Week 6: Human Rights
All men are born/created equal, but some are more equal than others.
What is your view on this?
Remember to support all views and opinions. Please stay within the word limit (151 to 500 words).
This is due on 8th April 2013.
All the best.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
All men are created equally, but some are more equal than others.
ReplyDeleteThis is the statement from the Declaration of Independence of US.
I agree with the statement that all men are created equal. Not everybody is or looks the same, but everybody deserves the same rights and opportunities. No matter what the color of your skin, your race, or your ethnicity you are equal to everybody. You have the same rights to live or die and nobody has a right to judge you, according to your appearance or your own point of view. Some people might think that if you are black then you aren’t as good as they are, but there are people from all races and ethnicities that have been famous for being intelligent or good at a sport. Just because someone isn’t as smart as others mean that they aren’t equal. They just didn’t get as good of an education, had personal problems, or didn’t make good decisions. If we weren’t equal then one race or ethnicity would take over and the other races or ethnicities would extinct. Everybody is created equal and should be treated equally. And it shouldn’t matter if you are healthy or you were born with any disability.
( Are all men created equal? – Debate.org. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.debate.org/opinions/are-all-men-created-equal)
I believe that no matter what race, color, anything, you should be treated the same as the average person. When the person is born, he/ she is definitely equal to everybody, but then, when you are growing up, you are choosing your own way to live, this is the time when differences appear, you are treated according to your personality, moral views, etc. And, I think that's the way it should be. All people were definitely created equal, even despite the fact, that in today's world people are different by the level of knowledge, age, race; we're all still were created equal . And the theory of the main character Rodion Raskolnikov from the famous novel “Crime and Punishment” by F. Dostoyevsky about: people can be divided on those “who have the right” to cross the such- called moral boundary and those who are “trembling creatures”, and who need to obey the strongest ones is not actual and has never been. No matter how well - educated or clever the person is, it still doesn’t give him/her the right to decide that someone is “better” than the other one. Everyone has it's equal right to live and die, to develop and to succeed in something.
Why do we say that someone is more equal than others? People say this according to similar views, similar classes where people belong, their luck , etc. However, I agree with the statement that people are created equal, but then what would you choose? Stay the same or change and belong to a new class? Everything is up to you, but remember one thing that we all were created equal.
Dear Mariya,
DeleteWell written.
All men should be treated equally.
Keep it up.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
Human rights can be defined as the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled, often held to include the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law. The quote all men are born equal, but some are more equal than others was paraphrased by George Orwell from the declaration of independence. The topic of human rights has been an on-going topic and a major issues for many decades which is also a result of racism. One governing power which is in charge of racism and human rights are the United Nations and they reported that as early as 1997 for example, Human Rights conditions were reported to remain unchanged compared to previous years, or in some countries, actually worsen, around the world. In 1998 for example, the UN reported that even though over a hundred governments had agreed to help outlaw some of the worse violations of rights, torture was still on the increase. From this we can see that not only there are many discrimination among race but also gender and to achieve equality among everybody would be unlikely since many aspects come when people talk about equality such as wealth, power, connections, ancestors and others which always make one party feel their race as superior. So in conclusion people might be born equals but in the end of the day there will always be a hierarchy system.
ReplyDeleteCitation
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/human+rights
http://www.globalissues.org/article/138/human-rights-for-all
Bryan Guan
Senior class1
Dear Bryan,
DeleteSadly, there will always be inequality as the system is set up in such a way to promote it.
Keep up the good work.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
Nowadays, women are born and treated equally to men and vice versa, entirely different from the past, people are tend to pay their bias towards men over women . In fact, there is a minority of people still have a negative thoughts to one gender over one another. In my opinion, this issue should be eliminated from the society. Knowing the fact of this sexism, United Nations has come out the human rights for this issues : “Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.”
ReplyDeleteSome parts of the society, women are still underpaid in the workplace. Although the education systems nowadays have been developed pretty much, we have more choices, options for education. However, according to a survey of US department of Labor, 7 in 10 American say that wages of them is only 77% of the amount men earn with the same position, identical experiences . Furthermore there are some companies discriminate women from the recruitment stage or classify women into the groups of low-wage jobs in the companies. Another example to interpret this issue is the age of retirement in Vietnam for particularly, men are supposed to retire at the age of 60 but only at 55 for women . It is actually, in my opinion, unfair for women as there is no reason at all to prove women are not able to do the works men can do. Once women can do the thing men do, they should be treated equally. Moreover , in term of ethics, women play an important role in the society and contribute not less than what men have done for the society. For instance, 9 months in pain during the pregnancy time to bear a child, which no men ever suffer it, at least, once in the life time. Either are they good moms or moral wives, that is why they should be treated equally in the society .
Not only women are treated unfairly in some parts of the cruel society, but men is either not treated equally sometimes. It seems like the issue of unfairness towards men is less critical than women. It is probably because people can feel the unfairness towards women is so harsh , people tend to comfort and love them more. For instance, Woman day is celebrated widely around the world and people feel excited in that day, but people seems to neglect the Fathers’ day (third Sunday in June). Meaningful songs about parenthood in the world is for moms but minority of them is for fathers. Children tend to love their moms deeper than they do for their fathers, it is probably because their mom was closer than them than their dads.
In sum, people aware of this sexism’s consequences but it seems not to be thorough yet. For me, unequal treatment towards any of gender of people is a term of sin. Even men or women, no matter what their sexes or who they are, should be treated equally.
References
1) Why are men treated worse than women in society? - Yahoo! Answers. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100509130417AAZt1Vq
2 )Why Women are Underpaid: The Truth. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.femaleforum.com/s/article/why_women_are_underpaid_the_trut/
3) Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father's_Day
Dear Hoang Tu,
DeleteYou are right to point out that women do contribute as much as men to society and as such, should not be penalised by an early retirement age.
Well done.
Keep it up.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
Nowadays, negative discrimination towards women or men still exists in parts of the society. Former perspectives of people still influence to the way people behave, women seem to be looked down and not respected in many ways in the past. However, people have been aware of this issue and trying improve it but still not thorough.
ReplyDeleteWomen are treated unequally in many places, such as: workplace, education, and fertility.
Firstly, women are still underpaid in workplace. According to Forbes, the median salary of a woman is only 81% of that of a man, but they must over-work although their position is entirely same as men’s position at that time. Although they work hardly, they cannot received the salary same as men. In addition, the employers do not pay them the extra amount as their bonus.
The second is education. In some schools, qualification test require women must be more qualified than men. Besides, in some universities, the qualification scores for women are sometimes higher than men. For example, in Vietnam, Technology university of Saigon requires men requires men students have only 70% pass of the qualification exams but for women up to 88% pass and some majors women students are forbid from the registration stage . Furthermore, men students in Vietnam are preferred and take more benefits than women.
Finally, women also have no say in the size of family. The role of the women is primarily a child-bearer and care-giver. Wives try to bear more children to prove their fertility as well as to gain more power in polygamous families. In countries where women have lower status, fertility tends to be higher (vice versa). In some Less Develop Countries (LDCs) where the people actually have the knowledge of contraception, it is still not being used because men have greater power over women in these places and they reject the use. For instance, in some parts of Vietnam, no matter whether women want or not, the size or the number of children is totally dependent on men, in some cases, women reluctantly obey men in their family.
In conclusion, women should be treated equally in the society. We must do now, to eliminate the minority of people who still behave unfairly to either men or women.
References:
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/editorials/womens-work-is-not-only-underpaid-but-undervalued-545147.html
http://blog.adeccousa.com/are-women-still-underpaid-in-the-workforce/
Do Thu Nga- Mia
Senior Class 1.
Dear Nga,
DeleteIt is true that there is inequality among the genders. You have brought up an interesting aspect whereby entry into university is biased against women.
Well done.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
ReplyDeleteMartin Luther King, Jr.
“All men are created equal but some are more equal than others” George Orwell paraphrased the statement from the Declaration of Independence in his novel Animal Farm. (Hoklife.com, 2010).The quotation "All men are created equal" has been called an "immortal declaration". Thomas Jefferson first used the phrase in the Declaration of Independence. It was thereafter quoted or incorporated into speeches by a wide array of substantial figures in American political and social life in the United States. (Wikipedia, 2013)
The definition of Social equality is a social state of affairs in which all people within a specific society or isolated group have the same status in certain respects. However in most places social equality is not properly implemented. The rights which belong to a person may be different from another person, simply because of difference in race, skin color, culture, nationality or any physical appearance. (Wikipedia, 2013)
Many countries have different laws and regulations regarding the rights which the people can have. For example, women and black women in particular in South Africa, are still economically disadvantaged: they make up a disproportionate section of the unemployed and tend to occupy more of the lower-paid jobs, as domestic and farm laborers. And they often earn less than men for the same tasks. South African women also have to contend with extremely high rates of rape and domestic violence (SAhistory, 1994) whereas, in other countries such as Singapore, women get a lot of privileges and rights.
In my opinion equality is a must, as God has created us equal and alike, we should appreciate others just like how we want to be appreciated by others. Many countries should improve their law and regulations to ensure the equality of its entire people.
All people should have at least these 3 basic needs:
- Food
- Shelter
- Clothing
We cannot survive without having these 3 basic requirements. Despite of this, some people are still left homeless. In Indonesia, you can easily spot some people simply sleeping lying on the sides of the roads or even under the bridge. On the other hand you can also spot very expensive cars passing through the same road. Why does this happening?
This is mainly because of inequality of human rights. It is not fair to see someone of our kind suffering while we are enjoying our own lives. Hence, it is our time to change the world, start treating people equally and many countries should improve their laws and regulations to increase the human rights until it reaches an equilibrium point where everybody, all human can enjoy the same quality of live.
Carrenia Cahyadi
Senior Class 1
References
ReplyDeleteAll men are created equal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_men_are_created_equal
Equality Quotes - BrainyQuote. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_equality.html
Social equality - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_equality
Women's Rights and representation | South African History Online. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/womens-rights-and-representation
“All men are created equal but some are more equal than others…” | Life at HOK. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.hoklife.com/2010/09/14/all-men-are-created-equal-but-some-are-more-equal-than-others/
Carrenia Cahyadi
Senior Class 1
Dear Carrenia,
DeleteIt begins with us. We need to ask our governments to enact laws that treat everyone equally. There is a need to change laws that favour one group over another.
Well done.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
“All men are born equally, but some are more equal than others”
ReplyDeleteSaid in 'Animal Farm' British 1940s by author George Orwell
I would like to give comment about this quote as I agree with the statement that “all men are born equally” because everybody that born in this world all have a rights to do whatever they want, be whatever they want to be as base on each characteristics. No matter what colour or ethnicity, you are equally with everybody. You are all have rights to say what is not true and to fight for what is good for you. You are who you are and nobody have any rights to judge you. People over the world had equally innocent, equally dependent, equally happiness and equally insured. Some people might think they you are black so it means that you are not as good as them, you should not have the same abilities or desires. But that some people should look back at which country that the person they are judging now comes from? You might come from a low development country so you could not have a good education so it will effect your personal problems or you could not make good decisions. And another thing that they have to know before they judge you is there have been famous people from that ethnicities famous for being intelligent or good at something
All people were definitely created equal, even despite the fact that in today’s world people are different by the level of knowledge, age, race but we are all still were created
I know the fact that we are all made different with a different face with different attitudes, different abilities and I like it that way because every human is born to be a human, we have the same inherent rights, same obligations and same opportunities
But why the other statement said that “but some are more equal than others”? Just because we are not born in the same economic, cultural, political and social reasons. So being at different level, does not mean that you are not equal to the others because we were created equally
Tran Minh Anh
Foundation Senior Class 1
Dear Minh Anh,
DeleteYou are right to state that our status should not be based on the conditions we are born into. People should be treated equally regardless of the environment they are born in.
Good job.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
"All men are created equal"
ReplyDeleteAll human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They call that is"human's rights", everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin,etc. Every government have 30 laws for human's right which they will be guaranteed and to be protected in everywhere. Humans deserve to be treated equally and deserve to have opportunities to choose how they live without judgement from peoples, everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. All human rights are indivisible, whether they are civil and political rights, such as the right to life, equality before the law and freedom of expression; economic, social and cultural rights, such as the rights to work, social security and education , or collective rights, such as the rights to development and self-determination, are indivisible, interrelated and interdependent.
"But some are more equal than the others"
For nowadays, some of the human being treated by discrimination, they created the rasicm between white skin and black skin . The discrimination occur most in the world, especially in Europe . As my exprerience about racism in the school of England, that it always happen in the class, as a team work for asignment local students always choose the group and seperate from international students such as Indian, Vietnamese,.... They always think that group is all about dumbs and useless, just because of the difference between colour skin as black, yellow and white so they judge the others by their opinion as same as in society such as work place,etc. It is always unfair for treated unequally in the society when every human deserve for the fairness. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
"Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual"
- Thomas Jefferson-
To conclude, now we are living in the same society, we have the right to live without discrimination, no matter race, skin colour, sex, language,etc , we were born as equally position in the earth so be fair with everyone in everywhere.
Pham Hoang Mai-Lian
Senior class 1
Reference:
http://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/Pages/WhatareHumanRights.aspx
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/equal.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights
Dear Lian,
DeleteIt is sad to see and hear of such discrimination occurring in the classroom.
Good job.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
SAMAYASAR JAIN: In life today, there is one popular statement which is "all men are born and created equally, but some are more equal than others". But what we don't realise is that, this whole statement is not completely made by human beings. Which means that the statement "all men are born and created equally", is made by God. But the statement "but some are more equal than others", are made by we humans. Thus, all men and humans must be given equal rights! Just because there are 260 countries in this world with each different nationalities and various skin colours, does not mean that all of them are different sets or types or groups of people who belong to different kinds of species. God has created all men, human beings and even animals in the same levels and positions! But in today's world, most of the people do consider themselves to be more equal than others which is very, very wrong indeed. No one has the right to judge one another other than our Great God! Because no men and human beings are perfect Unlike our God! Only God is our Eternal Superior who knows, who has the rights to and who can create that needs to be created, judge life properly and destroy that needs to be destroyed. So the point why some people consider themselves to be more equal is because every person is very competitive today as compared to the times of the dinosaurs. There are also three main reasons for many people to consider themselves to be more equal and more superior than other humans. And these three main reasons are: 1. Position. 2. Places and 3. Power, which is the most important reason why some people feel more superior than others. So, by looking at the point of Position, we all know that in the olden days, the Kings and Emperors in their kingdoms and empires, wanted all their people, body guards and soldiers to keep their heads lower than their chests in front of them, their Queens, their children (Prince and Princess), their Ministers and their Prime Ministers. This is due to the Positions and Pride. Secondly, by looking at the point of Places we also know that, until Mr. Abraham Lincoln became the President of the United States of America, all the Americans used the Africans as slaves just because the Africans were dark skin complexed and the Americans were fair skin complexed. Also because the Americans were basically from very rich families unlike Africans, the Americans showed disrespect to all Africans and other dark skin complexed people. Thirdly and Finally, when it comes to the term called Power! This is the biggest reason for people to feel more superior and equal than other people. These days of this twenty first century, every individual is starving with Power hunger! Which means every soul wants to be the most supreme in terms like wealth, respect and politics. Thus, in order to achieve one's goal and destination, people do all sorts of evil deeds like killing, theft, kidnapping, threatening and declaring wars. I would finally conclude by saying that, if we need to make life more happier everyday rather than making it more sad everyday, then we and this world filled with seven billion people must give equal rights to all men, human beings and even animals I would suggest! If we don't, then firstly no humans can ever enjoy their lives peacefully and secondly even after our deaths, God is going to torment our souls into the everlasting lake of fire that is HELL! Thus, we must treat all men and human beings equally and obey the Moral rules which are given by our Sweet ImmortaL God! Samay Jain! Senior Class 1.
ReplyDeleteDear Samay,
DeleteYou are right to infer that people caused this inequality to suit their own agenda. It is important not, in our pursuit of success, marginalize others as being unequal and not as important.
Well written.
MR Brandon Tennakoon
"All men are born/created equal, but some are more equal than others."Said in 'Animal Farm' British 1940s by author George Orwell.
ReplyDeleteIn China, people would laugh at you if you say your dream is “everyone is equal”, Why? This could be traced back to the China history.
Throughout the China history, Chinese people have been exploited cruelly all the time. China is the first country acceded to the feudal system. In order to defend their interests, Feudal systems kept enslaving and took people away from education, Confucianism, Particularly during Ming and Qing Dynasty, the dominators were killed numerous progressive people for the sake of avoiding people learn the advanced thoughts and ideas from foreign countries. Until recent history, because of the ignorance of the feudal rulers, people's mind was numbed deeply. Therefore, China was fall behind other countries for many years. Consequently, Chinese history has been a humiliating story for centuries. Until the establishment of New China, people numbed heart started to understand gradually what is democracy and freedom. However, the residual problems of history are still remain in Chinese people’s heart and nature.
According to theoretical knowledge or education, indeed, I understand that everyone is equal. But from the social background, I have never seen the real equality. I knew a news is like this: in the United States, the government wanted to build a highway, but there is residential area is very close to that highway, so the government went to ask local residents whether they are willing to build this highway, certainly, the answer is no. So the government gives up the construction. Everybody knows that the construction of this highway would bring great benefits, but for the human rights, the U.S. government abandoned that resolution. This would not happen in China, because in China, the minority interests must be subordinate to the majority interests.
I hope people will get to know and aware of what is human right with the advancement of education, to smash the control of the old thinking. People are bore equally, even though our life is always suffering from many inequalities. People alive to have hope, mine is in Jesus Christ, because everyone is equal in front of the love of Jesus.
Dear Fan Rui,
DeleteTrue. Mindsets must change before there can be true equality. This can often be achieved through education and a believe in a God.
Interesting read.
You forgot to include in-text citation.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
“All animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others” – George Orwell (Animal Farm), a saying which was later rephrased in the Declaration of Independence of US (animals men) to illustrate the point how different types of people react to certain different social factors (religion, ethnicity, family, economic status…).
ReplyDeleteThe quote can be divided into two parts. “All men are created equal” is a statement, an assumption means that all people who are born in this world should have the same rights regardless of your characteristic (skin colour, economic status, family…), which is ethically true. The second part is somewhat humorous with the use of the word “more equal”. As equal means ‘the same in all respects’ there can be only ‘equal’ or ‘not equal’, but ‘more equal’ here show that some men are more likely to have their rights than the rest, in other word: superiror.
So why we still have this imbalance eventhough we are already aware of it? The simple reason lie inside each of us: we are human, human judges and human are bias. Yes we judge people around us everyday base on our knowledge, consciously or unconsciously, as a way of protecting ourselves. We assume things before we really get to know it as an instinct, which create our misbehaviour toward it. For example: in a job interview, applicants who has better background in family, education will get the job in default because employers cannot have time to really get to know their future employees to decide who will fit the most for the job, which take away other applicant’s right to be viewed in the best way.
About the bias part, I think all of us can relate to our life very easily. Lots of bias decision have occurred in our life where we are the victim or the opposite. We tend to give people that are close to us or have better status more rights than others. Racism makes a very good example, when people treat their race and other race very differently, because they are closer to their own race. Another example can be the difference between the poor and the rich, the famous and the not-so-famous. The weight of their voice is not even close to each other eventhough they are all human beings with their needs and their rights, because we think one is “better” than another.
I am sure most of other’s opinion would be “unfair, need to change, for better world…”, but I do not think so. Yes that is obviously unfair, but that is one part of our world, of us human, and will stay with us forever. Like world peace, it is something that sound very ideal but meanwhile impossible, because it require everyone of us to change ourselves from the very deep inside our mind, and our resist-to-change fear will make sure it is not going to happen. So unless there is something so big that can change the our whole world like ‘complete dominance’ or ‘complete evolution’, the best each of us can do is to make the most out of it or try to minimize its effect to the most.
Dear Mic,
DeleteHumans are not perfect and as such, there will always be biases and this can cloud our judgments and the way we deal with people.
We need to be careful of how we treat others as it can lead to abuses in human rights.
Remember to include in-text citation.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
The opening of the United States Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, states as follows: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
ReplyDeleteIn 'Animal Farm' British 1940s author George Orwell puts forward the idea of “All men are created Equal, but some are more equal than others”. He makes the point very well using farm animals to illustrate how different types of people react to certain different social factors. Equality is a very noble concept, but human interaction is based on the self-evident truth that we are all different and have different ways of expression & different needs and aspirations.
When one says: “all men are born/created equal”, and next says “but some are more equal than others”. Than what is meant to be equal? From the dictionary, the word ‘Equal’ means to be alike in quantity, degree, value, or to be of the same rank, ability, merit. For example, two students of equal brilliance. While ‘Equality’ means the state or quality of being equal; correspondence in quantity, degree, value, rank, or ability. Both mean to be alike or similar. But how can someone be more ‘alike’ or more ‘similar’ than another? Depending on what we mean and who we ask.
In Pre Modern Philosophy everyone would say no. Some people are inherently stronger, smarter, or more beautiful. Those people should be placed in positions in which they benefit society most. So stronger people become soldiers and smarter ones should lead. These traits are also inherited so the children of said people generally should follow their parents. Also, weaker of mind and body need to be lead and protected, and deserve a lower status in society. That's just fate.
In Modern philosophy (heavily influenced by Christianity's concept of equality actually), this is completely different. Everyone is created equal and has a role in what they become. People are not controlled by fate and thus a product of their own desires and ambitions.
In Post-modern philosophy it’s a mix between Fatalism and equality. Everyone is created equal, but fate determines where you end up and how well you do. It’s hard to really put postmodernism in a box since it isn't very well defined yet, but that’s generally the idea.
If everyone in the network is equivalent – there is no social hierarchy – then there’s an optimal size both of the whole community and of one’s personal network that allows group co- ordination to be reached most quickly.
All humans are intrinsically valuable and equally needing of love, compassion, and grace. At the same time, it is an obvious, observable fact that individual humans are different from one another in the life circumstances which influence them and the choices they make. A mass murderer, a Christian saint, and a young child are all equal in their underlying nature as human souls, but they are not 'the same' in terms of what they have been exposed to and how they have responded.
References
Who originally said that all men are created equal. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_originally_said_that_all_men_are_created_equal
Are all people created equal? - Yahoo! Answers. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081013163536AAxQabK
All men are created equal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved April 7, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_men_are_created_equal#Origin_of_Jefferson.27s_use_of_the_phrase
Shauon Loe yong Sheng
Foundation Senior Class 1
Dear Shauon,
DeleteIt is interesting to note how our perceptions are shaped by Christian thinking and values.
Equality is an ideal that all should strive for but it is often difficult to attain.
You have brought up interesting points.
Keep it up.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
All men are created equal, but some are equal than others. This is the statement from the Declaration of Independence of US and paraphrased by George Orwell. I totally agree to that statement. All people were definitely created equal, even despite the fact, that in today’s world, people are different by the level of knowledge, age, race; we are all still were created equal. And the theory of the main character Rodion Raskolnikov from the famous novel “ Crime and Punishment” by F. Dostoyevsky is about: people can be divided on those “who have the right” to “trembling creatures’ , and who need to obey the strongest ones is not actual and has never been. No matter how well- educated or clever the person is, it still doesn’t give him or her the right to decide that someone is better than the other one.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I know and acknowledge the face that we are all made differently with a different face, with different attitudes, with different abilities, with different agendas and I like that way but ever human is born a human, and should be treats as such.
In conclusion everyone has it’s equal right to live and die, to develop and to succeed in something.
Dear Phyo,
DeleteIndeed. It is never the right for one individual to cover under another just becase the latter has more rights than the former.
All men have equal rights and as such, none can be greater than the other.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAll men are born/created equal, but some are more equal than others.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this statement because all humans are intrinsically valuable and equally needing of love, compassion, and grace. At the same time, it is an obvious, observable fact that individual humans are different from one another in the life circumstances, which influence them and the choices they make. We are all different and we are all "created" or more accurately "formed" differently. We are each unique and each of us possesses differing levels of natural ability in various realms but it is also true that some are more equal than others in many different ways.
Everyone is created equally in terms of his or her natural rights however, not everyone is created equally with regards to physical and mental advantages. Because the term 'equality' was not defined properly, due to genetics and the passing of dominant genes to offspring, some people may inherit characteristics that will give them advantages such as an increase in testosterone, which will make the males more muscular. This one example is proof that not everyone is created equally and that some people are born with traits that give them advantages over others. Everyone has a different genome and is raised in a different background, so everyone will end up different. Some people will be better at certain things than others. However, that doesn't mean that people should be denied opportunities based on some inherent feature. Everyone is not created equal, but everyone should have an equal opportunity to succeed. Conversely, those who are gifted should be celebrated and raised in a manner, which will help them help society. But still, I believe no one is inferior or superior, just not equal in every manner.
May
Senior Class 1
Dear May,
DeleteInteresting. Man, due to genetics, can never be equally physically. However, our right to equal opportunity should not be withhold from us just because of our gender or skin colour.
Interesting read.
Remember to include in-text citation.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
Not all man are created equal.
ReplyDeleteOnly the common man believes he is the equal to an obviously superior (either mentally or physically) specimen. This is because we as humans have an inferiority complex. We're afraid to admit that we might not be the best.
But, when you think about it, all men are not created equal, nor do some ever have the chance to attain equality. I was not born rich, wish a trust fund and scholarship. But many people were, and they had opportunities that I will never have. Graduating from Harvard as a legacy, attending MIT, so many things they take for granted and I will never experience, because their parents had more money than mine. Many people are born naturally gifted, with an astounding aptitude for certain talents. Others are born without those aptitudes. Many people are born retarded, cripples, inbred, and all sorts of other nastiness that can certainly label someone as "unequal."
And if you think you can argue that "Spiritually we ARE all equal", then save your breath, I don't listen to mystics and superstitious mumbo-jumbo.
And if you assert that "In the eyes of the law we are all equal" I will say bull-crap and tell you to stop taking the blue pill, and wake the hell up.
Dear Mong Tao,
DeleteHmm...we should not be superstitious.
The environment we are born into often plays a role in determining the opportunities that are available to us.
However, it does not mean that people cannot break free from their circumstances.
Well done.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
I agree with the quote All men are created equal, but some are more equal than others. As George Orwell the author of ‘Animal Farm’ as he makes the point very well using farm animals to illustrate how different types of people react to certain different social factors. Equality is a very noble concept, but human interaction is based on the self-evident truth that we are all different and have different ways of expression & different needs and aspirations.
ReplyDeleteAll humans are intrinsically valuable and equally needing of love, compassion, and grace. At the same time, it is an obvious, observable fact that individual humans are different from one another in the life circumstances which influence them and the choices they make. A mass murderer, a Christian saint, and a young child are all equal in their underlying nature as human souls.
Also everyone is created the same way, and have the same opportunity.
Citation-http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_originally_said_that_all_men_are_created_equal
Dear Chirag,
DeleteEquality is indeed a noble concept that is difficult to attain.
Keep up the good work.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
Samuel Cheng En Chin FPS1
ReplyDeleteI believe that humans are born equal, we are born equal does not mean that we are all the same. As a human, we have the sense of right and wrong, we can think and articulate thoughts. We have the common qualities that make us all humans, everyone should be given the same treatment. On the other hand, equal does not mean that we are all the same, everyone of us is different in our own special way. We have different character, looks and color.
We have our own choice to decide what our behavior is, we have the right to be a friendly, kind, honest person but we also have the right to be an annoying person. Many people have been treated differently as they have done something that annoy and harm to others or oppositely contribution. For example, people will despise the robbers as they had robbed the other's property and affected the other's life and safety. What we have done determine how we should be treated.
In conclusion, humans are born equal, everyone should be treated equally. Our behavior determine how the other treats us.
Dear Samuel,
DeleteWe may be born equal but it is our actions that causes people to be treated differently.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/humanrights/declaration/1.asp
ReplyDeleteAll men are created equal but some are more equal than other.
ReplyDeleteAll men are created equal. I don’t agree with this sentence because all men are not really equally created. Well, we are not created 100% equally, but it is damn so close. Naturally we are all created the same way but we all come into the world differently. The differences that make us not completely equal are that we are born more gifted in certain areas, with different specific looks, born into different circumstances, different races and genders, and that make us unequal from one another in human society. The very fact that we even have the concept of "equal under the law" is testament to the fact that we aren't all equal in reality. It is right that the law should treat everyone fairly. There should be no difference in treatment, penalty or protection according to skin colour, abilities, standards, races and structural behaviors for you or me. From the point of government, all mean are to be treated equally. But that doesn’t change the fact that there are differences in the value of those people to society as a whole.
As a conclusion, all men are not equally created but there should be equal treatment for all men.
Eint Myet Thwai.
Senior Class 1.
Dear Myet Thwai,
DeleteEquality here is about being treated equally and not about being born with the same physical and mental characteristics.
Good job.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
In 'Animal Farm' British 1940s author George Orwell puts forward the idea of “All men are created Equal, but some are more Equal than others.” He makes the point very well using farm animals to illustrate how different types of people react to certain different social factors.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is brought into this world the same way, they are created the same way and everyone has the same chance to succeed. Everyone is equally as important and can be equally as successful as the next man. As far as created equal, we are all brought into this world the same way. However, I know and acknowledge the fact that we are all made differently with a different face, with different attitudes, with different abilities, with different agendas and I love that. I like it that way. But every human is born a human, and should be treated as such. We have the same inherent rights, same obligations, and same opportunities. Facial, religious, and most importantly racial factors should not be a hurdle in succeeding.
Some of us are born with physical or mental disabilities; others are born into financially insecure families and thus have significantly less opportunities in life rather than the more financially stable denizens of the world. Some are even limited by their family. For example, only a very select few people could become king or queen of a nation because a family lineage that is exclusive to blood relatives. While these are true, it is no excuse to act as if we are not all created equal. No person chose the circumstances they were born into and is therefore unethical and illogical to judge others based on their intelligence, appearance, or family.
And thus, I agree with the idea of All men are created equal, but some are more equal than others. If everyone was exactly the same, then nothing will be different.
Dear Yashodra,
DeleteWe do have the same inherent rights but it is our environment that forces some to have more rights than others.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
“All men are born/created equal, but some are more equal than others.” – What is your view on this?
ReplyDeleteThe phrase “All men are born equal, but some are more equal than others” was used by George Orwell in his novel “Animal Farm” as a description of the situation in Stalinist Russia where the differences in wealth and power distribution between the political elite and the masses was justified based on positions in the Communist Party. It is a reference to a society where, despite all people being created or born with no real differentiation in talent or skills, they are still discriminated against based on their physical attributes or position in society.
To be born as “equals” refers to the fact that all human beings, regardless of social standing or situation, are born the same way; i.e. as babies with no measure of their individual skills and talents. However, throughout the history of human society, there has been evidence of segregation of the rights of people, often based upon physical attributes such as skin colour and the social position of their families. An example of such discrimination would be in the United States of America, where despite the 13th constitutional amendment abolishing slavery in 1865 (U.S. Congress, 1865), discrimination of blacks still continued up until the 1900s, with segregations in schools, churches, jobs and even in the military. This would serve to illustrate the point that “some are more equal than others” as despite the congressional Bill of Rights (National Archives, n.d.), blacks were seen by the white majority as being an ‘inferior race’.
Today, inequality is present to a degree even in meritocratic based societies such as Singapore. In this case, all individuals are given the same opportunity for success in the education system, regardless of social or racial background. However, once the student enters working society, inequality arises when seeking employment opportunities due to the preferences of employers, i.e. human bias. For example, certain sales shops in the Orchard district seek to hire or have a preference for female-only employees on the basis that women are more capable of selling certain products. This is in part due to the nature of the products and their perception among local society. In effect, men are seen as ‘incapable’ of relating to the product and thus denied the job.
Personally, I would feel that people are indeed born equal in terms of ability and capability as there is no way of quantifying whether or not someone is going to be a minister or a miner when they are born. It is the experiences and knowledge accumulated by the individual throughout their life that differentiates one from other people in society, and it is these skills that determine their role and position in society. This however, does not give a person the right to judge others based on their gender, racial or socio-economic backgrounds. The idea that one is superior to others due to these factors is to me frankly ridiculous as there is no empirical or scientific evidence to support such claims. Furthermore, such segregation could eventually lead to discontent amongst the disenfranchised and discriminated, leading up to social instability which could boil over into violence. As such, I feel that all people are indeed born equal, and that they are not superior to others regardless of gender and social, racial or economic backgrounds.
Sources
DeleteNational Archives Bill of Rights Transcript. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html
U.S. Congress (1865). Our Documents - 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865). Retrieved from http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=40
Dear Francis,
DeleteOften, it is man who imposes different ideals on different people of society. It is our own generalisations that have caused inequality among people.
Well written.
Keep up the good work.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
All men are created equal, but some are equal than others. This is the statement from the Declaration of Independence of US and paraphrased by George Orwell. I very agree with this statement, everyone is born equal, but the equal idea is of your own thoughts, when you are not satisfied with something feel, you will find what you desire more perfect things exist, when you find others have, you will be having the feeling that the unfair and unequal. This kind of feeling is not real what you have, but on the restriction of your existence of natural force of creation, is not the real you, is constrained not free mind is produced, it should be said that everyone is always looking for what they need or want more perfect things, when you understanding to him, you don't have the idea of equality and inequality.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, No absolute equality between man and woman, and if the equality, the rich is everyone admired a child is born, the beggar is hated by people of a child is born. But, rich children since the childhood no freedom, beggar kids is a lot of freedom. Everyone has purpose, just want to from which perspective. Everyone born to enjoy sunshine, air and constitutional rights. you think equality is equal, from the perspective of human rights, you don't think equality is not equal, in material comforts. In fact, people are not equal, but life is equal, and the meaning of life is equal, the end result is equal, is death.
Yang kai wen（Kevin）
Senior Class 1
Dear Kaiwen,
DeleteOur social status does have an impact on how others view us.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
" All men are created equal ". The phrase was stated by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence of United States. Note that he owned almost 200 African American slave at that time and never set any of them free, even after his death. What is actually the meaning of that statement? Of course all men couldn't be absolutely created equal physically, mentally, intellectually. I think that the statement means that all men are equal under the law and all men have equal right. But the meaning of equal has changed through time. In the present, men who have money can live above the law and "buy" more right that the other. The meaning of equal back then is balance or same, but now the meaning has changed to " balanced with money ". There are a lot of case about this in the present, the outlaw can balance his crime by bribing the judge or pay someone to defend him. It's morally wrong for sure, but everybody need money and a good amount of money can lure almost everyone to do anything.
ReplyDeleteThose are why I personally think the statement " all men are created equal " is not relevant in today's world. Yes, all men have rights, but some has more rights than the other, because right can be "bought". By "bought" I mean they can live above the law if they have the money. I think as long as there is a social gap, which there will always be, there will be a gap of equality too. "All men are created equal" depends on how you define equal.
Dear Nic,
DeleteYou have mentioned an issue with society in which wealth entitles the individual to more rights than others.
Well done.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAll men are created equal but some are more equal than others". I agree with this statement because all men born equal but experience change every types of people. “human rights refers to the concept of human beings as having universal rights, or status, regardless of legal jurisdiction or other localizing factors, such as ethnicity, nationality, and religion. As is evident in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, human rights, at least in the post-war period, are conceptualized as based on inherent human dignity, retaining their universal and inalienable character.”(Human rights definition, 2013)
ReplyDeleteIn 'Animal Farm' British 1940s creator George Orwell advances the thought of all men are made equal, however some are more equal than others. He makes the focus great utilizing homestead creatures to delineate how diverse sorts of individuals respond to certain diverse social variables. Uniformity is an exceptionally respectable idea, yet human communication is dependent upon the undeniable truth that we are all diverse and have distinctive courses of interpretation & distinctive requirements and aspirations.(wiki.answer, 2003)
The main problem of human rights are different racial or religious groups are not treated as equal for example war between Palestine and Israel, Palestine country which are the most moslems are treated not equally as Israel person which are the most jews treated equally, and the second example is Hitler regime or we can called it the holocaust. One of million of jews people were killed because of their religion..
In my conclusion , people must treated equal as they born equally to each other, people must treated equally even we have different religion, ehtnic or nationality, that holds a barrier in our gaps.
Reference
Who originally said that all men are created equal. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_originally_said_that_all_men_are_created_equal
Retrieved from http://www.stop-trafficking.net/tc/Module%205/Human%20Rights%20Definition.pdf
Dear Dwiki,
DeleteEquality is concept for all mankind. Whether it can be achieved depends very much on human nature.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
I absolutely agree with this comment. What is human right? From the formal definition of human right in the internet is Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible. But If I comment it in my own word, I would like to explain the human right is the right for our life, the right of all of the life in this world.
ReplyDeleteWe always consider the human right is the right that we can enjoy the same treating in this world. No more discrimination, no more destitute. But does it happened in the past? Or it will be happen in the future? I can give you the answer right now. That is impossible for no discrimination or no destitute. Because here are not the heaven, we are living in the world which the people living. Actually the alleged discrimination is create by ourself. The rich people despise the other who are destitute. The poor people complain for the life and furious with the rich people. Is that this world or the god make you being discriminated? It is not. Discrimination is from the ourself, from the people who don’t want being discriminated but still discriminate the other people who worse than him.
From the women and men, we can see that is impossible to be treated equally. Whatever this modern society is better than the past, but some company still just prefer to hire the man than the women. Some of them even give the higher salary to the men. In another case, some of the people born in the rich family and enjoy the good education, high living standard. But some of the people are born in incompletely body. Is that be equally?
Everyone create equal just a dream, but we cannot complain with the life which given to us. Complain cannot change anything. Let us back to the point. In my point of view, human is impossible to be equal. That’s impossible that everyone can be the king or be the super star. But life is equally, we are born in the same way. We can enjoy everything that this world given to us, the air , plant, water. All of us will have the end of our life, even you are the king.
Dear Jiefei,
DeleteInequality is the result of people looking down on others who are poorer or less well-off than others.
Interesting.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
reference
ReplyDeleteHuman rights - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights
All men are born equal, but some are more equal than others. To this statement I would like to comment that all humans are created differently with different face, different status, different color, different ability, different environment, different physical, and so on.
ReplyDeleteHowever, people are born equally for the human right. All people can have their own religious, facial, and right to do such things. The Constitution of Massachusetts of October 25, 1780, recognized “All men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights; among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties; that of acquiring, possessing, and protecting property’ in fine, that of seeking and obtaining their safety and happiness”.
In my opinion, I believe that all men are not created equally. There are a few people who born with superlative and better than others in body and mind. To think about this, it is naturally that people are born unequally even we were born in the same way.
Reference: The Declaration of Independence Affirms Unalienable Property Rights. (n.d.). Retrieved April 8, 2013, from http://www.lonang.com/curriculum/2/s21b.htm#fn55d
Name: Kim Ratanavatey
Class: Senior 1
Dear Kim,
DeleteIndeed. The environment we are born into with dictate the level of equality we will have.
Mr Brandon Tennakoon
Men are not born or created as equals, humans are born with different abilities and attributes as much as they are also born into different circumstances and into families which may be deemed unequal by governments and society. Whether it is nature or nurture, these factors play a significant role in the equality of treatment one receives throughout his lifetime. Nevertheless, its up to us to mold our futures if we are dissatisfied with it at any point in our lives.
ReplyDeleteback in the day when human existence was based on natural selection,survival of the fittest and where males viewed females as a means to carry on their genetic line, only the fittest, the strongest and the most skillful had the opportunity to lead and fornicate which also allowed them first dips on food that is most in demand within that society or for survival. a key role for the alpha male would be to provide for his people and to keep them safe and happy or risk being brutally overthrown. i wouldnt say that men were treated as more equal then women because whatever society it may be, the workload is distributed equally according the the abilities of those within the society.
this mindset hasnt changed much till today. there are those fortunate to be born into a high ranking family and also those that are born into poverty that had the will to work their way out of it. whatever it may be, it is their disproportionately larger incomes and lavish lifestyles that make them have disproportionately larger egos then others. instead of being a champion hunter or having the right to fornicate as they please, these people have different types of perks to enjoy, like getting away with breaking the law, gaining access to places and events others dont get and even discounted rates on many things which is something they dont even need. So the quality of life now among humans is mostly dictated and influenced by the family they are born into. born as the smartest or fittest person may not get you anywhere as you dont have the means to develop your talent or it doesnt put you at the right place at the right time for you to have the opportunity to be spotted by the right person. whereas if you have no talents or skills and did not do well academically, you could still end up as a CEO just because the family you were born into laid out the red carpet for you to achieve it.