DogMom Life 💙🇺🇸🌻Nov 29, 2022
Conrad Hackett 

A decade ago, this image went mega-viral on Google+. In the ensuing years, it has been adapted and reused thousands of times.

@cra1g created this instantly viral image and tells the story of its evolution here:
https://medium.com/@CRA1G/the-evolution-of-an-accidental-meme-ddc4e139e0e4
@sociology @politicalscience

The Evolution of an Accidental Meme - Craig Froehle - Medium

My jaw hit the keyboard…that was my image, but it also wasn’t my image. It was the concept behind my image, but completely redrawn (and by someone with actual artistic talent!). I was stunned…and…

Medium
Nov 28, 2022 at 5:56pmWeb
Show threadparallelartsNov 28, 2022
@conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience Interesting. When I first encountered this graphic, the image on the left was titled "Equality," and the image on the right was titled "Equity."
Show threadCraig FroehleNov 28, 2022
@parallelarts That was someone else's relabeling of the image, which kicked off my scholarly interests in organizational justice. Equity has traditionally been used to mean allocation proportional to someone's contributions or merits, but it's more recently caught traction to mean proportional to one's needs. I suspect this meme is partly why.
Show threadparallelartsNov 28, 2022
@cra1g I wonder if the relabeling occurred with the other image. For me, the equity message is so strong - the other message seems relatively simplistic and communicates a kind of self-congratulatory "us-vs-them" message.
Show threadCraig FroehleNov 28, 2022
@parallelarts Well, I originally made the meme to explain my position to one other person, with whom I was having a political discussion/debate, and I never really expected it to go beyond that. At the time, my awareness of the definition of "equity" was rooted in equity theory, which doesn't concern itself with needs, only merit.
Show threadparallelartsNov 28, 2022
@cra1g I understand. Thanks for clarification. I actually did not pick up on the fact that you were the creator of this graphic.
Show threadJonathan McAreaveyNov 28, 2022
@cra1g @parallelarts
What would your thoughts be on replacing the word with “fairness”?
Show threadCraig FroehleNov 28, 2022
@mcareaveyjb @parallelarts "Fairness," at least in American English, is a vague umbrella term that doesn't offer sufficient precision to be used in a prescriptive way like this requires. I'm now OK with "equity" being used for the right-hand side, but that required me going back to some of the earliest writings on organizational justice to see how to reconcile it with the merit-based use of that word. The secret is realizing that equity is distributive justice based on *proportionality*.
Show threadTransitBikerNov 29, 2022
@cra1g @mcareaveyjb @parallelarts situational context aware justice.
Show threadEmpireNov 29, 2022

@cra1g @parallelarts I'm not familiar with "equity" being associated with needs or contribution, but in a strictly economic sense it can be interpreted as being evenly distributed by value.

It's obvious that the tallest spectator has little to lose by offering a position to the shortest, and it would ultimately result in a uniform distribution of value.

Maybe the short guy is a jerk who doesn't deserve to see the game and bullies the tall guy into it, who knows. It could still be "unfair".

Show threadCraig FroehleNov 29, 2022
@empire Equity theory dates back to the late 1950s/early 1960s and was driven by the realization that people expect some sort of proportionality regarding their pay and their effort. That concept - proportionality - then was extended to attributes other than effort/contribution to expertise, seniority, need, etc. Equity investments return shares of the profits proportional to how much $ folks contributed, so it's the same idea.
Show threadSisAveNov 30, 2022

@cra1g @empire I have always had a bit of confusion over the difference between equality and equity. Found this definition:

EQUITY
The term “equity” refers to fairness and justice and is distinguished from equality: Whereas equality means providing the same to all, equity means recognizing that we do not all start from the same place and must acknowledge and make adjustments to imbalances.

Thanks for sharing, it’s very kind of you to share it so freely 😁

Show threadCraig FroehleNov 30, 2022
@SisAve Thanks for sharing that, but I have to say that definition doesn't match up well with the vast majority of the scholarly or historical writing on the subject. Where did you find it?
Show threadSisAveDec 1, 2022

@cra1g
naceweb.org

Lol, I googled 😬 it was like the third or fourth hit down 🤷‍♀️

Show threadSisAveDec 1, 2022
@cra1g It seems to me, the way people use the word this is what they seem to be implying to me. Unless I’m totally missing the mark.
Show threadCraig FroehleDec 1, 2022
@SisAve People use the word in all sorts of ways, many of which contradict each other. Equality is indeed a dimension of "fairness" and equity is another one. Equity is NOT fairness all by itself, so using the two words synonymously is incorrect.
Show threadSisAveDec 3, 2022
@cra1g Oh. Ok, thanks for helping clarify that!
Show threadSilverGirlNov 28, 2022
@cra1g @parallelarts Thank you for the artwork! Is the relabeling of the image ok with you? It made the concept of 'proportional to one's needs' so clear for me. I so appreciate the visual representation. It's powerful even without labels.
Show threadCraig FroehleNov 28, 2022
@seeme @parallelarts I'm 100% ok with folks doing whatever they like with/to the image...as long as it helps us have this conversation, it's a plus.
Show threadGrantNov 29, 2022

@cra1g @seeme @parallelarts

In the background, we see a stadium, built to form a 'slope' so that all can see.

Show threadPeter ButlerNov 30, 2022

@cra1g @parallelarts I've seen posters of the Equality/Equity version (with the redrawn people) in our elementary schools here.

Thanks for sharing your story. I had no idea of the background.

Show threadCraig FroehleNov 30, 2022
@peterbutler That is so awesome to hear, Peter...thanks for the happy news. :-) Kids seem to grok this concept way easier than some adults do.
Show threadMarcel KolderNov 28, 2022
@conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience Better to get rid of the wooden fence, so one don't need any boxes. And everybody is indeed equal.
Show threadJohn Janney, APRNov 28, 2022

@Kanteldenker @conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience

This illustration is so elegant and effective. It successfully communicates key information quickly and simply.

I think this is the source of the May 2016 Tweet mentioned in the article (page 17):

https://www.cawi-ivtf.org/sites/default/files/publications/advancing-equity-inclusion-web_0.pdf

Show threadMarcel KolderNov 28, 2022
@johnjanney Right, the way it should be.
Show threadguLome Braillard ( ♮ )Nov 28, 2022
@johnjanney @Kanteldenker @conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience parfait. Pour qu'on arrête de casser les c******s avec la distinction égalité/équité.
Show threadSteven BurkeNov 29, 2022
@johnjanney @Kanteldenker @conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience The fence is still there.
Show thread🇪🇺 Paul Schoonhoven 🍋🍉Nov 28, 2022
@conradhackett thanks for sharing the article. Nice to see how many versions and adoptations were made of it.
This is my personal favourite. Addressing the basic problem.
@cra1g @sociology @politicalscience
(🖼️from the article)
Show threadCraig FroehleNov 28, 2022
@vosje62 @conradhackett @sociology @politicalscience Yes, I hear that a lot. Sometimes, the fence can't be removed.
Show thread🇪🇺 Paul Schoonhoven 🍋🍉Nov 28, 2022
@cra1g that right. I had to think about those two (with or without a, transparent fence). I choose this one. Real freedom is that there is no need for the fence. That is not an easy thing to achieve.
@conradhackett @sociology @politicalscience
Show threadCraig FroehleNov 28, 2022
@vosje62 @conradhackett @sociology @politicalscience Especially not if the fence is, for example, the inability to walk or to see or inherent to a location on the planet.
Show threadEggmont 🐘Nov 28, 2022

@vosje62 @conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience

That is the fallacy of #Twitter today.

Remove the fence and everyone is equally endangered.

There can be very negative forms of equality.

Show threadEggmont 🐘Nov 28, 2022

@vosje62 @conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience

In the absence of the fence...

Libertarians would build fences for just themselves using trees they had grown from acorns and milled into lumber using tools they had crafted in order to avoid being beholden to society.

Republicans would build the wall to keep the ethnic players at bay, leaving holes big enough for baseballs to fly through to better watch the game.

Democrats would have paid for tickets and be sitting in the stands.

Show threadPaul BottsDec 3, 2022

@eggmont @vosje62 @conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience

Libertarians would _talk_ about building fences just for themselves, and spend many hours online debating the fine points such as which species of tree could be grown with the fewest external resources etc. But no real-life tree would ever be in danger of conversion into any Libertarian fencing.

Show threadEggmont 🐘Dec 4, 2022

@PaulTheFossil @vosje62 @conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience

I know a cool libertarian--hard to believe such a person even exists.

His company keeps a portion of any commercial or retail space they build and the team shares the profits from it.

He had a project that was going to lose money. He gave his staffers the option of moving to other projects.

After the people who opted out left the room he handed the people who remained $50,000 each. The profit they would have made.

Show threadDave WarnockNov 28, 2022
@vosje62 @conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience I like that one, especially if you add Participation where the outcome of Liberation is they all get to choose if they want to join in with the game.
Show threadÎlon MouskeNov 28, 2022
@conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience to a communist: remove the fence.
Show threadDoug HoltonNov 28, 2022
@conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience I've been using this image
Show threadDerek Caelin is writing a bookNov 28, 2022
@conradhackett @cra1g Worth the click!
Show threadEms_JaneNov 28, 2022
@conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience very nicely put. I’ve never seen that one. So applicable
Show threadTed Smith #ProEUNov 28, 2022
@conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience Yes. For those in Europe, read Conservative and Socialist - UK, Tory and Labour.
Show threadGiselle's very old accountNov 28, 2022
@conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience
I would go even further with the caption for the right hand image: the tall person on the left gave their box (which is useless to them) to the short person on the right, so they can all enjoy a communal experience with none of these three losing out.
Show threadCraig FroehleNov 29, 2022
@Giagia But should society leave justice to individual acts of charity, or should it put in place systems (e.g., taxes and social safety net programs) to ensure a minimum level for all? That question lies at the heart of a lot of today's political disagreements.
Show threadVicmeldrewNov 28, 2022
@conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience One of the best threads I have read since joining Mastodon. I had it as the Equity and Equality example when I copied it from somewhere ages back. It's so brilliant conceived. Thank you Craig.
Show threadDave WarnockNov 28, 2022
@conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience thanks for sharing this, so good to know the history and be able to properly credit when I use it.
Show threadMarieke de la CroixNov 28, 2022
@conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience how about no fences..😉
Show threadCraig FroehleNov 28, 2022
@mariekedelacroix If you can magically make all forms of hardship, obstruction, and disadvantage -- what the fence symbolizes -- disappear for everyone, go for it.
Show threadJoe Canada 🇨🇦Nov 29, 2022
@conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience Yeah but they still didn't buy tickets!
Show threadScott the F is implicit BaxterNov 29, 2022
@conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience
I saw this framed as equality vs equity once.
Show threadGombangNov 29, 2022
Good old Google+.
Show threadjadeablissNov 29, 2022
@cra1g @sociology @conradhackett @politicalscience it’s simple to understand and brilliant. Well done 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Show threadEaton HamiltonNov 29, 2022

@conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience

The #BCNDP used this pic (or concept) to argue that their triage against disabled people was equity. Very twisted.

Show threadFabio GigliettoNov 29, 2022
@conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience I 'm also using this image in my class to point out the pitfalls of the "we want all to be equal" rethoric used by some alt-right groups to appeal the general public.
Show threadCraig FroehleNov 29, 2022
@fabiogiglietto @conradhackett @sociology @politicalscience The phrase I use often is "Equal is fair only if everyone's the same."
Show threadTerence EdenNov 29, 2022
@cra1g I love that you're still tracking all the variants. I see it pop up all over the place. Kudos!
Show threadSimon Zerafa (Status:   😊)Nov 29, 2022

@conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience

Neither of which are actually justice to a socialist. Remove the wall! 🙂

Show threadCraig FroehleNov 29, 2022
@simonzerafa What if the wall is actually, say, autism, or one's home being disrupted by volcanic activity?How do we simply "remove" those hardships?
Show threadSimon Zerafa (Status:   😊)Nov 29, 2022

@cra1g

My son has dyslexia and dyspraxia so he gets additional help at school. He's doing very well.

Volcanoes aren't such a huge problem in this part of the world, given the that we don't have a massive eruption in Iceland.

Planning and mitigation will help I suspect.

How this relates to justice specially through I'm not clear.

Show threadCraig FroehleNov 29, 2022
@simonzerafa That additional help your son is getting? Those are boxes. The money being spent to help your son is money obtained through taxes (I'm assuming), meaning it's taken from others who don't need it as much. That money is also boxes. The wall is your son's dyslexia -- we can't just remove it. Does the metaphor make more sense in that light?
Show threadKay HallsworthNov 29, 2022
@conradhackett @cra1g @sociology @politicalscience
I still reference this when I’m talking about inclusion, such a powerful image and so pleased I now know the original creator - thank you !
Show threadCraig FroehleNov 29, 2022
@kay_hallsworth You're so welcome...and thank YOU for having these important conversations.