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The Myth of Equality
Jon Smith
Every age has had a foundational legend, an underlying mythos reflecting the zeitgeist of the era. Those of us who live in the contemporary West live in the shadow of the Myth of Equality. Our political and social institutions operate on the assumption that humans are fundamentally equal and that any real world inequalities are therefore aberrant and in need of coercive redress. Hiring, firing, entrance into insitutions of higher learning, even our speech patterns, all are dictated by egalitarian principles. We deify the champions of equality as saints of rationality and demonize its opponents as backwoods mouthbreathers or jackbooted thugs. What then are the roots and results of the Myth of Equality?
Equality: Origins of a Myth
Given the way in which the Myth of Equality is packaged and marketed, its origins are
rather surprising. Despite being trumpeted as the product of Enlightenment rationalism,
and the "logical" choice for the thinking human, egalitarianism is rooted not in
scientific evidence or rational inquiry, but rather in Christian theology and metaphysics.
Indeed, empirical reality and science remain key stumbling blocks for egalitarian
thinkers, for they reveal that human beings are NOT equal, but instead possess widely
varying aptitudes and abilities. The simple reality is that some humans are vastly more
capable than others, and thus, in a practical sense, are vastly superior to those who are
less well endowed. As a result, egalitarians are forced to resort to an essentially
metaphysical argument, that humans have equal "moral" or "spiritual"
worth and essence, and thus deserve equal treatment. This assumption is, of course, rooted
not in rational observation, but in Christian scripture, and derives ultimately from the
notion that all humans are equal before God (cf. Galatians 3:26-29, Acts 10:34-35-17:26).
Obviously, this gives lie to the rationalist veil in which egalitarians like to cloak
themselves (and explains why egalitarians are curiously reluctant to introduce empirical
evidence for their positions, while racialists, ethnic nationalists, anti-feminists and
other non-egalitarians are able to back their positions up with copious statistical and
empirical fact).
Social Consequences of the Myth of Equality
Their are, of course, dangers inherent in accepting myths uncritically, and the Myth of
Equality is no exception. The ramifications of egalitarianism are manifest and manifold.
1. The Myth of Equality penalizes the gifted and creates a society of mediocrity. Superior
humans, those who are the most capable and most gifted, are systematically shortchanged in
the effort to benefit their inferiors (affirmative action is one example of this process).
Excellence is viewed with suspicion, and is certainly not rewarded. The end result is an
"equality" of uniform mediocrity, a situation that is both counterproductive
(obviously) and unnatural (evolution favors differentiation, hierarchy and the advancement
of superior life).
2. The Myth of Equality leads to the degeneration of values and ideals. Honor, fidelity
and transcendence are aristocratic virtues (that is, they are the virtues of superior
men), and, as such, have no place in a society of "equals." The result, not
surprisingly, is social decay. Broken homes, broken families, crime, vice,
shortsightedness and greed, these are the fruits of egalitarianism. Even art is affected
by the malign hand of egalitarianism, for egalitarian society directs all its energies
towards the pacification and deification of "The Average Man" (in mathematical
terms, the Lowest Common Denominator). The result is meaningless "art," tending
towards shock schlock or simply bubblegum. This too is a travesty.
The truth, of course, is that there is no such thing as "equality." Human beings
are different, not equal. Thus, human beings deserve, not equal treatment, but treatment
befitting their abilities and value to society. The dangerous, irrational Myth of Equality
must be rejected, for it is ultimately nothing more than a social cancer eating away the
very fabric of civilized society.