Equity and equality are not synonyms
You only deserve what you work for. Society does not owe anyone an equal outcome. We need to stop assuming that a lack of equal outcome is the result of wrongdoing. No one is entitled to what others have. Americans need to reinstate incentive structures for hard work. If we don’t, our society will never progress.
Equity in modern American society will be the death of meritocracy.
The shift from equality to equity has been detrimental because it means something completely different. These two words, separated by one syllable, are the difference between individualism and tribalism.
The traditional American concept, brought to us by the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” This was the foundation for a flourishing society as well as the greatest superpower the world has ever seen. The message propagated, by the higher echelons of society, is that any disparity in outcome is the result of an unfair system.
Equality is equal opportunity. In contrast, equity is an equal outcome. We as a society need to choose one. We cannot have both. An example of equity would be if I work 100 hours a week. Someone else worked 20 hours a week doing the same job and then paid the same amount. In doing so destroys any and all incentive structures to work hard.
Individuals who support this ideology believe that all inequality is based in inequity. If something is unequal this does not mean that something unfair happened. The different biological and sociological circumstances dictate who we are as individuals, leaving us with different humans.
If we are all different, this means that not all groups are going to be equal. The statistical reality is that any two groups anywhere are going to have different characteristics. When comparing income between groups it is important to take into account their attributes, such as age. If one group is old and the other young, these two groups will have differences.
If you were to compare the income for black and white Americans, you would find reasonable explanations for any disparity. The average age of white Americans is close to 60-years-old and 25-years-old for black Americans. Wealth and income increase as you age because you have more time in the workforce. This means if we want to compare the income for black and white Americans we would need to adjust for age. If you ensure equal outcome, then you are preventing equal opportunity.
This is happening in the science fields. Studies have shown, when there is more freedom of choice, less women choose that path. These people who perceive themselves as our moral betters — create quotas. Which destroys equal opportunity. What happens to the man who got a higher score and is more qualified for that spot? You are robbing him of equal opportunity. Thus, creating resentment towards the less qualified women who entered the program because of a quota.
You only deserve what you work for. Society does not owe anyone an equal outcome. We need to stop assuming that a lack of equal outcome is the result of wrongdoing. No one is entitled to what others have. Americans need to reinstate incentive structures for hard work. If we don’t, our society will never progress.
Why would I work hard if someone less qualified takes my place in the name of equity?
