Everyone today is so politically correct. We believe in equality for all. We think that everyone should have a fair chance. No one should be discriminated against. Everyone should be given a second chance, even if they have a checkered past. In America, you can work to repay any debt that you owe to society for mistakes that you've made. We also believe, that hate and bias should be things of the past. Skin color, creed, and nationality should not be things that we judge people on or hold people back in this life. We all have friends these days that break the old barriers and say we will no longer tolerate prejudice, bigotry, and plain old ugliness. But is that really true? Do we really believe in Equality? Or are we just pretending so we can feel good about having friends with dark skin and thick accents? The answer might surprise you.
Now I could easily go the route of we all want equality for minorities as long as it's not in my neighborhood. Or we all want a fair shot for legal immigrants as long as it's far away in Texas! But let's go a different road. This week is the Olympics. Despite the controversy that surrounds Russian President Putin at all times on everything from Syria to Gays, the Olympics are supposed to be about fair play on a world stage. And you can bet your weekly paycheck that at least a hand full of Olympians will be suspended for using performance enhancing drugs. You see, everyone wants an equal and level playing field but they also want an advantage for themselves. The same is true for America's favorite pastimes of baseball and football. We want the fairest of playing conditions but we also want our team to have the guy with the gorilla arms that can bat that ball over the fence. And if he's mixing a few extra carrot tops in his smoothies, why should our guy be suspended. The rules are for the other teams and the other guys, right! Psst, we think the same way about immigrants and minorities. If somebody with dark skin or a heavy accent wants to work in a factory in Kansas, then there should be a law. But if he wants to work at my plant, oh heck no! I want equality for those people but I don't want to be equal to them.
Throw out the minority issue. We all say we want companies to hire based on an even playing field. We want jobs handed out solely on merit and qualifications, or so we say. So we have our congressmen pass laws to force companies to adhere to such rules. Then what do we do to get a job? We ask some body's brother-in-law to put in a good word for us. Or we try to find out about a job before it is offered to the public. The bottom line is we don't want to be equal to all the others seeking out that job that we claim should be offered in the spirit of equality. Equality comes at a terrible price. That price means you can't guarantee success. Equality means everyone must share the load of both the good and the bad. It's all to easy to say you want equality, but it's another thing altogether to actually live it out. That would mean putting yourself down on the level of others. And that is something that very few are willing to do in the life these days. So weigh that out before you scream equality for all!
