Not Exactly Equality and Its Implications

 In his article, Equality and Its Implications, Peter Singer looks at different aspects of equality. About 

 racial equality he states,”Racist assumptions shared by most Europeans at the turn of the century are

 now totally unacceptable at least in public life.” He goes on to say, “This does not mean that there are

 no longer any racists, but only that they must disguise their racism if their views and policies are to have

 a chance of general acceptance.” After reading the first Singer article, I heard a WHYY interview with

 a guy who was an Obama look-a-like. He told of being exposed to racist attitudes and hearing racial

 slurs, as ‘Obama’, that he never hears in his normal life.

 Later in the article, Singer lays out “the principle of equal considerations,” which he believes is the

 justifying principle of equality for ‘affirmative action’. I’m looking at colleges with my oldest daughter,

 who will not benefit from ‘affirmative action’, yet I agree with Singer’s position that ‘affirmative action’

 helps to move our country towards equality. Hearing the Obama look-a-like interview reminded me of 

why. My daughter will be just fine, but she goes to a Philadelphia public high school and plenty of her

 equally bright friends and classmates would not be without ‘Affirmative action’. As Singer pointed out,

 racist views, while unacceptable in public, still ooze under the surface. The interview exposed this.

 The ‘Affirmative action’ safety net prevents people from acting on this behind the comfort of closed

 doors. Though making headway, racial equality still needs a leg up to achieve a more level playing field.