Wednesday, January 6, 2010

The Problem of Equality

The problem of equality is that it is the right answer to the wrong question. Yes. It is a way of simplifying things and that works short term. But in the end men and women are like apples and oranges so calling an apple equal to an orange would be strange too. Though women deserve the same rights as a man being called equal is actually an insult to women.

I don't think it is useful at all to anyone in the long run to be called equal because this only denigrates women because women have always been put on a pedestal above men.

There was a joke that is somewhat appropriate that went around when women's rights first came in in the 1960s. It said, "Women stood up on the bus and lost their seat." Whereas before that a man would always stand up and give his seat to a woman if he was to be considered a gentleman and not just another jerk.

So, it may be centuries before all this gets worked out in a way that is actually useful to anyone. So far, my reckoning shows me that in my lifetime making women equal to men has confused people worldwide so badly that they seem like they definitely aren't going to recover at least in my lifetime. In fact, I believe this is one of the reasons of the terrorist war against us. Islamic people look at just how confused western cultures are on this one issue and say to themselves, "We really don't need to become westernized, thank you very much."

The best way I can put this is we have come too far too fast and thrown the baby out with the bathwater. And my question would be, "How do we get the baby back?"

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