Equity And Equality : Equity Vs. Equality

Equality is the term for treating people fairly and offering the same chances, it’s not all about treating everyone in the same way, but recognising everyone is different, and they all have very different needs, but making sure they are met.

In “The Joy of Reading and Writing : Superman and Me” published in the Los Angeles Times, Sherman Alexie brings attention to the cultural divide between Indians and non - Indians, specifically in the area of education. Alexie uses himself as the example in the article, a “Spokane Indian boy” who lives on the reservation. Alexie chose to mimic his father's love for books, because of that he taught himself to read at a very young age. He learned to read by looking at the pictures in a Superman comic book. After teaching himself he “advances quickly”, unlike other kids he is able to read “Grapes of Wrath in kindergarten”. If he hadn’t been an Indian boy he may have been called a “prodigy” but he was so instead he was an “oddity”. At this point in the article Alexie brings us out of his past as a child and into his present as an educated Indian man. Much to his surprise he has become a writer. He says, “I visit schools and teach creative writing to Indian kids”. Alexie talks about how Indian children have lower

Conflict perspective, as defined by David M. Newman, views “the structure of society as a source of inequality, which benefits some groups at the expense of other groups” (Newman 19). Waiting for Superman demonstrates inequalities in education by highlighting inner-city minorities and their struggle for a proper education. The defined conflict in this documentary is between the welfare of the children seeking a proper education and the welfare of the teacher’s, seeking to maintain their employment at any cost through the use of unions. Education becomes the focal point for this analysis of the conflict perspective.

Equality is about making sure people are treated fairly and given fair chances. Equality is not about treating everyone in the same way, but it recognises that their needs are met in different ways.

In James Baldwin’s article “A Talk to Teachers” he utilizes paradox, tone, and anecdote to persuade the audience that an educational system where students are taught the true meaning of American history and identity must be established in order to create a society where people of all races contribute their ideals to society.

James Baldwin was an African American author who grew up in Harlem. In his “Talk to Teachers”, he discusses how society connects to education. He shows that society shapes a child’s education by conditioning and telling them how to view their place in life. According to Baldwin, society shows that there are unfair rules and regulations in a country that is supposed to believe and practice freedom. When the child grows up, they will realize that they do not have equal opportunities as other children and will then question their own identities. To fix these contradictions, Baldwin believes education should “create the ability to look at the world for himself.” He also believed that a child should “examine everything in order to achieve change and a sense of their own identity.”

Equality means to treat everyone the same. Everyone should have equal opportunities and access to resources and services regardless of their individual needs or differences. For example equal access to a building for wheelchair users.

After reading “Superman and Me,” the reader may realize that the story is an account of the affect reading had on Alexie’s whole life. In turn this leads to the discovery of the story’s theme. The theme of Sherman Alexie’s “Superman and Me” is that education is valuable, and culture or background do not correlate to

Equality- being equal, especially in rights, status or opportunities. All individuals should be treated equally and there are laws in place to ensure that this happens. In accordance with the law, organisations have quality policies to ensure that everyone is treated equally.

‘A Talk to Teachers’ by James Baldwin published on December 21, 1963 is a very brave and direct message to teachers on how they are contributing to the prejudice in society during that time period. Baldwin’s tone in this essay shifts frequently however, the constant tone that enhances his purpose of this essay is urgency. Baldwin’s urgency to make teachers change the prejudice view on “negros” and the false history that is being taught about African Americans. For he refers to it as “any negro who is born in this country and undergoes the American educational system runs the risk of being schizophrenic.”

Equality involves the perceived idea that everyone is created equal. Although this is a concept that is all over America, it is more ideal rather than a reality. Equality is the idea that individuals are treated the same, regardless of their race, gender, or religion. Since the founding of

James Baldwin was a prominent African American writer, social critic, and racial justice advocate in the 1960’s and 70’s. In his 1963 Talk to Teachers he aimed to persuade an audience of teachers that education must exist to challenge systems and structures of power and that when it does not, it only serves to reinforce them and amplify their injustice. He specifically focuses on racial hierarchies and white supremacy in the United States. He achieves his persuasive purpose through the strategic use of first, second, and third person pronouns and the use of evocative language, and emphasizes the actionability of his message with anaphora.

Every author interprets and define social equity a little differently. Social equity issues, refers to the distribution of fairness. (Guy & McCandless, 2012). Social equity is rooted in the idea that each person is equal and has inalienable rights. With America’s being a blend of social, religious, economic, and political characteristics, the

Equality Does Not Mean Equity: Gay Marriage Rights Today, is known as a joyous or radiant matter to some but a disgraceful or even a sinful issue to others. Equality and equity are two important terms that are often confused and misused. Both of these terms are used to illustrate justice and creating fairness in societies today, but for some reason, these words are often misunderstood. Equality is known as another meaning for sameness and equal treatment.

Justice and equality are both two very abstract concepts with numerous controversial definitions that are never agreed upon. Depending on the situations, justice can be the same as equality, or not. In the modern world, justice is often used as a political slogan, rather than a meaningful pursuit. Meanwhile equality is also one of the leading ideals of political movements, such as equal rights movements for marriage, voting, etc. In order to answer the question: is justice the same as equality, it is necessary to understand the precise meaning of equality and justice, the relationship between the two, the measurement of the two, and their current and historical status.