The Importance Of Equality In The United States

In America, the land of the free, people believe that it’s the greatest place to be. And America would probably be what everyone believes, but it has a very serious problem that could eventually destroy the country as whole. America is built upon Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but it has a strong equality issue that has to be taken care of. Equality is a social contract in America and unfortunately it is a broken one. A social contract is an agreement amongst the members of a society, but equality is a serious issue. Equality poses the biggest problem to America simply because in any country the people make the country, and if the people can’t get along either internal conflicts occur, or people eventually leave. Throughout America everyone regardless of race, color, or sexual orientation has experienced inequality in some part of America. Words are exchanged, fists are thrown, and in serious cases lives are lost because people are racists to one another. Equality is a broken social contract in America that will eventually be its demise if not attended to.

Ellen DeGeneres states, “I'm not an activist; I don't look for controversy. I'm not a political person, but I'm a person with compassion. I care passionately about equal rights. I care about human rights. I care about animal rights.”(“Ellen DeGeneres Quotes.”). Ellen is a popular television host that isn’t afraid to express her opinion to the public. She knows that people do not need to have a high education in equality to understand the every person deserves to be seen and treated equally. People can still take a stand and make a difference simply by supporting a cause. Imagine being discriminated against for something one cannot control, such as their sex. Many people had faced this, until someone decided to take charge. The Equal rights Amendment was supposed to protect oneself from this type of discrimination. A lot has had to happen just to get this amendment up and running to be introduced. The equal rights Amendment has a long history and can be linked to many famous writings, which makes it easily relatable to almost everyone.

This is the year of 2016, it has been approximately 93 years scene the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment was first introduced to Congress. Still after 93 years, the amendment was never officially passed. Now in 2016, women are dominating almost every job a man has done: a lawyer, a voter, a businesswoman, a politician, maybe even a president, but still are being seen as women from the 1920s. Why? In 2012, full time working women made 77 cents for every dollar a man made, this is a 23 percent gap between the genders (Rosen). Women work equally as men in their everyday lives, but are not treated nor rewarded equally. According to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, "Certainly the Constitution does not require discrimination on the basis of sex. The only issue is whether it prohibits it. It doesn't." (Arquette). The constitution does not prohibit discrimination as the law was never ratified. Sure, employers do not allow it, but they do

As a caucasian teenage citizen of the United States of America, I am part of a privileged race. I am able to observe discrimination and segregation to other races and members of my country, as most of it is not being done to me individually. However, knowing that LGBTQ people and people of color are being dehumanized, even though the year is now 2015 and same-sex marriage is legal in all fifty states, infuriates me on a very high level. Equal rights in the United States is important to me because I strongly believe that everyone should be treated equally and with respect, no matter your sexual-orientation or race.

My local political party, recently our President claimed that inequality is the “defining challenge of our time,” but today I stand before you to challenge that notion in its entirety. I do not wish to demean such enthusiastic thinking, but I would like to indicate that this notion acts under the assumption that there is equality. How can we fix inequality if in its premise it is immeasurable? Instead, we should focus our efforts on the more pressing challenges in our own community such as hunger or the illegal drug epidemic.

Equality. Equality is a highly subjective word. To some it means being on the same playing field despite possessing disabilities, being a different gender or differing identity. To others, equality is already achieved, but certain demographics fail to notice. It can be agreed certain locations have achieved equilibrium, such as Denmark, Iceland, and Finland. Whereas for others countries it is evident that such status is favorable towards one group - very apparent in India and Algeria because such societies favor healthy males. On a global scale, there is a lot of work to be done in order to get proper representation from all fields of life. But on a national scale, in terms of equality in the United States, as a whole, the first world country

My America values equal rights and opportunity for all its people. My America believes that equal rights are given to all its people no matter their race, religion, social status, gender, or sexuality. According to none of the aforementioned factors of a person’s identity should anyone face discrimination denying them of equal rights and opportunity. In my America, no one is denied their rights. In my America, everyone has the opportunity to pursue their passion. In America today we see people not being given equal rights and opportunity, for reasons such as the fact that they are a woman or that they aren’t white. These factors do not dictate how hard you can work or how intelligent you are therefore you should not be denied equal

As an American citizen we have many rights that are protected by the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, along with laws that are enacted by each state and the federal government. A few of the rights that all American citizens have include the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to vote. The Equality Act also specifically provides each American citizen protection against discrimination based on qualities such as race, gender, age, and disabilities when applying for things such as employment, college, or housing. Furthermore, the Equality Act 2015 “Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation” (U.S. Congress, 2015). These rights are provided to American citizens because we are all viewed as equal and deserve to have equal rights and opportunities non-dependent of our race, gender, age, or sexual orientation. The fact that the Equality Act 2015

America’s progress toward change has been a slow process; the rights of several and the disparaging treatment of others divide the country and have for centuries. Embracing change is difficult, for a number of people; it means to oppose traditional beliefs and sacred memories, forgetting the way things used to be and accepting others, no matter the differences. Equality has two faces, morals and moral judgment.

The United States stands as a country that represents freedom, justice, and rights given to the people. Recently, the President of the United States has heavily criticized privately owned organizations such as the NFL, for standing up for unity, solidarity, and equality. Trump had gone out of his way to publicly shame players for not standing during the National Anthem prior to their games. This National Football League has no connection with any presidential authority which ultimately gives President Trump no say in how this matter is handled. Many players are using their fame and platform to be the voice of many people in the country who share the same opinion and demand change. Our country should stand as a free and equal place for anyone despite race, color, or gender and the NFL is using their power to ensure that changes are made to unify our country.

The National Anthem and its flag represent America and its ideologies. “The land of the free , and the home of the brave” is a lie. To be free means the power or right to act, speak, or the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved. In America, black people and people of color have always been subject to discrimination and oppression. White children will never experience “the talk” as many black children already have. When I refer to the talk I mean the safety precautions black parents give their kids when approached by law enforcement. Without said “precautions” another black child will be lying in the street dead. Another family will be torn apart, and another police officer will enjoy paid leave as a reward. As a black woman I will never be able to enjoy the same freedoms as a white person because of my skin color. This is why I kneel.

For many years, the fight for equality has either brought peace and unity or hatred. One of the greatest events that happened in the United States was The March on Selma better known as “Bloody Sunday”. What started as a peaceful protest, turned into turmoil. Another event was when Dr. Martin Luther King gave the “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington. This speech has been effective for many decades and is a reminder that us people should unite and strive for greatness. Though gave the Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, our nation and other parts of the world continue to bring division and hatred. When will the world know when enough is enough? I believe that society does not owe us equality due to the fact that true equality is impossible. In order to have a perfect society, we would need to have the same level of education, the exact same amount of wealth, and the exact same social status. In other words, we would an utopian society in order to be successful.

While both Colombus day and Native American Day has been declared to be celebrated on the same day, it is ironic due to the cruelty that was subjected on the Native Americans by the white Christians. Having both Columbus day and Native American Day on the same day is an example of America holding onto white supremacy. The white culture throughout history has held themselves above all races. Coming into the United States, Columbus had the dream to expand and conquer, removing all that is in the way of this dream. The Americans believed that this dream included the Native Americans, in that way they believed that they were helping the Indians find a better way of life. While the Native Americans vocalized that they had all culture and individual self-taken away. Native Americans were manipulated through government, Christianity, and culture.

Equality among all is a utopian idea that is esteemed by many but arguably inexistent in the world today, regardless of country, society, or social structure. What is equality? Is equality defined by equal opportunity, equal access, or equal distribution of resources? Does equality include only physical resources or does it reach into the areas of family structures and natural abilities? The idea of equality, or the lack thereof, is tied directly to social stratification. Social stratification is “the way in which a society organizes itself so that individuals know their place or rank, also called their social position, in society” (Larkin, 2015, para. 1). The three stratification systems of slavery, caste, and class vary in the way people are organized along with the mobility found in each system; race, class, education, and gender are other organizing principles found within these systems that demonstrate a lack of inequality.

Most countries strive for freedom and equality, but If you were asked a question of would you rather equality or freedom which one would you choose? From a quick glance both of them looks like they have their own ups and downs equality everyone would be equal and freedom everyone has rights and freedoms but is it all cut and dry with equality? Is it truly possible to have absolute equality, and if so why don’t we remember an instance what it happened. When you go down and look at the difference of equality and freedom it goes down to 2 different Capitalism allowing everyone in the market to have the freedom of what they do and socialism making everyone equal to one another. True equality is an unjust, ineffective, fragile way of running the government that will ultimately lead to it destruction if it hold to its ideal of equality.