The other day, I was talking to my dad and he said “people want equality, but they want the benefits of inequality.” I sat for a minute and thought about what he said. It was so true. People constantly fight so that they can be just like everyone else, but at the same time, they are not willing to give up all the benefits of being minorities.

I always hear about oppression in this country. People use things such as socioeconomic status, race, gender, or sexuality as reasons why they cannot go as far. To me, these all sound like excuses. In most cases, if you are willing to work hard, you can do whatever you want. Success is a product of hard work. I know plenty people who have burdens to complain about, but they don’t; they are too busy succeeding.

Affirmative action is a prime example. This law was set into place to level the playing field for minorities. Although this law seems like a great way to ensure that minorities are not discriminated against, it has some serious faults. This law could be seen as reverse discrimination. Isn’t that in itself racist? This law is favoring one race over another. Whatever way you spin it, racism is bad.

There are already laws to ensure that everyone has the same rights. The Equal Protection Clause under the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and the color of a person’s skin. This law proves that we all have the same rights. Every citizen of this country is privileged enough to have many rights granted to them by the Constitution. If that isn’t a privilege, I don’t know what is.

Things aren’t the same as they were in the 1800s, or even the 1960s. Laws have been passed and racism is a lot less extreme than it used to be. I understand never wanting to settle, things could always use improvement, but why can’t you be thankful for that changes that have been made? Minorities are treated a lot better and with more respect than they were a mere 50 years ago. You are not your ancestors, but you continue to complain about what happened to them.

The point I am trying to make is: stop using your skin color, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status or anything else along those lines as an excuse. You want equality, but you are also asking for us to feel sorry for you and to provide you with handouts. You want equality but you are constantly walking all over other people to make your point. You want equality but you don’t respect this country or the people in it.

You must be willing to work for what you get. Racism isn’t going to stop. Judgement isn’t going to stop. As much as we all want it, we are never going to live in a world free of judgment. Instead of complaining about stereotypes that resonate with “your people” and asking for compensation or a law to give you more, go out and break that stereotype and be successful.