“We are not all equal. “
This headline on a meme recently placed on Facebook caught my attention. It clearly was intended to evoke a response, and it certainly did.
I instantly flashed back to a line in the popular political satire book by George Orwell, Animal Farm, which was required reading in my high school. In the story there was a sign painted on one of the farm buildings that read, “All animals are equal.” The barnyard revolution described in the metaphorical book had a tragic ending when the pigs who had started the revolution assumed the same roles as their former masters. The sign was then modified to read “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
The meme I saw logically led to the same conclusion: If we are not all equal, then some must be unequal.
The meme went on to state that the writer had worked hard all his life and that some “unnamed others” were wanting not to have to pay their debts. Defenders of the meme note that this was really the message. Sure, some people do work harder than others and I actually agree that everyone should pay their debts. Had the meme started with, “Some people work harder than others.”, or even,“Some people want something for nothing,” I would have listened to their argument.
But this meme was not really meant to be about either hard work or debt. It was used as a first step in justifying unequal treatment of some people. The first sentence, which was in larger type and bolded, was perfectly clear, “We are not all equal.”
Autocrats are only too happy to promote and to justify the idea that people are unequal. It serves their interests in keeping power to themselves. They need an “other” who, because they are unequal, does not enjoy equal treatment under the law. This can include virtually anyone who disagrees with the dictator.
Just like the new barnyard rulers in Orwell’s book, autocrats can justify unequal treatment by identifying those who are “Not Equal.”
Identifying some people as “Not Equal” has historically been used to justify wrongheaded governmental policies. Examples include the following: Slavery, the decimation of native peoples, the Holocaust, and keeping women from voting.
Personally, I believe that all people are created equal. Virtually all religions teach that all people are equal in the eyes of God.
As an American, I am a strong believer in both equal opportunity and in equal treatment under the law. No, we don’t always measure up to this ideal, but nonetheless, I believe equality for all is worth striving for.
Saying that, “We are not all equal.” is just wrong.
What do you believe? (Please Click on “Comments” below).
Jim, I like how you looked at this tough concept. We are all given a different set of circumstances as we begin life, but I believe that we all have the same worth, rights, and value. we don’t all get treated the same nor valued the same, but equality is a goal to reach for.
Sometimes the best thing about a good blog is that it stirs us up and makes us defend our point of view!
Pat
Thanks for the input/thoughts on this issue Pat, No, there are not any easy answers to difficult questions. And, yes, it is always good to think about our various points of view.
Jim as usual I think you hit the nail on the head. Animal Farm was also required reading for me. I recently saw a list of about 10 books that some group wanted removed from I think school libraries. 8 of those books were required reading for us. You make me proud to have served with you.
Thanks for the kind words Walt. Semper Fi.
I appreciate Jim R’s point that we are not born into equal circumstances, but it would be ideal if each person walked a path of equity. The systemic inequity of our white privileged capitalistic society is what I am personally committed to dismantle however, whenever I can. Thank you all for your thought provoking musings.
You make a good point about personal commitment Ann. Equality is one area where we as individuals can in fact make a difference in someone else’s life. It can be as simple as making eye contact and recognizing the person and treating them as an equal. Thanking someone for doing something (even if it is a non-prestigious job they are being paid for) can make a real difference. The little things add up.
Jim – This is a tricky subject, as I ponder it. The meme (and I don’t have a great grasp of its goal), is correct. We are not all equal. We are unequal in our circumstances, starting at birth: who bore us, where we were born, our skin color, our intelligence and mental potential. I know you know this.
Should we be treated equally is a profoundly difficult question. There is a strong argument for “yes, we should,” but I can think of so many reasons why we should not be treated equally. If a person with every advantage is treated the same way as a person with severely limited advantages, the advantaged person will almost certainly emerge with the same more-advantaged position as an outcome. The disadvantaged person, as a result if equal treatment, will emerge, on balance, as disadvantaged relative to the more advantaged individual, as you might expect. Just as a glass that is less full will remain equally less full than another, fuller glass, if the same amount of liquid is added to each glass. If the additional liquid might over flow the fuller glass, a person (glass) with greater starting advantage will, if things aren’t anomalous, simply replace the limited glass with a larger one. I know the analogy is a little weird, but I like it…
I know that equality is important and sensible, but we are just contemplating a very abstract idea. We know it has never existed, and never will exist.
Is equality the needed “input,” (someone treats another as an equal) or the “desired consequence” (someone emerges from an experience “more equal” than before)? Is either equal input or consequence enough… meaningful?
We will never have equal luck, wealth, opportunity, experience, thoughts, hopes…
I think the concept of equality is too late and too simple to correct the systemic imbalances we can see in almost every school, workplace, neighborhood, and community.
Equality is an imaginary thing, I think. A nice idea, but too abstract and theoretical.
But, yes, of course, on a personal level we should try to practice equal treatment for and toward others we encounter.
I know we don’t disagree about the rightness of equality. We may harbor different levels of hope about it…
Thanks for getting me to think about this, my friend.
Thanks for the input Jim. As with all important issues/questions there are no simple answers and you have raised a number of questions that are worth trying to understand and to ponder even if we can’t answer them.
One fundamental question is the meaning of “being equal.” Is it a measurement of assets such as wealth, health, skills, abilities & luck? Is it a statement about the core worth of all people?
You also raise other important questions: Are we expecting the same outcomes for all? How do we measure equality? Is equality really more about how we as individuals treat each other than it is a societal goal? Who is the arbitrator of systematic imbalances?
Certainly we are all different, each unique. I choose to view “being equal” or “equality” not in the pure mathematical sense, but as being more of a value statement like peace, freedom or justice. Unattainable perhaps, but still worth striving for.
Your English teachers would be proud of your writing! As you observed , all people should be equal. Unfortunately, not all people are treated equally. In an earlier blog you wrote of the Us v. Them mentality w
hich seems to be embedded in the human psyche. “They” are not as good as Us, not as smart as Us, do not work as hard as Us, and do not deserve as much as Us. I think one of the great fears of “Us” is that someday “They” will somehow get more and then there will be less for “Us”. I don’t how to change this except to treat everyone as an an equal in my own life.
Hi Elaine,
No, people are not always treated equally. It is easier to describe an ideal than to reach it.
You are also wise to do what you can in your own life. It does all really start with each one of us.
Take Care Always my friend,
Jim
Well, I can’t let this go without noting that “some” people, eg. gun owners in the United States are now more equal than women. If this doesn’t disturb you, (the proverbial you, Jim), it should.
You have a point Judy, the government does not always live up to the promise of equality for all. Nonetheless, I think it is still an ideal worth working towards.