Growing up in this liberal town, we've always been taught to be proud of our differences, and respectful of others'. But if we spend so long observing differences, doesn't that just highlight how we are different from each other? Can different things be equal? Is an apple equal to an orange? Personally, no, I almost always prefer an orange to an apple, even though an orange is more work to eat. And some people will almost always prefer apples to oranges. They're different, and for some people, they are not only not equal, but one is much more superior than the other.
If America is a country about equal opportunity, equal rights and equality in life, how do we reconcile that with the inequality created by our fervent highlighting of each individual's uniqueness?
And what does it mean for everyone to be equal anyway? Clearly equality comes with certain terms and conditions. We all have equal opportunity to pursue individual happiness, but only if it's not at the expense of others. We are all equal in the playing field of life, but some people have earned better tools than others. We are all born equal, and yet there will inevitably be people who work beneath others simply due to which family they come from. Some people have to fight harder than others for the same kind protection by the law, the kind that protects their life and their virtues.
I'm not saying I disagree with everything in the current system, per se. Clearly I would much rather that a serial killer or a sociopath or a sadist not have the same rights as I do, especially on the point about equal opportunity in the pursuit of happiness (period). But I just wonder, are we really all equal? Because it certainly doesn't feel like it...
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