Equality and Sameness are two different entities

Dear friends, 

 Are men more physically-capable than women?. Look. Lisa Leslie, for example, can beat just about anybody, male or female, pro, amateur, or street - in a game of basketball. Okay? Moreover, please do not make a claim to someone else’s ability, as if it belongs to you - like "men jump higher than women". That type of talk reminds me of a guy who walks down the street with a growling dog on a leash,while maintaining a scowl on his own face, as if he is a mean, bad dude. In other words, he is playing off of the dog’s ferocity, as if that disposition is natural to him. However, in reality, if you see that same cat without the dog, his whole personality is different. Right?

Moreover, the argument that men are stronger, or faster, or whatever, than women is silly, since people are not talking insects. That is, we perform to whatever level, in various activities, based upon the interactions that we as individuals have with other people and things. Otherwise, one would not even be able to speak a language, much less communicate his or her inner feelings, or reveal his or her powers - and weaknesses.

 So, folks, please teach your daughters and grand-daughters that they are equals of ALL people, regardless of societal constructs like “gender” and “race”. However, when I say “equal”, I do not mean “same”. These two concepts are often intermingled, in order to make it appear as if they have some similar quality. They do not. As a matter of fact, the idea that equality means sameness is precisely the argument/excuse for systems of exploitation and oppression like sexism and racism. 

 G. Djata Bumpus