An Ideal Society

AN IDEAL SOCIETY

The world is a complicated place and today's standards of society make it even more difficult to live and act in one's own way. I sometimes wonder what life would be like if we could start all over and build a brand new society - a society that guarantees social justice for all groups and full rights to every individual. Would there be a way to make everything and everyone equal? From the beginning society has been judgmental in one way or another, rather it is through racism, sexism, or classicism. There has always been a group of people who declared themselves righteous above all others and if one was not a part of this group he or she was discriminated against simply for not being the same as the dominating group. While it is impossible in reality to start from scratch and build a new and improved society, in an ideal world several changes could be implemented to enhance life for every individual.

Racism remains an important issue in society today as it was centuries ago when organized societies were first created. Groups and individuals affected by racism tend to suffer greater consequences because of discrimination against them. The best and highest education, employment, and other benefits for United States citizens are not always available for minorities. While civilization today has improved greatly and racism has dwindled in the minds of many, the concept tends to creep into play as the root of certain situations when a minority feels discriminated against. In my ideal society, ethnicity, religion, and cultural background would be viewed with the same amount of importance as eye or hair color for if people are brought up thinking of each individual of every skin color, religious background, and other beliefs, as equal, racism would not present a problem. Also, to keep racism out of the equation, leaders of society are needed to implement the concept that all people are equal and demonstrate that differences are not nefarious but are instead a positive aspect that gives one the opportunity to expand their knowledge outside of their own cultural/religious background. Racism is inevitable in today's culture because it is carried on through each generation and cannot be stopped because of the history it carries. However, if discrimination against one's ethnicity, cultural background, religion, or any other type of belief is not seen as a defining trait of one's character or abilities from the very beginning, then racism will not exist, and therefore not be carried on into the future. The benefits and burdens of society should be equally distributed in terms of all of the above because they do not affect one's ability to contribute back to their community. Diversity is an important characteristic for society because it allows each individual of every ethnicity to have and act upon their own beliefs without the hindrance of racism lingering over them.

Sexism, discrimination against one's gender, is a prominent factor of society and carries with it benefits and burdens that affect each gender. Many a time sexism is better viewed as feminism because females are discriminated upon more than males so women began their own movement in the 1900's to gain political, economic, and social equality. While women have greatly advanced their status in society, there remains a traditional view of how a woman should behave and portray herself, therefore; the civilized world continues to deny her some rights simply because of her gender. Education, employment opportunities, and political status for men and women are beginning to become equal but there still lies a disdain by some for women's advancement into the work place and political arena. Because a woman is typically expected to prepare meals for her family, clean the house, and care for the children, time for other activities such as a career are thought to be too much for her to handle. Employers may hesitate to hire women employees because they believe that female workers will not be totally committed to their task due to all of their other commitments or the possibility that they will soon want time off - maternity leave. The roles of men and women have drastically altered the past century and men now take on some responsibilities that were once viewed as tasks of a woman. As a result women have been able to advance their careers, express their political views, and have become equals next to men in society, which illustrates that had women not been discriminated against and viewed as the homemaker for so long, equality between men and women would have occurred ages ago. In my vision of society an individual's sex would not inhibit one from fully participating in the activities of the community that he or she desired. The burden of childbirth for women would still be present but after the child was born, men would play a more prominent role in the tasks of raising his son or daughter. Sharing the benefits and burdens of child-rearing responsibilities will allow both the male and female to maintain steady employment and balance their schedules to make time for family and a career. Females that wish to enter a profession will be accepted solely upon their abilities, not their gender, and seen as equals in the work place. Should a working woman choose to start a family she deserves a sufficient amount of time away from work (with pay) to care for herself and her newborn baby without being hassled by her employer for not being entirely committed to her job. Also, a man should receive certain benefits similar to maternity leave for women such as time off with pay that will permit him to spend time away from work to help care for his children and support the mother. In order for males and females to be treated equally and work side by side in every aspect of society, all children need to be given the opportunity to learn about what they are interested in and not let gender interfere with