Is Equality America's Primary Political and Moral Challenge?

[pinto]

Nothing dogs American culture and it's politics these days than two touchstone issues - religion and social equality. I had not thought of them as concurrent for a long while, until this anniversary of Reverend King's death.

His poignant staging of one as a function of the other riveted the nation and help wake the sleeping dogs of a senescent bureaucracy. He set human equality, and the moral call to make it a reality, in overtly religious tones. And he set that moral commitment in an overtly political format, as well, on the streets and stages of America.

I had not thought of the two in context for a long while until today. Thanks again, Reverend King. You spoke to our best.

[More Than A Feeling]

1. Definitely.

If our goal is to live in community, we can only succeed if every member has an equal share in the fruits of that relationship. Most people would applaud this, because their needs and wants are relatively few and reasonable. A steady income, protection against misfortune, a family, a future for their children. Good times with friends. A little travel to broaden their horizons. They understand that asking for too much is asking for disappointment.

On the other hand, you have a few people, who cannot be satisfied, no matter how much they acquire, and at whose expense they acquire it. You'd think that we'd let them know in no uncertain terms that there are certain boundaries that cannot be transgressed. But they know no limits, because they use every means at their disposal to set policy. A community cannot survive that.

[cyborg_jim]

2. I seem to recall a blog I read here some time ago about the 'asshole theory'

It makes sense. After all, the selfish gene's idea of society is merely a gene propagation strategy. Other strategies are viable. One might say that the destructive nature of the asshole gene might wipe it out - the society gene winning over. The problem is that there are subtle graduations of the asshole gene. Get rid of those with the most dominant strain and all that happens is that those with the recessive gene start to have it express in their children - the assholes are back in one generation. They will always be with us.

[pinto]

3. Ah, we can survive that, imo. And we will. I am optimistic.

[More Than A Feeling]

4. Sure we can. If we work to overcome artificial barriers amongst people,

and see that the fruits of society are distributed fairly.