Friday 5 September 2014

Equity vs Equality

The Age of Feminism DOES NOT WORK any better than did the mythic Age of Male Principle (if indeed there ever was such a thing).

As children we are taught about EQUALITY. We are taught to respect, expect and demand, equality. Equality is the concept of achieving and maintaining a Balance by light of Fairness.

As Adults, with maturity, we learn about EQUITY. Equity is what this post is about.

Be aware that the goal of Equality to achieve and maintain Balance is the guiding principle which is why we are taught about it first. It is the end result goal, however we are all Unique and Different which is why in practical life, Equity is necessary to achieve Equality. To achieve and maintain Balance, we must accept the differences and find ways to resolve them.

Here is an example of why Equity is superior to Equality.

Imagine the See-Saw of Balance. There is a plank on the horizontal plane and holding it up, in the middle of it, is a triangle shaped wedge. The plank has a measurement grid painted on it, measuring from one to one hundred. It has fifty in the exact center. These are percentages. The apex of the wedge points to the measurement grid on the plank. By moving the wedge, we can see what percentage of the plank is to one side and what percentage of the plank is to the other side. The plank represents Equality. The wedge represents Equity. On one end of the plank, is my side and on the other end of the plank, is your side.

Equality measures at fifty percent to maintain fair balance.

Now we are going to explore Equity.

I have a Brick. You have an Elephant. This is because we are not born Equal at the start, although we are attempting to achieve and maintain Balance.

The Equality Approach (50% / 50%)
I place my brick on the plank (the balance grid), and you place your elephant on the plank (the balance grid). What happens?
The see-saw, our measurement grid, falls apart when we keep the balance set to fifty percent of the plank for each person. The brick flies up into the air and lands someplace else while the elephant falls to the ground. Is it practical? No, it is not. The balance of fifty percent each has failed. Equality has failed.

The Equity Approach (90% 10%)
We move the wedge. We move the wedge to compensate for the inherent natural imbalance. We move the wedge so that there is now 90% of the plank on one side, and 10% of the plank on the other. Now when we put the elephant on the 10% side and the brick on the 90% side, the Balance is achieved. The plank remains horizontal. And yet; one person has 90% and the other person has 10% of the plank. Is that Equal? No it is not. Is it practical? Yes, it is. Is it Equitable? Yes it is.

We can clearly see here that Equality is about Theoretical Fairness, while Equity is about Practicality to Achieve Balance (but not necessarily to Maintain Balance, we shall explore that next). The end result is that Equity is more closer to the goal of Equality, than is simple Equality.

Maintaining Balance.
Equity is Temporary and requires regular Review. The Balance is always shifting. We return to our see-saw measurement system several weeks later only to find that it has lost a lot of weight, and is now the size of a peanut. The brick has not changed its size.
To maintain Balance, we need to make another adjustment, placing the wedge not at 90% / 10% but now at 20% / 80%. We need to review the situation on a regular basis. Practicality must be maintained to decide how regularly reviews are necessary.

If you wish to understand the underlaying system used by early Masons (before it became a religion) and used by the Courts of Law And Order, then you must first understand why they rely on Equity as opposed to Equality.


3-Step System Achieving For Social Equity:
1. Determine and Recognize Individual Needs and Differences.
2. Use (1) to establish where the Wedge needs to be.
3. Establish time period for next Review.


Further Thoughts:
The big question is which is superior between the Principle and the Contract ? Does a meeting of minds or a written contract over-ride the Principles of Equality and Equity, or is it the other way around? At this stage it becomes a matter of discourse on Ethics.

Example; Because of Usury, there is not enough stuff in the world to repay the debt that the people living in this world owe to the paperwork fiction of a corporation called the Usury Banks, and there never will be. The global debt is not only permanent, for ever but it is also increasing continuously. The Usury Banks depend on paperwork contract to maintain this imbalanced, inequitable situation. Either a change in policy or the demise, of usury based civilization, are the only possible solutions to this dilemma.


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