When Neil gave us
the theme of equality, the first thing that came to my mind was the title of
the sequel to the 19th century novel which was the 3rd best selling of that
century in America, behind Ben-Hur: A
Story of Christ and Uncle Tom’s Cabin. That novel was Looking Backward, written by Edward Bellamy, cousin of co-founder
of the Society for Christian Socialism and Pledge of Allegiance author Francis
Bellamy.
Looking Backward has the distinction of being not only one of
the first socialist-oriented novels in America but also one of the first
utopian science fiction novels dealing with time travel. The story of the movement inspired by that
novel, which I will go into at another time, is one of the reasons why I have
decided to start calling America Neverland instead of the Great Satan.
During the primary season, my son David was driving me
somewhere and we were discussing the elections.
I had supported Bernie Sanders in the primaries which were so heavily
rigged in favor of the would-be coronee, and was going off about all of my
reasons, which included such things as drastic income inequality, rule by
oligarchy, destruction of the social welfare system, etc. When I finished, he told me, “You sound just
like Johnny”. His step-father, who liked
Bernie but was supporting Donald Trump.
Though there are certainly plenty of exceptions, I suspect
that most of those voting for Trump, the “deplorables” as Clinton referred to
them, did so for many of the same reasons as those voting for Bernie, the
“basement-dwellers” as Clinton referred to them. Much in the same way the foot-soldiers of the
original Tea Party movement resembled in their grievances the foot-soldiers of
the Occupy movement.
So, do not be afraid that with the election of Donald Trump that
Neverland has become overrun with folks in white sheets waving Confederate
flags and folks in khaki waving the swaztika, because many of them are folk
just like me, and, I suspect, like you too.
In their Declaration of Independence from the Kingdom of
Great Britain, America’s so-called Founding Fathers wrote, “We hold these
truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”, meaning, of
course, that they were male, white, landed property-holders, over the age of
21, and of the fourteen colonies that rebelled, Congregationalist in the
colonies of New England and Anglican in the colonies from New York south, the
only two of the fourteen not having religious requirements for voting being
Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. And yes,
it was 14 colonies not 13, the tiny proprietary colony of Gardiner’s Island
almost never being counted.
The tripartite motto of France— in its original form among
the Cordeliers Clubs liberty, equality, fraternity, or death—was but one such
triad passed around during that country’s revolution, all of which with but one
or two exceptions included liberty and equality. The country only adopted the triad as its
official motto with the advent of the Third Republic in 1870.
Another such triptych, likewise dating back to the French
Revolution, made into the original version of Bellamy’s Pledge of Allegiance as
“liberty, equality, and justice for all”.
As soon as he wrote it out, however, Francis realized that “equality” in
the morning twilight of Jim Crow and in the face of then staunch resistance to
women’s suffrage would not go over, so he dropped it before even submitting
what he’d written.
As a social value, in the 18th and 19th centuries,
“equality” meant equality of rights, specifically civil rights. But equality thus defined and limited becomes
destructive of itself. I prefer
Bellamy’s borrowed triptych to the French motto because without justice
equality is incomplete. Justice in this
case means equity rather than criminal jurisprudence, what is often called social
justice. The boxes V mentioned in the
post-US clusterfuck podcast demonstrate the difference between equality—all
three game watchers standing on boxes of the same size—versus equity (or
justice)—all three able to see the game over the fence with their eyes at the
same level.
In both, it occurred to me finally when looking at various
spins on this theme, all three are equally outside. Outside of those able to afford a seat in the
stadium. Outside those those considered
socially acceptable. Outside those
considered human. Even in the scenes
showing equity between them, their only equity is with each other. Like refugees in Europe, America, and
Australia, standing on the outside looking in.
Or Palestinians outside colonies of their occupiers. Or Native Americans outside
Much has been made of President-elect Trump’s declared
intent to deport two to three million so-called “illegals” from Neverland. Not as much note of Speaker of the House Paul
Ryan’s saying, “Uh, no, actually, we have no plans to do that”, nor of the fact
that by the time he leaves office, Barack Obama will have deported 3.2 million.
One of my favorite quotes on equality comes from American
labor activist and socialist icon Eugene Debs, from his statement at his trial
for sedition under the same law which the Obama administration has used to
persecute and silence more whistle-blowers than any other president in American
history. “Years ago I recognized my
kinship with all living things, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit
better than the meanest on the earth. I
said then and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it; while
there is a criminal element, I am of it; while there is a soul in prison, I am
not free.”
As long as our brothers and sisters do not have what we
have, do not have what they need to not only survive but thrive, do not have
available what should be readily available if all of us took only what we need
until everyone has enough, and have to stand beyond the fence looking in no
matter how many boxes they get to stand upon, then none of us are free.
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