Equality

by carolynholm

Equality

Dear Mommy,

There’s been a lot of talk about equality.

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

Yes, there has. I’m so glad you are interested!  Last Sunday was International Women’s Day.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

What exactly are they talking about?

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

As it happens there are a number of equality issues.  Equal pay, equal employment opportunity, equal family care.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

Equal pay is what Hillary talks about? And Patricia Arquette on the Academy Awards?

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

Yes, it certainly is!

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

This isn’t the case?

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

No, men get paid more.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

And what about cats?

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

Cats don’t work, honey.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

But cats should be equal.

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

Cats are very equal.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

I thought so. They are certainly more equal than dogs.

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

Do you know what equal pay means?

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

Possibly.

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

You don’t, do you?

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

I suspect you’re going to explain it to me.

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

Let’s imagine I bring home two new kittens, and one is a male cat and one is a female cat.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

I seriously hope this is not going to happen.

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

Relax. This is a hypothetical example. So let’s say when I get them home I feed these two kittens a measured amount every day, but I feed the male kitten a little more than the female kitten.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

That’s not fair!

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

I know! But hang on, there’s more. They grow up and every year I give both cats a raise – they get a larger amount of food in their bowls each year. But the raise I give the male cat is a little bigger than the raise I give the female cat. At the end of five years there is an enormous disparity between their dinners.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

No wonder Puffin is so fat!

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

No no no! I don’t do this! I was just making up an example of pay inequality.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

Now I’ll never be able to trust you.

Love, Mia

 

Dear Mia,

I don’t do this. This is what humans do to each other.

Love, Carolyn

 

Dear Mommy,

It’s amazing that all human males aren’t obese.

Love, Mia