LJ Idol 4 Week 16: Equality for All?

[puppetmaker]

Equality –noun, plural -ties.
1. the state or quality of being equal; correspondence in quantity, degree, value, rank, or ability.
2. uniform character, as of motion or surface.
3. Mathematics. a statement that two quantities are equal; equation. from Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 26 Feb. 2008. Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/equality


Hmmm the state or quality of being equal......*goes back to her dictionary*

Equal- adjective
1. having the same quantity, value, or measure as another; "on equal terms"; "all men are equal before the law" [ant: unequal]
2. having the requisite qualities or resources to meet a task; "she had adequate training"; "her training was adequate"; "she was adequate to the job"; "he was equal to the task" [syn: adequate] [ant: inadequate]

noun
1. a person who is of equal standing with another in a group [syn: peer]

verb
1. be identical or equivalent to; "One dollar equals 1,000 rubles these days!" [ant: differ]
2. be equal to in quality or ability; "Nothing can rival cotton for durability"; "Your performance doesn't even touch that of your colleagues"; "Her persistence and ambition only matches that of her parents"
3. make equal, uniform, corresponding, or matching; "let's equalize the duties among all employees in this office"; "The company matched the discount policy of its competitors" from Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 26 Feb. 2008. Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/equal.

And, according to the Urban dictionary, - Having or showing no differences

When I first heard of equality, it was in the mathematical sense of the word. It was when I was learning things like "great than" and "less than" and all the cool mathematical short hand to show our work. I have always had a fondness for math which many find strange but for me as a kid numbers made more sense to me than words did (I didn't know I was dyslexic until I was a freshman in college. My teachers always put it down to me being lazy since I was so good at reading and comprehension....But I Digress).

I grew up in an academic household. Both of my parents taught on the college level. I have two brothers and a sister (2 out of the 3 are here on LJ). And my parents worked very hard at treating us equally but as individuals. This is quite a juggling act that they set up for themselves but they did a great job at it. Which, in my mind, were my parents being fair for the most part.

I was born in the early 60s. I know where I was when Kennedy was shot. I was in the pediatrician's office for a wellness visit. I was a little over two months old. My parents heard the news over the radio. I do remember seeing civil rights marches when I was a kid on the evening news. I didn't understand what I was seeing until much later. I do remember the assassination of Martin Luther King but didn't understand exactly why the adults were upset about it.

It really wasn't until I moved to Atlanta that I learned about equality and what it meant to people outside my family. Atlanta was trying to be a cosmopolitan bastion in the deep south with varying degrees of success. But it was here that I learned about civil rights and the lack there of in very subtle ways. And it was here I first heard Dr. King's famous speech which included the line "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." My parents had the fun job of explain all this to me and why it was wrong the way that some people were treated or not treated. It didn't make sense to me but then I did live in an environment where people were judged for what they could do with their brains rather than the color of their skin. Since we lived near the university, I had playmates with parents and grandparents from all over the world. Everyone was equal in my young eyes until proven otherwise by their actions. I have to say that I am proud Caroline is 'color blind' when it comes to her playmates. We go to a playground that is pretty diverse and she plays with any and all kids that want to play with her. But I digress.

I do remember all the twists and turn on the Equal Rights Amendment to the US Constitution. I remember that my mother was happy when the ERA was passed by Congress. It was the first time I heard the phrase equal pay for equal work which followed me around for years. I didn't know until that point that women were paid less than men for even the same job. This made me very angry. It was so unfair. The ERA was debated in my civics class more than once with everyone making their opinions known. There were a couple of my fellow students I seriously wanted to hit with a clue-by-four for being so pig-headed about the whole thing. It was probably the first political stance I took.

Somewhere along the way equality became a buzz-word in the political arena and then outside that arena. The original meaning has morphed into a hot button which winds people up when they hear it. I noticed this first in the science fiction community which declares itself pretty doggone inclusive and it is for the most part. But there were cries of inequality for the strangest reasons which just got other people's dander up because they were bending over backwards to be equal. I watched two science fiction clubs break up into factions over various slights that they felt made them 2nd class citizens within the group.

I have seen it even more on the Internet where people can choose very easily whether or not to be inclusive or exclusive. It just amazes me how the word "equality" get bandied about by people. I especially love some of the strange definitions that the word has acquired over the years.

Inequality exists and will probably always exist just because of human nature. We have the noblest of intensions but the basest of instincts which seem to rule us. It has been documented through out the history of the world. I think we are getting better about it but still not perfect.

I would like to close with Article 1 from the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human rights which I think is what we should use when talking about equality. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Ah, if we only could.

Comments

[popfiend.livejournal.com]

Nice.

[readinggeek451]

Very nice.

I do have to quibble with this though: I know where I was when Kennedy was shot....I was a little over a month old. No, you weren't, you were twice that. :)

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

OK so I can't add right before coffee *grin*

[superhappytime.livejournal.com]

I thought about mentioning math or doing an dictionary entry, too...this one is not an easy subject!

I like getting a perspective on these things from someone born a little bit before me...

[lilmissmagic71.livejournal.com]

good job!

[mme-furiosa.livejournal.com]

Really well done. It's funny how even dictionaries have varying ways of giving words meanings.

Much like maps, or any of the other things we take as absolutes.

Sadly, I agree that humankind seems far too prone to hierarchy to ever agree to true equality.

[spydielives.livejournal.com]

I didn't know until that point that women were paid less than men for even the same job.

They still are. Horrid, but true.

Nicely put.