The Pencilsword: On a plate

http://thewireless.co.nz/articles/the-pencilsword-on-a-plate

 JOIN THE DISCUSSION »

“Jon, that's one interpretation of the comic. Another would be that its author is attempting at showing that the concept of equality of opportunity is a farce. Of course there will be people who start in the right column and through hard work and some luck end up in the left. That's not really the point.

The point, as I infer it, is that when conservatives go on about "equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome," they're either blinded to the fact that equality of opportunity doesn't exist or they're aware of that fact and simply being disingenuous.

I'm happy for you that your parents knew the value of education and hard work and instilled those values in you and your siblings. Many people are not so lucky in who they get as parents.

This comic seems to be aimed at making people aware of the opportunities that they enjoy, which others do not. I view it as a reminder that those of us who have gotten somewhere in our lives did not do so through the proverbial pulling up of our own bootstraps, but on the shoulders of others, be they parents, taxpayers, teachers, or others. This knowledge, that our successes are not merely our own, can hopefully instill in us some empathy for people who didn't have similar opportunities, and maybe that empathy can inform our positions on certain social policies.” — Henry Case