Equal opportunity rather than equal outcomes is what I think is the only workable kind of equality.
With equal opportunity , everyone starts at the same start line and has the same chance to get ahead , but if they fail to do so then that is on them, not the system , nor the people who managed to get ahead. This is actual equality (or as close as we are likely to be able to get)
Equal outcomes which is the path western society is heading down is a fatally flawed philosophy , the lazy and talentless will get into positions that they are not competent for and cause incredible damage to society , while the talented will grow resentful that less talented people are getting the rewards they worked hard for and they will rebel and kick the politicians that think this is a good idea out of office.
Equality of opportunity is just a Trojan horse for equality of outcome. Most opportunities are outcomes.
Take, for example, two kids gunning for college. The first kid's parents aggressively budgeted and saved to afford tuition at a good school. The second kid's parents lived at or above their means, racking up debt.
Why should these kids have the exact same opportunities? The disparity between them is just. It was paid for with sacrifice and effort. If you pave over that disparity with government handouts, then you are incentivizing shiity behavior. Why should good parents save money for their childrens' educations if bad parents are just handed the same opportunities?
A society should strive to provide reasonable access to a good middle class lifestyle for as many people as possible. Equality of outcome is impossible nonsense, and equality of opportunity is almost equally evil.
The problem with your argument is that you're at the wrong point in the process. Both of those children had equal opportunity when they were born. Along the way, their parents squandered those opportunities or took advantage of them.
The point of equality of opportunity isn't that everything is equal at all points in time, it's that, all other factors being equal, people have the same opportunities.
Most importantly, it's about the government not playing favorites in any way.
Equal opportunity rather than equal outcomes is what I think is the only workable kind of equality.
With equal opportunity , everyone starts at the same start line and has the same chance to get ahead , but if they fail to do so then that is on them, not the system , nor the people who managed to get ahead. This is actual equality (or as close as we are likely to be able to get)
Equal outcomes which is the path western society is heading down is a fatally flawed philosophy , the lazy and talentless will get into positions that they are not competent for and cause incredible damage to society , while the talented will grow resentful that less talented people are getting the rewards they worked hard for and they will rebel and kick the politicians that think this is a good idea out of office.
Equality of opportunity is just a Trojan horse for equality of outcome. Most opportunities are outcomes.
Take, for example, two kids gunning for college. The first kid's parents aggressively budgeted and saved to afford tuition at a good school. The second kid's parents lived at or above their means, racking up debt.
Why should these kids have the exact same opportunities? The disparity between them is just. It was paid for with sacrifice and effort. If you pave over that disparity with government handouts, then you are incentivizing shiity behavior. Why should good parents save money for their childrens' educations if bad parents are just handed the same opportunities?
A society should strive to provide reasonable access to a good middle class lifestyle for as many people as possible. Equality of outcome is impossible nonsense, and equality of opportunity is almost equally evil.
The problem with your argument is that you're at the wrong point in the process. Both of those children had equal opportunity when they were born. Along the way, their parents squandered those opportunities or took advantage of them.
The point of equality of opportunity isn't that everything is equal at all points in time, it's that, all other factors being equal, people have the same opportunities.
Most importantly, it's about the government not playing favorites in any way.