All Citizenship, even in its early forms, was a principle of equality, and that' during this period it was a developing institution. Starting at the point where all men were free and, in theory, capable of enjoying rights, it grew by enriching the body of rights which they were capable of enjoying. But these rights did not conflict with the inequalities of capitalist society; they were, on the contrary, necessary to the maintenance of that particular form of inequality. The explanation lies in the fact that the core of citizenship at this stage was composed of civil rights. And civil rights were indispensable to a competitive market economy. They gave to each man, as part of his individual status, the power to engage as an independent unit in the economic struggle and made it possible to deny to him social protection on the ground that he was equipped with the means to protect him-self. 

I chose this passage because it struck me to be at the heart of the whole idea of civil rights and what the idea means not merely on the surface but at its core. Civil rights were then and are still now a developing concept. To say that we have reached the pinnacle of civil rights, that all men are truly equal is simply and undeniably untrue. In this country it is easy to say that we are all bound by the same set of rules regarding civil rights but this is not more than a superficial statement. True the rules may be the same but the opportunities differ incredibly and this is mostly based on the fact that we are a capitalist society. Now I am not knocking capitalism, I am just stating that it does have a direct and negative correlation to the concept of civil rights and that it affects civil rights on many different levels. In this country there is no honest way to deny that SES is everything. The opportunities afforded to the middle class do not even come close to those afforded to the rich, not to mention the uber-rich or to those living in poverty.

            Look at the so called American Dream, aptly named because you would have to be asleep to believe it. There was a time when it was common to tell a child that anything was possible for him when he grew up, that he could be president someday. But in reality that is an unadulterated lie. The average child in this country has no chance of ever becoming president because his SES simply won’t allow for it. There are many things that factor into becoming president. George W. Bush proved to us that intelligence isn’t one of them but at the same time confirmed that money and political power and connections certainly are. Having said that as an overstated point to demonstrate how each person may have equal civil rights under the law, it also shows how a market economy limits the accessibility to those rights.

            The other side of the coin also holds true. Yes we all have the same civil rights but these rights are as much limitations as they are protections since it is a given that everyone should be and technically is afforded an equal opportunity to achieve the “American Dream” that in most cases they are left to fend for themselves in doing so, Now putting the “Dream” aside, it also leaves a person to fend for themselves to merely survive day to day since the level of social protection – economic assistance in the form or food, money and shelter is so limited und un fairly and unevenly distributed. There is no doubt that rights re not equal to those of low SES, people of color and people who are new to the country and face a language barrier.
            So on the surface, we all have the same rights and protections, but under that very thin veil things are not nearly what they seem or what the people who really run this country would like you to think that they are.