"All men are created equal."
It is written in our US Constitution. We are each created as equal, created that way from the beginning. Our belief in this saying and the principle it reflects, lies behind so many of our actions. This belief fuels all advocacy. When we see so much in this world that goes against this principle, we react, believing, "Life is not fair!" Our outrage in violations of the principle of the basic equality of persons fuels protests, movements, causes, and even vigilante efforts like The Blank Panthers and online movements like the one which calls itself Anonymous.
Inequality, Where Is it Found?
Yet we see much inequality in this world. It is everywhere, and it's a part of life. No institution is equal, in fact. The justice system is a glaring example in this injustice and inequality. According to my research and observation and those of many others, guess who get convicted of crimes more often than Caucasian, nondisabled, wealthy, Establishment males? Non-Caucasian, developmentally-disabled, poor, and disenfranchised persons! Guess who gets convicted least often of crimes against persons in any of these people groups? Establishment, Caucasian, non-disabled, or wealthy males. The George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin case brought this matter to national and international focus and attention. Sadly, a federal hate crime bill has had to be created and passed to address this inequality. Inequality abounds in the health care delivery system. Affluent persons with money or quality private insurance often can access more and better health care services than those who use Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), Medicare, or Medicaid. Worst, many remain without any health care access. Inequality looms large in education. Families which are affluent often can enroll their children in private schools and even in pricy extra-curricular pursuits such as dance, music, theatre, and the link. Low-income and many minority families often must make do with public schools and seldom can afford to enroll their children in extracurricular classes to develop their talents. Even crime and missing searches are often unequal, with more and better resources going to victims and missing persons who are Caucasian, from more affluent families, who are without disabilities, and who are young. Sad but true.
Inequality, Is It Ever Okay?
Yes, we are all created equal, and this truth is forgotten far too often. It is behind all society's ills, in fact. Yet we misunderstand "All men are created equal," when we confuse recognizing inequality of personhood and inequality of function. We all know that, in all of society, starting in the home and working into the schools, the workplace, and from citizens to government, authority vs. subordination are central. This holds true in Scripture, where God Himself designed these authority structures and as Ultimate Authority, He tells us we must submit to those placed in authority over us. Yep, this is inequality in function but a needed one, for without authority, we would have anarchy. We need to recognize another basic principle: We are all unequal in distribution of talents, abilities, challenges, and weaknesses. People with certain "glamorous talents" like singing voices, athletic prowess, or acting talent, can aspire to celebrity status, especially if they enjoy social connections and opportunities. People with many other talents can aspire to and often enter jobs that are either high-status or high-paying. Many of us may bemoan not having "the better" talents but the fact is, many of the "less glamorous talents" such as attention to detail, memory, persistence, solid communication skills, and empathy are absolutely essential to keep society going. Yes this is inequality but needed. This is Scriptural.
My Experience
Yes, I have struggled with misunderstand what inequality means. Like almost any school student, I did not like having to obey my teachers, especially the ones who seemed not to even like me. I didn't like having to obey my parents. I did obey, but often not gladly, believing that my best interests would be furthered by my obedience. When I did go to regular classes at C---------'s church-based school, I struggled with feelings of jealousy toward the popular girls or those with athletic talent. Life wasn't fair, I would tell myself. I had no concept that equality in personhood does not mean equality in function--very frequently. Because of how I was treated and because of misdiagnosis and improper intervention, I very often fought a shame-based identity where equality in personhood seemed to apply to everyone but me. I know that this sad phenomenon is applicable to so many victims of many different kinds and is behind depression and suicide. Even when I got older and entered adulthood, I would bemoan how I was made and wish I had been blessed with one of the "glamorous talents" such as singing or athletic talent. The fact that I did not have answers for my life made this worse. Getting an Autism Spectrum Diagnosis is proving to be relieving and enabling me to come to terms with the way I have been put together.
Inequality Misunderstanding & Getting It Right
We need to get over confusing equality of personhood vs. equality of function. Much jealousy, insecurity, egoism, and competition would fade if only we understood and embraced the truth that we are all equal in personhood but we are NOT equal in function. Nor was it ever meant to be so. God made it like this. We may not like it, but that is what He did. We do need to fight the "isms" that fuel the lack of respecting inequality of personhood, such as racism, sexism, and ablism. We need to respect and revere equality of our personhood, while accepting that we are often very unequal in function. We will continue to see and hear about civil rights protests, vigilante groups or movements, hate crimes and the need for legislating against them, and calls for more and more legislation bearing the names of victims, until we do. On one Facebook page a couple years ago, under the post, "All men are created equal," someone commented sadly, "Too bad they do not stay that way." What kind of world would it be if we cleared up our confusion about what equality really is?
The image at the top of this post is courtesy of John Sundermann.
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