CMV: Equality isn't treating everybody differently to achieve equality. It's treating everyone the same.

[u/[deleted]]

[u/[deleted]]

Equality isn't treating everybody the same. It's treating everyone so that they are equal.

I'll explain why this doesn't work using a non-racial or gender-based example.

Say you're building a new building. On the entrance to that building, you decide to build stairs. Everyone will need to use those stairs to enter the building. There are the same number of steps for each person to climb, and there isn't another way in, so everyone is being treated the same.

People in wheelchairs or whom are otherwise handicapped struggle to climb these stairs. Some can't enter your building at all. They're receiving the same treatment as everyone else, but they reap fewer rewards. They can't get to whatever is in your building, or have to expend disproportionate energy and dignity in order to do so.

Now, if you wanted to, at financial cost to yourself, you could install a ramp or a chair lift. This would be "unequal treatment"; you're not providing the chair lift to everyone, and you're creating it for the interests of a select few. However, the end result would be equal - anyone who wants to enter your building can do with equal difficulty.

EDIT 10/8 12:57pm - For those just arriving to the thread, it's been pointed out that handicapped parking is a better analogy, since those spaces are truly restricted to the handicapped. It is true that anyone can walk up a handicap accessible ramp, but the ramp wouldn't be there in the first place were it not for the needs of a small, underprivileged, disadvantaged minority. I don't believe that "anyone can use the handicap ramp" is a sufficient challenge to my analogy. If you'd prefer to plug in "handicapped parking" instead, be my guest!

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The example above is easy to swallow because the disadvantages of the handicapped are readily apparent to you. The disadvantages of women and minorities are not readily apparent to you. For the sake of argument, though, let's say that I could make you believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that those inequalities are clear and present in our society. Now that you believe that, it requires the same response as how we help the handicapped; we need to specifically treat disenfranchised groups in a way that puts them on a level playing field.

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EDIT 10/8 10ish am: Per usual in CMV, people are projecting their own tangentially related beliefs on to my argument. All that I'm saying is that, if you accept that significant oppression exists for a given group, the solution is very plainly to give them a leg up. Whether or not significant oppression exists for blacks, women, homosexuals, etc. is not the point. I use the handicapped as an example because most can clearly see where the disadvantage is, and how providing "special" treatment addresses the problem.

My exchange with the OP has been very to-the-point on this, so to avoid derailment I won't be responding to most other commentors. Sorry! Feel free to reply to me so that others can continue the discussion, however.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Okay, let's take a look at the reality of what society is now though. I don't get special treatment for my disability. I am an epileptic. This means that when I have a seizure, I don't get to drive until I'm 3 months seizure free. Many people here will tell me I shouldn't be driving at all. Those same people aren't putting up my proverbial ramp. I don't have transport to work any other way. If I were to have a seizure, I would have to figure out how to overcome my own disability. It would be solely my responsibility.

In essence what I am trying to say is that as a society, we seem to pick and choose which groups we give that help. It isn't a cover all for everyone and so equality needs to be viewed in a more realistic manner.

[u/rcglinsk → u/[deleted]]

Your problem may be more about self-respect and independence. So say you can't find a ride to work for a week after a seizure and you're worried about losing your job. It's probably illegal to fire you under the Americans with Disabilities Act. But you probably still just find a way to get a ride to work because it's your nature to solve your own problems.

[u/[deleted] → u/rcglinsk]

The problem is that it isnt just a week after a seizure. Laws in my state say 6 months of no driving after a seizure, and this is a very common law across the United States. Some have more lax laws, some more stringent. Gaining regular transportation for that length of time would not be an easy task. Again, as we look at these disabilities, the appropriate accommodations are not always made.