Some thoughts on racism

[Asmodean]

Indeed. You can alter the schedule both ways on many occasions; think of that lung cancer sufferer from above. He could jump off somewhere high onto something hard, accelerating "the schedule," or he could do all sorts of surgery and medication and postpone the due date.

Oh, he'll die eventually, but that just speaks to the inevitability of death - not it's equalizing attributes. Yeah, everyone dies... Each in his own way.

[Ecurb Noselrub]

Created equal, IMHO, refers to equal before the law and equal in value. You have no more nor fewer rights than the next person under the law. Slavery, for example, gave blacks fewer rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness than whites had. Therefore, it was inconsistent with the idea of equality.

Of course, I am not equal in basketball ability to Lebron James or acting ability to Tom Hanks. But we all should stand equally before the law, as citizens of equal worth.

[Recusant]

Created equal, IMHO, refers to equal before the law and equal in value. You have no more nor fewer rights than the next person under the law. Slavery, for example, gave blacks fewer rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness than whites had. Therefore, it was inconsistent with the idea of equality.

Of course, I am not equal in basketball ability to Lebron James or acting ability to Tom Hanks. But we all should stand equally before the law, as citizens of equal worth.

Indeed and well said, Ecurb Noselrub. Other values for "equality" can be contentious, but the concept existing as a supposed guiding legal principle of government in the US and elsewhere is unequivocal.

[Tank]

Created equal, IMHO, refers to equal before the law and equal in value. You have no more nor fewer rights than the next person under the law. Slavery, for example, gave blacks fewer rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness than whites had. Therefore, it was inconsistent with the idea of equality.

Of course, I am not equal in basketball ability to Lebron James or acting ability to Tom Hanks. But we all should stand equally before the law, as citizens of equal worth.

Well said.

[Asmodean]

Of course, I am not equal in basketball ability to Lebron James or acting ability to Tom Hanks. But we all should stand equally before the law, as citizens of equal worth.

That was the point I made when using legal equality in my initial answer to myself. Well, not the "equal value/worth" part, because... It's just not, by any sort of measurable criteria I can think of.

The law, however, should not be written to discriminate lords from peasants or men from women or such like. Children... Probably a necessary exception.

I see equality under the law to mean that whatever provisions apply to me, apply to every other citizen. Whatever rights I have - they have. Whatever obligations I have to the nation - they have.