A New Paradigm
Imagine that you and Bill Gates enter into a poker tournament. Bill is allowed to bring all of his money and you are allowed to bring all of yours. What will be the result? Bill will make you go all in on every hand and even if you win a few hands, Bill has enough resource to eventually break you.
This is the scenario for the average American working class citizen who is told that if he or she works hard it is possible to rise above the straights to which they were born and become a person of affluence. Is it possible? Perhaps. Is it possible for you to succeed in breaking Bill Gates in a poker game? Perhaps. Is it likely. No.
If you consider the lop-sided distribution of wealth and power, coupled with a culture of institutionalized racism, is it any wonder why so many Americans feel disenfranchised?
“All men are created equal”
I have some issues with this statement. a) What about women? b) Created implies that someone picked up a piece of clay and formed us. Sorry, my religious God-believing friends, I don’t buy it. c) People are not all the same. Which is the what the word equal means.
This statement was written in another time and has served us well in the past. But like all things, it’s becoming a thing of the past and of little use in a time when everyone being treated equally is an institutionalized excuse for allowing the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer.
It is time for a paradigm shift towards equity.
What is the difference between being treated equally and being treated equitably?
I have a deaf student in one of my classes (a very good student, by the way). Because of her disability, there is a sign language interpreter in the class. If she was being treated with equality, there would be no sign language interpreter and she would be expected to perform at the same level as everyone else. Remember equal means the same. But luckily she is not being treated equally, she is being treated equitably which means she is getting the extra help she needs to thrive and reach her full potential as a human being.
Equity, not equality.
To be continued...
This is the scenario for the average American working class citizen who is told that if he or she works hard it is possible to rise above the straights to which they were born and become a person of affluence. Is it possible? Perhaps. Is it possible for you to succeed in breaking Bill Gates in a poker game? Perhaps. Is it likely. No.
If you consider the lop-sided distribution of wealth and power, coupled with a culture of institutionalized racism, is it any wonder why so many Americans feel disenfranchised?
“All men are created equal”
I have some issues with this statement. a) What about women? b) Created implies that someone picked up a piece of clay and formed us. Sorry, my religious God-believing friends, I don’t buy it. c) People are not all the same. Which is the what the word equal means.
This statement was written in another time and has served us well in the past. But like all things, it’s becoming a thing of the past and of little use in a time when everyone being treated equally is an institutionalized excuse for allowing the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer.
It is time for a paradigm shift towards equity.
What is the difference between being treated equally and being treated equitably?
I have a deaf student in one of my classes (a very good student, by the way). Because of her disability, there is a sign language interpreter in the class. If she was being treated with equality, there would be no sign language interpreter and she would be expected to perform at the same level as everyone else. Remember equal means the same. But luckily she is not being treated equally, she is being treated equitably which means she is getting the extra help she needs to thrive and reach her full potential as a human being.
Equity, not equality.
To be continued...
posted by Mark at
7:13 AM
1 Comments:
A very enlightening post, and one that opens many doors for argument. I can't wait to see where you're going with this.
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