given my upcoming interview, i had debated writing about employment. or elation, since OMG I’M SO STOKED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF THIS JOB. but as much as i heart the library and my potentially upgraded role therein, there’s a word that starts with e that is much more important to me:
equality.
i’ve been kinda debating for most of the day how to begin to express my views on the topic. i mean, when we hear equality, we all have our own ideas of what the word means. as for myself, my view is that if you’re alive, you deserve the same rights, privileges and protections as any other living thing. regardless of who you are, who you love, what you believe or where you’re from, you are just as worthy as me or bill gates or the queen or miyamoto.
wow, lookit me, putting myself in such company. but i digress.
there are plenty of organizations out there working to bring about equality for all, groups like equality now, human rights campaign, the aclu and the naacp. but despite their numerous supporters, staff and members, the sad truth is that oppression is alive and well. it’s a self-perpetuating cycle: parents indoctrinate their children, who grow up to indoctrinate their own children, and so on, and so forth, ad infinitum. we’ve made some strides…or so it would seem on the surface. one might say that segregation isn’t a problem in our society anymore, but i would beg to differ. and sure, women aren’t the docile homemakers we once were, but despite being introduced nearly eighty-five years ago, the equal rights amendment has yet to be ratified (and we still make less than men doing the exact same jobs) (and that’s just the tip of the iceberg on that subject). and really, do i have to elaborate on the uproar over this topic?
and not to get off on a separate rant, but it’s a problem i’ve had with organized religion for a loooong time. my whole disenchantment with the baptist faith started with the push for women to be submissive to their husbands, because, after all, we were an afterthought, made from a spare rib. in fact, that whole deal with adam and eve has, i believe, enforced the notion that men are somehow superior to women, and it’s not just the baptists who are pushing that notion (nor are they the worst offenders). slavery was once justified by the explanation that darker skin color was the result of sin, that a whole race of people were descended from cain and his sin of murder was somehow the reason for the color of their skin. and how many times have i heard homophobia attributed to [insert deity's name here]’s hatred of fags? even the poor have taken a beating in religious circles…even though jesus taught that men should turn away from worldly goods, give away their riches and focus on the gospel, there are entirely too many clergy, tele- or otherwise, wearing rolexes, driving luxury cars and living very comfortably. here’s a really good article about the church and the poor…
but again, i digress.
i probably won’t see real, universal equality in my lifetime, and sadly, i doubt that my children, grandchildren, or even great-grandchildren will. but i’m going to raise our children to respect all life, to treat everyone the way they would want to be treated, regardless of any differences between them. hopefully, as time goes by, more people will join us…
(i know this is kinda scattered. if i’d had a little more time to work on it, it might’ve turned out a little better. maybe i’ll do a rewrite. or not. oh well.)
