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Will Hinton is a consultant and blogger who got his start with the blog, Dignan's 75 Year Plan. Over the past few years, Will has used his blog as a platform to explore running for Congress, spearheading volunteer efforts for Hurricane Katrina relief, and challenging common perceptions about politics.
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Will lives in Atlanta with his wife and two daughters.
Life Is Not Fair
I am reluctant to write this post as I am afraid that I will come across as callous. Please know that in no way do I want to diminish the real suffering and inconvenience of people with various conditions such as blindness or deafness.
But I am struck by this judicial decision today in which U.S. District Judge James Robertson said that the government discriminates against blind people by printing money that all looks and feels the same.
Unfortunately, LIFE discriminates against the blind. And the deaf. And anyone with any physical infirmity. And anyone with cognitive or mental difficulties. Actually, life discriminates against everyone.
The best thing that my father ever taught me was that life is not fair. It sounds like a downer to have a father who says such things all during one's childhood but not only is it true but it was a very valuable lesson to learn.
This legal decision is a prime example of the folly of social justice or as Thomas Sowell would put it, cosmic justice.
Presumably, the vast ranges of undeserved inequalities found everywhere are the fault of "society" and so the redressing of those inequalities is called social justice, going beyond the traditional justice of presenting each individual with the same rules and standards. However, even those who argue this way often recognize that some undeserved inequalities may arise from cultural differences, family genes, or from historical confluences of events not controlled by anybody or by any given society at any given time. For example, there was no way that Pee Wee Reese was going to hit as many home runs as Mark McGwire, or Shirley Temple run as fast as Jesse Owens. There was no way that Scandinavians or Polynesians were going to know as much about camels as the Bedouins of the Sahara-- and no way that these Bedouins were going to know as much about fishing as the Scandinavians or Polynesians.
"In a sense, proponents of "social justice" are unduly modest. What they are seeking to correct are not merely the deficiencies of society, but of the cosmos. What they call social justice encompasses far more than any given society is causally responsible for. Crusaders for social justice seek to correct not merely the sins of man but the oversights of God or the accidents of history. What they are really seeking is a universe tailor-made to their vision of equality. They are seeking cosmic justice."
Thoughts?
Update: I have somewhat revised my thoughts on this.
Comments
Hmmm
While I won't disagree with you that life discriminates against everyone at some point or another, there is something to this particular case. I think paper money could be seen in the same light as wheelchair ramps--it is a mode of access. In being consumers, blind people generally must act on the faith that the other party is trustworthy. How often to count your change after buying something? A blind person is afforded no such opportunity.
On the other hand, the cost to change our currency would likely be astronomical. Of course, there could be a business opportunity hidden in this as well--portable bill readers.
I think you've got something there
I agree with Will that life isn't fair (and my seven year old is probably tired of hearing me say so :-)), but I disagree that nothing need be done about it just because life's not fair. We live in a great country that is capable of providing opportunities for so many physically disadvantaged. This you will not see in the most of the world. I think as an able-bodied individual, we often overlook the daily struggles of those around us. I say if something can be done, within reason, let's do it. If it's just too expensive to revamp the currency, then let the private sector come up with a solution (like the money reading machine) and let the government offer it to the blind. They already offer services to the blind. Why not just add this to their existing program?
A Perfect Opportunity
to dispense with the government monopoly on fiat currency and use varying weights of precious metals, which the blind can distinguish. Additionally, this would give private business the opportunity to experiment with the size, shape and texture of warehouse receipts for gold at no expense to the public. ;-)
One or the other?
I can't really speak to the money-for-the-blind (and over 10 years ago, I encountered a small, inexpensive money reader for the blind in a gas station, so...I'm not that concerned with the topic as horribly debilitating).
On social justice, the quote sets me off, because well - yes, some things can go off into the absurd, but is the impression supposed to be that we're ~not~ to make adjustments for the less fortunate or needy, ever? By dividing out 'crusaders for social justice', as the ever-malign "them", are we to dismiss all such possibilities to help our fellow man? I'd never propose all inequities could be rebalanced, but the quote really seems to taste of "none", simply because it's not easy to decide upon a particular line.
"Remember, son-
I didn't sell out,
I bought in."
"Remember, son-
I didn't sell out,
I bought in."
Yes, Callous
Will, with all due respect, I do think it was a callous statement, and I think the quote from Sowell shows undue disrespect to social justice. Whether it is costly to change the money is debatable--the government says yes, the courts say no. But it would be a one-time fix. As Julie L. says above, it's easy enough to do. Why not do it?
As I read your post, I can't help feel that you don't want to do it just to affirm the principle that life isn't fair. But that's the job of mom's and dad's to point out to their kids. The job of the courts, in contrast, is to make life as fair as it can be.
Dustin Kidd
Dustin Kidd
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