishere]

I do wonder, however, how long modern trends will continue. With inter-racial marriage becoming more mainstream, and depending on how the rich-poor gap changes during the Obama presidency - we might see a serious trend toward homogeneity (at least racially and economically) in Western culture in our lifetime.

I wonder as well. However, it seems like it would be the same now as after some point of homogeneity.

Say we all mix racially and economically - at some point long down the road, we could all be a similar tone and pretty much all ethnicities and socioeconomic strata would intertwine. It would follow that the different attitudes would kind of jumble together, where most of us would then have very similar attitudes. Then we're basically back to where we are now, but with less naturally occuring social and cultural variation - sounds boring to me.

It is kind of a give and take - we need social structures to allow for differences in expression, which at the same time keep certain differences in place. This is so we can keep our societies from becoming static: if we all mix and think similarly, innovation and progress would slow dramatically.

[haybierman]

Totally agree bud. Thanks for the convo.

[themanishere]

People don't realize that we have achieved equality in society. Can we ever conquer the minds of people? No. But every sex, color, and age has a shot at doing what they want to do.

No one is suppressed in the United States. Everyone can do it. How do I know this? Because everything has now been done by all different peoples. Stop complaining.

You're talking about equality of opportunity though, which is more institutional than social. No one is saying there are deliberate limitations on institutional equality, although the social limitations (which is the main aspect of the discussion IMO) do seep into this area.

[ensbergcollector]

the problem is, a large percentage of the population doesn't want "equality" as webster's would define it. Equality means all the same; and in the context here, no one is held down and no one is lifted up based on race, gender, religion, etc. However, the same people who call for equality, don't have a problem being given social advantages because of those same groupings.

When I graduated from high school, my school had packets made up of every scholarship in the state that we could apply for. As a white male, I was qualified for roughly half. The other half were for females and minorities. Now, I am not trying to start a debate on affirmative action. However, doesn't it defy the very equality people are asking for to say that they need help that others do not have access to?