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Aisha Naveed

Professor Sri

English 201

Date 19, 2020

Equal Opportunity

Equal opportunity means the act of treating all people equally or similarly without being

disadvantaged by situations. All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal

opportunity to develop our talent. For example, the civil rights act of 1964 in the United States

established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to promote fairness to all

job applicants. Equality is the state of fairness in opportunities, status, and even rights, while

freedom is the power of someone having the right to act and decide as one wants. Equal

opportunity matters more than absolute equality. This is because equal opportunity provides for

fair treatment and the same opportunities for everyone without discrimination hence promoting

equality of all people. Absolute equality, on the other hand, depicts that two non-identical things

are never equal. As a result, equal opportunity, therefore, matters more than absolute equality.

Equal opportunity has various benefits in the development and the progress of society.

Firstly, equal opportunity protects the properties of all. When equal opportunity characterizes the

community, people are encouraged to work hard, invest, and save (Moore & Ferrara, 29). The

people are also encouraged to increase production because they are assured protection. Equal

opportunity ensures that all people enjoy the freedom of contract. As a result, individuals are

encouraged to increase their production and maximize values. When people enjoy equal

opportunity in society, they plan more investments, and in the process, production is maximized.
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Equal opportunity creates a framework for which all the people in the community are encouraged

to pursue their visions of interests and maximize productivity. A good example is the republic of

china. During the communism era in china, “land was cultivated for the common good, and

produce was evenly distributed to all, regardless of the hard work and efforts of an individual."

As a result, China produces little food, and thousands of people starved to deaths. But after the

agricultural reforms of the 1980s, china adopted private ownership of farms, which gave

individual people equal opportunities. As a result, china maximized its production and emerged

as a world food exporter (Moore & Ferrara, 29). Therefore, the equal opportunity provides equal

chances to all people and gives assurance for the reward of their hard work.

Moreover, equal opportunity plays a significant role in promoting an individual's abilities

and talents. According to Vonnegut's story, it is not fair to deprive athletics of their abilities to

make them equal with others. For example, Harrison Bergeron was above average in everything.

To offset his ability, he was forced to wear handicaps to offset his advantage over the others, and

as a result, scrap metal was hung over him and forced to wear wavy spectacles. Harrison did not

accept this burdens and was jailed, but he eventually broke out, an action that made televisions to

announce he was a genius and an athlete (Vonnegut, 27). Therefore, it is not fair to deprive

people what they have worked for and produced to make them equal to others who have

contributed less and worked less. As a result, equal opportunity for all people promotes the

abilities and talents of every person.

Equal opportunity also improves the lives of others by the fruits of others' hard work. For

example, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs invented Microsoft technology, which has earned them

billions of dollars in income. The invention has contributed to the creation of other devices such

as personal computers which have occupied most homes in the United States. Vonnegut’s story
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also illustrates that “putting social limits on the efforts and talents of success individual makes

everyone worse off" (Moore & Ferrara, 28). When everyone is giving equal opportunity, his or

her success benefits society as a whole. Therefore, the invention of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs

benefited everyone who buys the computers and apple products willingly, which in turn also

generates income for their invention. As a result, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs created a better world

for everyone, not themselves alone (Moore & Ferrara, 28). Therefore it is well evident that equal

opportunity enhances individual abilities and talents that, in the process, improve the lives of

everyone.

Finally, equal opportunity is a social goal to provide balanced wealth incomes. It gives

the rich and the poor equal chances, which makes the poor rich and not the rich to become poor.

As a result, equality is promoted in society for everyone. Equal opportunity makes everyone

realize his or her fullest potential. It provides that people are not the same, and their potentials

are different. It is the same reason Alex Rodriguez and LeBron James make a lot of money in

their athletic industry than the professional teachers and doctors who plays a more significant

role (Moore & Ferrara, 30). It is also clear personnel in the entertainment industry also makes

more money than professional staff. This is a result of equal opportunity that enables an

individual to realize their fullest potential at his level. Conclusively, equal opportunity creates

wealth rather than distributing wealth.

Additionally, there is a difference between equality and equal opportunities. Firstly,

equality is the state of being fair. Equality implies that everybody is finally equal such that they

are equal before God and the law. It also implies that nobody is smarter than the other such that

everyone is similar to the other. Nobody is better or stronger than the others (Vonnegut n.d). In

society, equality provides for equal wealth and income for all. It eliminates the bridge between
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the rich and the poor such that it implies the society to comprise one social class. On the other

hand, the equal opportunity provides a different meaning such that it means the treatment of

people equally by the provision of equal chances to everyone, which maybe be different from the

other. For example, the equal opportunity provides for each individual to realize his fullest

potential and utilize it for the benefit of himself and society. It also implies the promotion of

abilities and talents among individuals, which results in the progress of the community. For

example, the dialogue between George and Hazel brings out the idea of equal opportunity to the

talents and abilities of each individual. They discuss Harrison's breaking out of jail and sneaking

into a dancing performance that made eight Ballerinas collapse on the stage floor. Therefore

equal opportunity promotes an individual's ability and talent (Vonnegut, np). Equal opportunity

also encourages individuals to enjoy the freedom of contract, which in turn increases production

and maximizes the output (Moore & Ferrara, 29). Furthermore, equal opportunity enables

individuals to pursue their visions of interest, hence maximizing production. Last but not least,

equal opportunity encourages investments and savings as a result of the assurance of fruits of

labor. As a result, a difference is spotted between equality and equal opportunities.

Lastly, there is also a difference between freedom and equality. Firstly, giving someone

freedom is the act of allowing him or her to act independently. Freedom allows individuals to

choose their decisions and follow their passions. It also helps people in society to determine their

freedom of contract. This helps the individuals to enjoy their freedom and feel free, which makes

them work hard and maximize their production and output. Freedom also makes people in the

society follow their interests independently; for example, it enables individuals to concentrate on

their fields of interest like entertainment and athletics fields (Moore & Ferrara, 30). As a result,

the progress of society is promoted by the act of freedom. On the other hand, equality is the same
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as discussed earlier in the paper. Equality ensures all people are equal before God and law. It

also provides that nobody is smarter over the other; nobody is stronger or better than the other.

Finally, equality eliminates the bridge between the rich and the poor. As a result, a clear

difference is also spotted between freedom and equality in society.

In conclusion, equal opportunity is essential in several ways, as discussed in the paper. It

promotes abilities and talents, encourages investment and hard work, and encourages visions of

interests. It also enables individuals to realize their full potential, thus increasing productivity.

Equality, on the other hand, implies the state of fairness to all people in all situations. At the

same time, freedom provides for the act of allowing individuals to act independently and decide

as he or she wishes.
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Works Cited

Moore S. & Ferrara P, American Spectator (2012) "The Poverty of Equality." Fairness Requires

That President Obama Read Up on his Kurt Vonnegut.

Vonnegut K. "Harrison Bergeron" short stories