Posted by
King David Caul on Wednesday, April 09, 2008 5:53:31 AM
Is there anyone who actually means it when they say they want equality? I'm not sure I believe it anymore. In an ironic twist, most people I know (having lived for quite awhile in Illinois) are exhaustingly bleeding heart, and use the term "equality" to invoke sympathetic endorsements (and "yes, yes" chants from the audience) regarding affirmative-action, entitlements and the like. For these contorted minds, equality means purging one's guilt by overcompensating in the surrendering of any and all advantage to "the other". I'm not sure it even matters who "the other" is. (It works best when the other means minority, though).
Well, that's not equality.
In my experiences with most minorities (and I mean experiences, not speculations), the incantation of equality flies proudly, high in the sky on the flagpole of righteousness -- but inescapably, it seems it mostly means my turn, advantage-mine-time. OK. Fair enough to want, but it really isn't a true pursuit of equality.
Just what the hell is a level playing field anyway? Yes, it's a fairly rhetorical question... But is there even the possibility for such a thing? Extending the playing field analogy; it can be possible to create a field of competition where no one has to fight uphill. But somebody is still going to have the sun in their eyes! And is it fair at all that we can't control the wind; it can play a major part in advantage! And what about the cheering crowds, if they're not perfectly even in balance and numbers, doesn't this give a moral support advantage to one team? And what about the coin flip at the start of the game? Is there truly such a thing as a perfectly balanced coin? What measures are gone to to ensure the coin has absolutely no distortion in weight?
I'm sorry, but I hate the level playing field analogy. For one, it absolutely defines our lives as a competition against "the other". Sure, there is significant competition in life; but as a higher species, we deserve the chance to try and find time to escape it. Life itself should not be a competition. Myself, I believe life is more about a familiar Shakespeare quote than about competition; "To thine own self be true". I feel life is a balance of survival in a complex culture, and the mystical discovery of who we are and who we can be. The best things in my life have been related to searching for my best abilities. That's not competition. It's not me against any "other".
The other problem I have with the level playing field analogy is simply that nobody really wants sheer equality. EVER! Extending this sports analogy again; every single team who will walk on the field will absolutely want the sun in their opponent’s eyes, the wind to their own back, the crowd on their side, and the coin toss in their favor. They want advantage! They will exhaustively recruit for the greatest talents available in order to gain genuine advantage! We all want advantage! In a kind world, we all deserve to have advantage in some area; and in America we all deserve to pursue advantage, at any time.
So the level playing field analogy only functions for me to the extent that "the other's" pursuit of advantage is not unfairly crushed or hindered. Beyond that, if I have some advantage -- sorry, I guess I should feel more guilt, but I don't know if there's any justice in the idea that I should simply surrender it.
By this argument, the intelligent and gifted amongst us should take brain-cell killing drugs in a quest to sufficiently dumb down such that those who have already been taking the damaging drugs for years get to play on a level playing field! If you want advantage, go for it; I don't believe I have any right to stop you. But don't tell me I should surrender it to you, simply because you want it. And unfortunately, when someone says; "I just want equality..." they rarely mean it. There's an ugly little undercurrent beneath their words, they usually truly want an advantage. Almost all of us do. It's the fastest, easiest way to dispel the fear of being human.
So if somebody, particularly a minority, seeks equal opportunity -- Amen! Let us as a nation do our best to make sure everyone last one of us gets an equal chance to enjoy opportunity. Let's vigorously pursue a nation where no one including minorities is significantly hindered in the pursuit of themselves or their desire for advantage.
But equality is a myth. And when someone says to me there should be equality, even while what they mean in their heart is that they want advantage (and would like me to consequently surrender any advantage I have attained), at this point they insult me. Asking for equality is gently delusional. Asking for it and not even meaning it, is insulting and devious.
If you ask for equality, at least mean it.