Matthew’s (2015) article titled, “The case against equality of opportunity” is well intended, especially in highlighting the flaws of the perception that availing equal opportunities for everyone could help narrow the gap between the rich and the poor. The biggest argument in the article is that providing equal opportunities is in itself discriminatory because only a fraction of people from poor backgrounds, and who have special abilities will likely benefit while the vast majority will continue to languish in abject poverty for reasons beyond their control. Although the article raises important points, it fails to provide concrete arguments against provision of equal opportunities to better the lives of all Americans, and does not also provide a strong alternative for addressing poverty issues.
The provision of equal opportunities for everybody in the United States is not an absolute way of addressing poverty, but just one of the many ways of doing so. Matthew quotes prominent American leaders such as former president Barack Obama and secretary of state, Hilary Clinton, and the assumption made in the article is that the statements of these leaders were conclusive, and that, therefore, the government policy was solely focused on providing equal opportunities. Even with the assumption that equal opportunities is the biggest policy in addressing poverty in the United States, it is not entirely ineffective, especially considering discrimination issues that have been prevalent in the United States.
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Minority groups such as African Americans, Latinos, and native groups have always been discriminated whether deliberately or institutionally. Taking the case of African Americans, even after slavery was abolished, discrimination seems to have been institutionalized, because from the start, it was difficult for them to be accepted in schools, and other important institutions. Similarly, employment opportunities were limited for these groups, and all this information is in the public domain. Conventional wisdom requires at least for these groups to be presented with the same opportunities as the privileged groups to be at par or to at least narrow the gap. In most literature studies, minority groups have always trailed the majority groups in terms of economic power and mobility. It is not a coincidence for such a phenomenon to occur; rather, most of the problems experienced today are consequences of historic injustices.
For most of the economic problems to be solved, there needs to be a foundation, and providing equal opportunities for everyone could provide that much needed foundation. If the government, for instance moves to pump money into regions occupied by the underserved populations, in an attempt to improve their economic outcomes, but fails to provide equal opportunities, an interesting scenario may arise. For instance, the seemingly privileged groups, who mostly own or manage most of the institutions, may move to discriminate the minority groups further because of the perception that the minority groups are being favored. To improve the economic outcomes of poor people as Matthew suggests obviously means investing in these populations that has the potential of creating rifts between the white majority and these populations.
To conclude, providing equal opportunities for everyone in the United States provides a foundation of addressing the economic challenges of poor people. Providing equal opportunities does not imply depriving rich people of their wealth so that everyone starts on the same page. On the contrary, providing equal opportunities means, creating a fair environment or a level playground, where everybody has access to quality education, employment opportunities, and other chances that can improve their economic and social situations. Nobody should lock others from crucial services or amenities, and if chances are open to everybody, nobody will complain about discrimination, and that has the potential of changing everyone’s life for the best.
Reference
Matthews, D. (2015). The case against equality of opportunity. Vox. https://www.vox.com/2015/9/21/9334215/equality-of-opportunity
