In nature, animals are born under varying circumstances. Some are born in luscious green fields with food and water available at every whim. Other animals are born in less favourable conditions and often find themselves starving or dehydrated. Irrelevant of their circumstances, only the fittest can survive! Evolve, or die.
This however, is not present in the world of humans.
Yes, some of us are born under more favourable conditions and have wealthier families, better schools and can afford more luxuries whilst others are born into poverty stricken homes where the prospect of attending a school is only a slight possibility and even then it’s generally a bad school with no text books, no desks and under qualified teachers. This is unfortunate and I sympathize with those who aren’t currently sitting in an air-conditioned room in front of some of the latest computer technology.
However, irrespective of our childhoods only the fittest can survive. There are a limited number of universities that have to limit their student base by picking only the cream of the crop. However, this is not the case anymore. It is not a case of choosing only the best and brightest minds but also sticking to a government quota in the hopes of getting government subsidies for the extreme costs of running a university.
This does lead to some of the best and brightest not getting into the courses that they wanted to do at the University of their choice. However a bright student cannot evolve into the relevant quota group simply by wishing to do so. A black man cannot become a Chinese woman out of mere will.
This quota serves to level out the playing ground. It gives those who grew up in poverty more of a chance in life while simultaneously bringing those who have had it easy back down to the ground. And so, you would think the playing ground was level. We go through university and come out with the same degree as everyone else in our class.
It is then time to apply for a job. We all have the same degree and should therefore all have the required level of competence. Why then, do companies also have to have a quota? Once again this quota is applied and females get preference over males whilst blacks get preference over whites and people with disabilities get preference over everyone else (provided it meets safety requirements). Now the playing field is uneven once more. Although those who are now ahead are generally those who started off way behind.
This process is repeated when looking at possible promotions at every level until the field is so distorted that it no longer represents any kind of fairness.
As far as I am concerned what we achieve in life should be directly proportionate to the amount of work we put in. If we run harder and faster than everyone else I the pack then the lion shouldn’t be able to attack us.
Yet, in South Africa, a supposed democracy, this is not the case. Equal is only equal if those who were disadvantaged in the past are given preference now. So next time you’re sitting at the bank with your bank manager and she is being incompetent, remember that her degree is the same as everyone else’s and that she truly is just INCOMPETENT! Please go complain to her boss.
And remember that her race has absolutely nothing to do with her ability to be a bank manager!
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