Why Equality of Outcome is a Bad Idea

In the days leading up to the 2020 US Election, Kamala Harris released a video dubbed Equality v Equity.

In it, she depicted two men — one white, the other Black — climbing up a mountain. The white man has access to a rope, whereas the Black man also has a rope but it is out of reach. As a result, the white man reaches the summit whilst the Black man stays at the foot of the mountain.

In the video, narrated by Harris, she says that “it’s about giving people the resources and support they need so that everyone can be on equal footing, and then compete on equal footing”, which in and of itself is an admirable world view, albeit not a very realistic one.

She then adds that “equitable treatment means we all end up at the same place”. This renders “compete on equal footing” redundant. It’s hardly a competition if everybody ends up at the same place — it’s a form of Marxism.

Competitions have winners and losers.

Olympic medals are gold, silver or bronze.