You probably say the phrase “What’s wrong with this picture?” many times. It’s been going through my head this week regarding an image I saw when I was looking for one to go with last week’s post about diversity, equity, and inclusion. This is that image:
This is certainly a good example of the difference between equality and equity—for a moment in time! The using the philosophy of equity, shorter kids get a boost to let them see the game. But let’s think a little deeper about it.
They are watching a soccer game. Soccer players are chosen to be on a professional team because of their skills, their strengths, and the ability to be a team player. If they are more talented in some areas, they may be paid more. Some may try out for the team but not make the cut. That is real life!
We are not all suited to be professional soccer players. Nor are we all ingenious enough to be engineers who design new airplanes. Or public speakers. Or hair stylists. When the game those kids are watching is over, they have to come down from those boxes propping them up. They will still be what they were before being placed on the boxes—different heights, different color skins, different sexes—they are different, and we should be teaching them how to use whatever God has given them to the best of their ability. Not encouraging them to think that because they are “shorter than some,” or in some other way they are perceived as deficient, they will always deserve to be artificially supported.
Now look at this picture:
Some of the kids are being held, some are in strollers, and some (believe it or not) are standing all by themselves, and they look pretty happy. Something tells me that they would not be so happy if their parents thought they still had to be held in their arms. They have grown from the dependency of babyhood into maturing children. Some day, God willing, they will be fully mature adults. But will they all be the same? Of course not! Girls will become women, boys will become men, helpless babies will become parents themselves, with different skills that they have developed to be productive in society.
I watched a video in which young kids are given an introduction to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Again, I looked closely. A happy boy wears a medal/award around his neck and all the children are happy with him. Another shot shows someone holding up a trophy. It seems all the children are happy about the trophy. Was it because that child succeeded in something and they were happy for him or because they all got a trophy? Compare that to real life when students in seventeen schools in Virginia were not given their merit awards in a timely fashion because it might make the other kids feel bad.
This video is one in a series. There are many of this type of presentation available for use at school. Here is a link to one of the searches I did. I have to admit that with the way almost all of the videos were scripted, equity makes sense. The problem is that when you advance the idea to what the promoters really mean, things change. There was a teacher caught on TV saying that if people don’t like something you’re presenting, the way you’re saying it may have to change. You just use different words. As a parent, you have to know about this, and make sure you properly explain to your kids what is being fed into their minds. This is not going to be easy.
My book, Who’s Got Dibs on Your Kids?, begins with a chapter titled “Trust: Establishing the Foundation.” I urge you to read it. You put the lives of your children in the hands of others—their teachers, principals, teacher unions, and those who select the textbooks as well as other teaching materials—and have you ever thought about whether you trust them with that precious charge?
Let us strive to give each and every child the best education possible to develop whatever talents they have. Let them set their own goals. Not everyone wants to be president of the United States. Not everyone wants to be a surgeon. Some will love being plumbers who can fix leaks for a frazzled homeowner. Some will want to climb poles and keep our electricity flowing.
Let’s give our children the opportunity to be themselves (equality). Please do not make them feel they have to be the same (equity) as someone else to be a worthwhile person.