Thomas Hill Green was a British philosopher and political leader who discussed liberalism and its limitations that resulted in inequalities between different members and social classes in a liberal society. In some ways, I feel that some type of inequality is inevitable. By nature, human beings have an ego and a survival instinct that I feel is still programmed in people’s minds. I feel that a person’s need for acknowledgement, recognition, and advancement is In America, its citizens living in a society that is strongly aligned with individualism, not cooperation. The concept of the American dream and gaining as much status and riches as possible means that while liberalism does give people the freedom to do what they want and dream of in many societies, I also feel that it naturally sets up a system where somebody is going to sacrifice I order to have somebody else have all of the power and money. This need for more power and money is evident by what we see in the sports world.
We see how sports stars want big contracts and signing bonuses, NFL players desiring to have it all. Yet, getting these contracts often requires not attending training camps and practices on time, which hurts one’s team. If one player is making so much money, then another player may not get the money that he deserves and may need to be traded. While liberalism gave the high contract athlete the right to that money, it results in an inequity, other players not making nearly as much money as the high paid player. To makes things worse, some NFL players do not respect their job and end up spending this money on drugs and ruining their lives, such as Lawrence Taylor (Celebrity Drug Addiction – Lawrence Taylor , 2010).
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It makes sense what Plank states about how Hill feels about liberalism and inequity in the words of “These conditions urged him to criticize the burdens the inequities of the market system placed on the working class and demand policies which would not only in word but de facto provide for equal opportunities and liberties. . .Given the extreme sense of alienation and inequalities under which many people suffered in his time, Green stressed the need for moral and ethical considerations and obligation of society as a whole to better ensure each individual’s possibility of self-realization” (Plank, p. 1).
I do not feel that a perfect balance between inequity and individual liberty is possible. In order to be able to achieve this balance, the majority of people in a nation and political leaders must be moral, compassionate, and not be as concerned with one’s self-interest and making money, as one is for the greater good of society and what is right for every citizen. Just by being conscious of the national news and media, we can see evidence of political leaders not doing the right actions and not considering morals and ethical practices that are for the greater good of one’s country.
The Clintons’ involvement in the White Water Scandal and other politicians who have been involved in shady dealings, such as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s shut down of New Jersey bridge lanes were not actions that served the interest of the people. For people who had to travel to work everyday and did not have the luxury of taking a private plane or helicopter, Christies’ actions pointed to how his individual liberty to close the bridge lanes highlighted inequities. Most people did not have the power to do what he did, Christie abusing his power. Therefore, I do not feel that it is possible to have inequity and liberalism, the concepts something that cannot exist with each other in perfect harmony.
- Celebrity Drug Addiction – Lawrence Taylor . (2010). Retrieved March 8, 2015, from Delray Recovery Center .
- Plank, B. (n.d.). Thomas Hill Green . Retrieved from Liberal International : http://www.liberal-international.org/editorial.asp?ia_id=683
