tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post7450258389155455871..comments2024-03-22T11:55:50.335+13:00Comments on Not PC: What's this "equality of opportunity" nonsense we're now hearing?Peter Cresswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10699845031503699181noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-53389484708225536602008-11-16T14:37:00.000+13:002008-11-16T14:37:00.000+13:00"'Like all PC (Peter Cresswell)mantra" Damn you P...<I>"'Like all PC (Peter Cresswell)mantra"</I><BR/><BR/> Damn you Peter, and your misleading name!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-36905027366024345252008-11-13T02:06:00.000+13:002008-11-13T02:06:00.000+13:00Well she looks a few years too oldI am sure I can ...<I>Well she looks a few years too old</I><BR/><BR/>I am sure I can give Nikki Kaye and makeover so that she can look younger.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-37067934799402218372008-11-12T20:43:00.000+13:002008-11-12T20:43:00.000+13:00Hi LindaYeah. I thought so too. Had to go back a...Hi Linda<BR/><BR/>Yeah. I thought so too. Had to go back and read the post again to see what she wanted us to direct our attention towards. <BR/><BR/>LGMAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-68743366551573038352008-11-12T20:00:00.000+13:002008-11-12T20:00:00.000+13:00I'd like to appolgise, I really should turn on my ...I'd like to appolgise, I really should turn on my brian before I read make comments. What I thought Madeleine wrote was 'Like all PC (Peter Cresswell) mantra, the minute you stop and think about what he says his arguments fall apart'. So what I was after was a reason why Madelleine thought your articles argument fell apart. Sorry for that PC and Madeleine. Great explanation though PC.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-17119921516637362502008-11-12T17:48:00.000+13:002008-11-12T17:48:00.000+13:00Hmm. Interesting post, Peter. I have seen "equalit...Hmm. Interesting post, Peter. I have seen "equality of opportunity" before, but it had names like "job reservation" and "Affirmative Action" and, of course, "leveling the playing field".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-23882145290428806032008-11-12T17:16:00.000+13:002008-11-12T17:16:00.000+13:00Well she looks a few years too old to be called a ...Well she looks a few years too old to be called a "bimbette"...Peter Cresswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10699845031503699181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-63577413230583583772008-11-12T16:13:00.000+13:002008-11-12T16:13:00.000+13:00Terming Nikki Kaye a bimbo is a trifle unfair PC. ...Terming Nikki Kaye a bimbo is a trifle unfair PC. Taking orders from Michelle Boag takes plenty of mental and physical gymnastics.Cactus Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10136331420768264938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-70067170592126157112008-11-12T13:41:00.000+13:002008-11-12T13:41:00.000+13:00A responsible government should pursue neither the...<I>A responsible government should pursue neither the closing of gaps nor the equality of opportunity -- the result of both is merely new positions of privilege, a new aristocracy, and destructive nonsense like affirmative action and racial quotas.</I><BR/><BR/>I don't disagree with this - but the good thing about pursuing equality of opportunity and not equality of outcome is that the opportunity standard implies a much lower level of government intervention. <BR/><BR/>The coercion required to equalise outcomes is immense - one must steam roll over the top of differences in preferences, ability, location and every other source of variation to get there. The outcome standard actually implies a license for government to take over everything.<BR/><BR/>At least opportunity provides a limit - somewhere - on how much intervention can occur. As long as variation in outcome can be attributed to something - anything - other than difference in opportunity, a National government's work will be done. That at least is better than the alternative.<BR/><BR/>I am mildly encouraged by two things I have seen since National won. First, Key's mention of individual responsibility in his first moments as PM elect. Second, this new, lower standard of opportunity equalisation. They are moves in the direction of freedom, which is better than the alternative.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-72993790383701897612008-11-12T10:13:00.000+13:002008-11-12T10:13:00.000+13:00"...could you outline where this idea falls apart ..."<I>...could you outline where this idea falls apart based on the non-initiation of force principle.</I>"<BR/><BR/>Oh sure. (I suspect it's not your thinking capacity that's the problem, Linda, it's my tangled prose.) Let me try, if I can.<BR/><BR/>To the extent that they genuinely do mean it (and Ann's probably fooking right, at least to some extent), supporters of 'equality of opportunity' don't see opportunities as something to be seen and grabbed by individuals -- i.e., not as occasions that individuals can turn to their advantage -- but much like dishes carried around by waiters that are served quite arbitrarily to some but not to others. <BR/><BR/>So they want the government to seize control of these 'dishes' so they're distributed more 'fairly.'<BR/><BR/>Which means that government's job comes to be seen as dishing out opportunity -- and conversely, that opportunities come to be seen as something doled out from or by the government.<BR/><BR/>Not good, huh. <BR/><BR/>Because opportunities need to grabbed by individuals. They're occasions that they identify themselves, and by their own internally-drive action they turn them to their advantage.<BR/><BR/>Seen this way, there's an abundance of opportunities to grab -- and the government is neither needed or wanted to dole them out, since it's not them who provides them.<BR/><BR/>You see, while everyone should be equal before the law, that doesn't mean that we're all born equal.<BR/><BR/>In fact, we're all born different -- and thank God for that. We all have different parents for example, who have better or worse vocabularies, better or worse incomes, and are better or worse at showing their love.<BR/><BR/>There's just no way governments can change that, except by eugenics, by restricting the 'advantaged' or by putting all children in government orphanages with Cindy Kiro in charge.<BR/><BR/>In the end, grabbing opportunities is up to us, not the government. <BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://pc.blogspot.com/2006/02/nature-v-nurture-character-is-all.html" REL="nofollow">As Tibor Machan says</A> no matter what nature and nurture give to us -- in other words, whatever goes into making up our <I>personality</I> -- it's up to us what we do with that boon.<BR/><BR/>If personality is what we are given, then character is what we make of ourselves with that starting point.<BR/><BR/>There's nothing governments can do to improve that -- but they sure as hell can get in the way.<BR/><BR/>Hope that helps. :-)Peter Cresswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10699845031503699181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-49740213050395818472008-11-12T09:16:00.000+13:002008-11-12T09:16:00.000+13:00My thinking capcity must be limited or not of equa...My thinking capcity must be limited or not of equal opportunity compared to yours Madeleine, so could you outline where this idea falls apart based on the non-initiation of force principle?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-72918879905939971752008-11-12T08:02:00.000+13:002008-11-12T08:02:00.000+13:00At the risk of causing people here point and laugh...At the risk of causing people here point and laugh and call me a stupid cow, I think that when our politicians say "equality of opportunity" they do in fact mean "freedom of opportunity", but aren't aware that there's a difference. <BR/><BR/>Maybe it's a side effect of being caught up in PC-speak for so long that they feel the need to throw the term 'equal(ity)' into every phrase they utter. Maybe it's because generations of socialist thinking have got them all thinking the country won't ever function properly until everybody is equally bland.<BR/><BR/>Whatever the reason, they definately need to reflect more on what comes out of their mouths <I>before</I> it comes out of their mouth. This wee gem from Tizard:<BR/><I>I mean I think I just need to stop and think</I>. Would be nice to have politicians who do that while they're in power, instead of after they've been turfed out on their arse.<BR/><BR/>And miles off the topic, I love the word verification codes we have to use to post these blogs... yesterday I had 'fooking'.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11906042.post-56983759200420337042008-11-12T08:00:00.000+13:002008-11-12T08:00:00.000+13:00Like all PC mantra the minute you actually stop an...Like all PC mantra the minute you actually stop and think about what they mean, what they entail, they fall apart.Madeleinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00377823497040412237noreply@blogger.com