Beware of False Equivalences

Left and Right, up and down, east and west, people attempt to make opposites equivalents, especially within the political and social realms. This can be seen recently in those attempting to equate the equivalence between anti-fascists and neo-nazis, who quite literally espouse the ideas of the ruthless dictator responsible for one of the largest genocides in World History. That is a prime example of a false equivalence. This thought process can become highly problematic because it ignores the significance of the issues, creates a false middle ground, and denies the urgency. The creation of false equivalence can be problematic and have significant negative expressions especially for those already marginalized.

To recognize whether an equivalence is true, it is important to look at the implications of each side. If someone chose chocolate ice cream over vanilla, there isn't necessarily a whole lot of negative real-world implications. If racism is normalized, there are significant real-world implications that can be detrimental to society. It cannot be inserted that there is a moral equivalence. A good but seemingly ridiculous example could be the false comparison between abolitionists and slave owners, yet this false equivalence is what led to decisions like the Fugitive Slave Act and Missouri Compromise by attempting to appease each side. One can realize that these two positions are by no means equivalent. One is morally upright while the other is simply evil.

The most obvious negative implication is it allows for evil to prevail. The reality is that there should be no compromise when one side is detrimental. Compromise has been over-romanticised. Every compromise isn't necessarily peace-making and can be morally abhorrent. It also creates an appearance of a lack of urgency that the issue truly requires. We can see this when in response to black lives matter others retorted all lives matter. While in fact, all lives do matter, there is an urgency to the black bodies falling in the streets of America. The response of all lives matter is ignoring that urgency. While it may seem like the peacemaking thing to do when there are significant moral implications one has to take the side of justice.

To choose compromise for the sack of a false sense of peace simply enables the wicked ends that are sought in a morally nonequivalent disagreement. If you allow for those seeking to marginalize others to have an inch, they will want a mile. While compromise is great when extreme negative implications aren't at stake, concrete decisions on an issue are important when they are. It is important to stand strong against the forces of evil instead of compromising with them for a false peace.