Equality Is Not Fair Research Paper

Is Equality Fair?

“Fair isn’t when everyone gets the same thing; it’s when everyone gets what they need. This quote is something I strongly agree with. It states that equality is not always fair,

which I find to be very true. Many reliable sources back up this claim. It is evident that equality does not always mean fair because it forces people to do things against their will, it’s not natural, and it causes rebellion.

Equality is not fair because it may force people to do unwanted things. According to “Uglies” by Scott Westerfeld, some uglies don’t want to turn pretty. In a world separated by

looks, our protagonists Tally and Shay prefered to stay ugly rather than undergo the cosmetic surgery that will make them equal to everyone their

age. But it didn’t seem very fair when it
was said, “It was Shay.

She was pretty,” (Westerfeld 363). Even though she didn’t want to, Shay

was forced to turn pretty. Another example of equality being unfair is communism. People have

different needs and it is not fair to force everyone to have the same amount of everything.

Everyone is born differently for a reason. Complete equality is simply not natural. In

“Uglies” by Scott Westerfeld, Tally tries to convince Shay that being the absolute same isn’t

biology or human nature. “You weren’t born expecting that kind of beauty in everyone, all the time. You just got programmed into thinking everything else is ugly,” (Westerfeld 79). It is also

evident that this book takes place in the future. This is made clear when Tally says, “In the old

days, it was all random...now, everyone is ugly… until they’re pretty.” (Westerfeld 80) If it takes

hundreds of years, endless technology advancements and excessive plastic surgery, it is obvious

that equality is not how it was meant to be.

While some may argue that equality leads to an end in conflict, I find this to be untrue.

When people are told not to do something without an explanation, they tend to want to do it

more. Since the uglies and pretties are on opposite sides of a river in “Uglies,” it makes

some
tricky kids want to sneak over to the other side. This causes conflict and chaos. “‘Isn’t she…
ugly?’ The black hovercars zoomed past overhead, red lights flashing and sirens piercing her ears,” (Westerfeld 23). Because Tally wanted to see her friend that she was separated from due to
this so called equality, she stole, crashed a party, caused a false fire alarm, and jumped off of a
building, which means chaos. Not to mention the fairly common saying, “Strict rules make
rebellious people.” Negativism is huge. When people are told no, the urge to do it increases.

Equal is not always fair. It is simply fact. People have different needs and need different
things. Fairness and equality are not the same thing because it’s forceful, unnatural, and can lead
to chaos. A world where everyone works to get what they need for themselves is much better
than a world where everyone is equal in every field by default.