All Men Are Created Equal, and have the right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Is this true?

Question

Does a double standard exist in America in these areas?
Politics?
Economics?
Religion?
Gender?

Answer 1

Yes, the principle is true but it's application cannot be perfected.

Hope you get what I mean.

Answer 2

It is obvious that full political rights are recognized only for citizens of the United States. There is a lively debate on the proper level for aliens, but virtually all would deny voting rights and certain benefits.

Economically, some start with significant advantages over others, and it is difficult to envision any way in which this would not be the case in any capitalist society.

Religion makes a difference in the way people are treated by others, and, beyond prohibiting grossly discriminatory hiring, housing and civil rights abuses, I don't know how to change people's behavior.

At present there are sociological and economic distinctions based on gender. There should not be, and it is possible it can be corrected. Racial inequalities are analogous.

Answer 3

The Declaration should have said:

All men are not born equal, but all men have the right to their life, their property, and their liberty to pursue happiness.

The double standard, or contradiction, is in the politics of advocating, promising, and hoping for the impossible. No one can provide equality in economics, gender, or intelligence! As long as humans are born as individuals, and not as robots, individual rights will concern themselves with EQUAL JUSTICE, not equality. People are different and unique. There will be those who will not want to pursue money and wealth for their happiness. They ought to be as free to do that as those who wish to be CEOs of a Fortune 500 company.

Communism, the worst double standard political philosophy of all times, advocated that equality meant giving the same pay regardless of productivity, that all jobs have the same value because all people have the same needs. But values are not based on needs. The inventor of a medicine that saves millions of lives may have the same needs than a janitor has, but the value of the job should not be measured by what each individual's needs or desired life style might be. The scientist provides far more than clean floors and should receive what he asks for in exchange for his product or service.

What we are now witnessing in politics is the contradiction of a mixed economic system and we are all confused. We now cannot tell the difference between privilege and right, responsibility and obligation, property right and legalized theft. In a mixed economic system we advocate a little bit of freedom and a little bit of slavery, a little bit of individualism and a little bit of collectivism, capitalism checked by communist laws. Politicians vie to promise privileges for their constituents so that those privileges are signed into law as rights! This means that the new definition of right is what the voting majority dictates. If the majority decides that the minimum wage should be $50 an hour, according to somebody's arbitrary needs, if the majority decides that someone should pay for their salary increase, these decisions become laws! If you can still find a shred of justice in it, we should think that Marx is alive and well in America!

Answer 4

All men ARE created equal, It is our virtues which set us apart. We have a right to our life, our liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Double standards exist in these areas becuase of misguided people who stop thinking with their hearts. However, despite the sadness which exist in these areas we cannot continue to wheep over the mistakes of the past but continue into the future with our heads held high about success stories yet to come.

Answer 5

Who said all men are created equal? This statement is false in itself. All men are not created equal. Each person has his or her talents and weaknesses. So, all persons having the right to Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness is not equal. A smart or rich person rules over the not so smart or the poor. So, a poor or not so smart person does not get the same or equal access to the pursuits of happiness.

Answer 6

For starters, some are more equal that others.
Double standards are within us all, it's all about survival in the areas that you have suggested.
Humans like to have a bet each way, just in case they are seen to be loosing out on an argument, or where they can get the best deal. Unless an individual is a masochist, and enjoys pain.

Answer 7

These are great questions, but the issue is not one of equality but rather parody. Equality says, for example, I give all women tampons for free, so I give men free tampons, too. The problem is one needs them more than the other. So, we should use parody, which allows for the possibility of equal but different.

In all issues of power, one group is priviledged and other groups are made subordinate; however, it is the goal of the doctrine of "all men are created equal" that the priviledged group is not always the same. So, in one context, the priviledge should go to women. In another, an African-American. One context would give power to Hispanics, yet another would do it for the elderly. The point is to NOT keep having it the same group--like middle-class, white, heterosexual males.

Answer 8

Do you want it to be true? Then keep it strongly. Double standards exist everywhere in the world and based on listed above.all listed is a manifestations of belief..you choose whether you believe in stated above or take a side of double standards... people usually compromising and mix both that makes them lie to themselves and lie to people...

Answer 9

What you speak of is taken from the declaration of independence. It was something we stated to Great Britian.
Just like when you tell your parents why they are wrong and why you should be doing it different, but then you end up just doing what they did and taught you to do.

Its hypocritical, but also it is inevitable.

We aren't all too much in control of ourselves as we perceive.

The lines of the constitution seem to be blurring too, which is far more troublesome since this was made for the people of THIS country.

Answer 10

Double standards pervade the entire world.....not just in America. Sad, but true.

However equality is something worth striving for isn't it?

Answer 11

There are no divinely ordained human rights, at least none that are enforced. This statement is true only as long as man defends them as true. And while there are obvious failures and mistakes, when it comes to military, social, political, and cultural will, the US has done a pretty good job overall in attempting to enforce that oath.