Analysis of Parity and Equality - Essay Example

? Section/# The Global Village: A Discussion and Analysis of Parity and Equality An uncomfortable and unmistakable reality of the current world is that inequality continues to be a pervasive reality with regards to the distribution of wealth, lifestyles, and health experience that the population of the earth shares. Whereas these realities are oftentimes disregarded due to the vast distances that separates the inequalities that have thus far been defined, if one considers the entire globe as a village that would only comprise 100 individuals, the realities of this inequality become painfully obvious; so much so that an alternative approach must be engaged as a means of ameliorating the negative externalities that arise from such a pervasive level of inequality. As a function of this realization, the following analysis will engage the reader with a discussion of a global village, comprised of only 100 people – with representatives from around the globe, as well as seeking to promote a further level of understanding and appreciation for the way in which a more equitable representation of life within this village could be affected. It is the hope of this author that such a level of analysis will be beneficial and eye-opening with regards to many of the issues that currently face the global system. From the prompt of this essay, it was noted that of the 100 individuals that comprise the population of this village, 50 of them would suffer from now nutrition, one of them would be dying of starvation, over 80 would live in substandard housing; moreover, of the 67 adults that would live within this village, over half of them would be unable to read or write. More specifically, only one individual within the entire village would have a college education. Of the 50 individuals who were members of the paid workforce, only 33 could define themselves as full-time employees with a stable/steady job. Interestingly, of these 100 residents in such a village, only five of them would be American. Yet, these five American individuals would hold 32% of the wealth of the entire village; by means of comparison, 33 people would live on 3% of the total wealth of the village. From the statistics that have thus far been presented, it can clearly be denoted that a fundamental level of inequality and disparity is represented within such a global village. Ultimately, the query for this particular analysis is concentric upon trying to understand the way in which the wealthy five individuals could live in peace with their neighbors; serving as a microcosm for the greater argument of how the United States, a uni-polar force and dynamic economic powerhouse within the world, can continue to integrate a fair and equitable manner with the world that suffers from inequality, poverty, hardship, lack of education, and all of the other issues that have thus far been represented. The first step that can and should necessarily be made with regards to creating a more ethical and moral approach to the global realities that define our world, is with regards to demanding a level of educational parity around the world. Since the conclusion of the Second World War, the United States and other powerful Western economies have been in the position to enforce legislation and global commands upon a litany of different nations around the globe. Invariably, these requirements have been concentric upon economic requests and constraints of financial integration. However, in order to impact upon poverty, hopelessness, starvation, and a litany of other different issues that were researched and covered within the introduction of this brief analysis, it is absolutely interval to demand a level of educational attainment and access to each of the individuals living within this global village. Experts and scholars have long denoted that almost each of the negative realities that currently define the inequality that exists between the very rich and the very poor are contingent upon an overall lack of access and/or a lack of emphasis upon education (Barnett 93). As such, brainy issue back down to the micro scale, it can and should be understood that education must form the primary cornerstone of any approach to achieving economic parity with the remaining individuals within the village. Whereas it is true that wealth redistribution, effective management of resources, and an emphasis upon inequality must be engaged, the single most important element that can take place which can help to maximize the potential of all individuals is to provide them a fundamentally fair and equitable starting point; namely education. The access to the means of economic growth is one of the main determinants for why so many individuals within the current system continue to struggle with poverty, starvation, illiteracy, and other issues that help to set them apart from their more wealthy counterparts within the world. Whereas it is of course impossible to transform this micro village into a representation of an idyllic “American dream”, ensuring that each and every individual have the same access to basic human services would be a fair start in helping the 95% live in peace with those that held the lion’s share of all the wealth. Exemplification of this can of course be seen with regards to legal representation, governmental structure, overarching law, property rights, democratic parity, and a litany of other factors. Whereas it is not the opinion of this particular author that democracy is in and of itself without flaw, the Democratic process is one of the only means through which a level of equality can be reflected within the society and each and every individual could stand to benefit. Whereas other less egalitarian methods of leadership naturally exist, they have ultimately been proven to break down into and oligarchic system of control through which the few moneyed individuals within society are able to leverage their disproportionate power as a means of control over the remaining population. Although this of course exists with regards to democracy, the overall level and extent to which it exists is of course far lower than the extent and level to which exist within other forms of alternative governance (Carlin 2002). Even though money and power oftentimes find their way into politics, a requirement for a government that is predicated upon the will of the majority will not only be the most ethical, it will be the one that is most able to address the needs of the largest number of stakeholders. Finally, rather than avoiding the issue entirely, a salient factor that must be discussed is with regards to wealth redistribution. Ultimately, a level of taxation and/or wealth redistribution must be engaged as a function of seeking to ameliorate the suffering and hardship of those individuals within the “global village” that cannot be impacted immediately by changes within the educational structure and/or the Democratic process in and of itself. Even though these two prior levels of change are beneficial in impacting upon a level of ethics and parity within the next several decades/years, and immediate change to the individuals that are struggling from paycheck to paycheck, holding an unrealistically small portion of wealth, and/or struggling from the impacts of starvation/malnutrition, they are not able to impacts upon an immediate level. As such, wealth redistribution and a clear and definitive level of taxation upon those individuals that are holding an unreasonably high percentage of global wealth must be levied as a function of reducing human suffering and providing/promoting a level of ethical morality within this social construct (Allen 2000). Although the information that is thus far been provided is not a definitive approach that will reduce any and all negative externalities that could be conceived, they are nonetheless extraordinarily helpful with regards to allowing this village to live in relative peace. Although a level of idealism has been represented with regards to the changes that could be made in order to affect these determinants, it is the belief of this author that if these prescriptions for change were in fact engaged and practice to the extent that they had been defined, the stakeholders within such a village would come to a profound level of understanding that each and every member of society was somehow fundamentally and morally responsible for the welfare, health, safety, and education of their fellow man. Naturally, this is the epitome of a humanist response to the many hardships and difficulties that exist within the current global situation. Although it should not be understood that such an approach would yield a world without strife, it can most certainly be understood that following the proscriptions for change that have been referenced within this brief analysis, this global village could come to represent a closer level of integration and the immediate reduction in strife and violence that is exhibited elsewhere within the world in areas that continually struggle for resources or the basic needs of life. Regardless of the political approach that an individual participant takes, realizing the fact that a more productive, fair, and equitable society is one that is able to meet the basic human needs of its participants is so fundamental that it goes without further explanation. Works Cited Allen, James. Without sanctuary : lynching photography in America. Santa Fe, N.M: Twin Palms, 2000. Print. Barnett, Ida B., and Jacqueline J. Royster. Southern Horrors. Boston, MA: Bedford Books, 1997. Print. Spector of Hope. Dir. Paul Carlin. Perf. Sebastiao Salgado. 2002. Independent Film, 2002. Film. Read More