With Open Arms: How to Start Leveling the Playing Field

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Society is still discriminatory, as is described in Let the Playing Field Level the Playing Field by Dennis Joiner, and to change that, it has to be with open arms.

The brightest and most important goal for human civilization to achieve and has been trying to achieve ever since its inception is equality. In Let the Playing Field Level the Playing Field by Dennis Joiner, the reader is invited to imagine a future wherein humanity’s scientific and technological advances have allowed society to become much, much more equitable than it is now. In this imagined future, necessities for life such as food, shelter, clothing, healthcare, and education become widely and easily accessible to the broader populace. External events such as poverty and warfare are almost completely wiped out, and internal matters are sufficiently cared for and accounted for by proper and legitimate institutions.

Of course, Dennis Joiner is not under the delusion that it is going to happen tomorrow, nor is he suggesting that that is even a certainty, only that it is a possibility—and a very near one at that if only people worked toward it and took deliberate steps to make it a reality. The age of prosperity and equality awaits everyone in the future, and society should do its best to go forward toward it.

For now, there is widespread ignorance and unawareness among the global populace about what the future could bring, but, as can be seen in current trends, it is in the nature of humanity to progress toward social justice, communal growth, and development and eliminate the unjust inequalities people have built for themselves with the systems they have unconsciously chosen to continue.

But first, what is social inequality?

The condition that most people find themselves in today is because of social inequality. For a better understanding of what social inequality is, it is best to look at it through the lens of equivalent exchange. If society were truly meritocratic and equal, every citizen should be able to contribute meaningfully to the well-being of the broader society and, in turn, be able to benefit from being a part of the society in question.

Social inequality can be further divided into two types:

• Direct social inequality is the result of deliberate antagonization or ostracization by the dominant group. This happens either through explicit government laws and regulations or mandated discrimination. When this occurs, it is often very difficult for oppressed minorities to stand up and make their voices heard since their presence is intentionally minimized on most public platforms.
• Indirect social inequality is when discrimination is more implicit. This means that laws and regulations are not expressly crafted to target specific minority groups, but the way they are applied and enforced makes it so that the vast majority of those affected will be from minority groups. An example of this would be in the United States, where the most policed areas are often low-income neighborhoods, which are often peopled by Black or Latin demographics—while the express intention of such a policy is ostensibly colorblind, the outcomes are explicitly racially motivated.

Eliminating Discrimination with Open Arms

When the internal biases and prejudices of a particular demographic become dominant and ingrained in an overarching system of regulation and personality, whether it be in the macro-sense as a governmental system or in the micro-sense as inter-communal interaction, social inequality arises and is made into a pervasive force. Social inequality is what happens when people don’t interact with each other with open arms, preferring to burn bridges and build walls rather than mend bridges and break down walls.

1. Educate Yourself on Minority Issues. The first part of eliminating discrimination is knowing how it works in your society and who is affected by it. This involves either learning through academic papers and news reports or by listening to local activist groups.
2. Spread Awareness to Others. A major reason why discrimination persists is primarily due to ignorance and general apathy toward groups that are considered “outsiders.” So, a very effective way of lifting up minority issues is through spreading awareness to other people in your demographic.
3. Be Deliberate in Your Actions. As was said before, a major reason for discrimination existing is apathy. So, for it to be eliminated fully, there has to be deliberate action and intentionality, meaning that whatever discriminatory words or actions are seen as “normal” should be countered and alleviated.