Social equality means that all members of society, without exclusion, are recognized the totality of their human rights, necessary to achieve social justice (political, economic rights, etc.). When it is interpreted as "equalizing the unequal," equality is transformed into egalitarianism. The progressive ideologization of the concept has contributed decisively to this.

Axel Kaiser, in his essay "The tyranny of equality" argues that "what matters to the egalitarian is not that everyone has better health or Education, but that everyone has the same. That is why they must eliminate the market, for if they tolerate it, the totalitarian standard they seek is not met. It is thus pure ideology, the worldview which, according to them, is just and which must be imposed on the rest."

To expect a society whose members are unequal in effort and ability to treat everyone equally is not fair. Talent and mediocrity cannot be placed on the same level. For Aristotle, it is as unjust to treat the equal as it is to treat the unequal as unequal.

Often the demand for equality is a demand for wealth. Everyone wants to be equal, but equal to the one who has more; no one wants to be equal to the one who has less.

Hermann Tertsch affirms that egalitarianism puts an end to freedom in the name of equality: "While the most solid societies have clear resistances to this forced imposition of the lowest common denominator, other weaker ones -clearly ours- reveal themselves defenseless before the offensive of this egalitarianism that wants to turn our society into an immense poultry experimentation farm, in which the wings of all the birds of the fauna are clipped so that they have the flight of hens. And then convince them that they are all poultry".

Gonzalo F. de la Mora clarifies that at the root of the egalitarian feeling there is a first mimetic moment: to have, do or be the same as the other; what is pathological is that imitation degenerates into the desire to degrade the neighbor: that he should not be, not do or not have more. The latter is the egalitarianism typical of envy, which today constitutes a social current ("Egalitarian envy").

Envy is a feeling of anger against another person who possesses something desired by the envious person, who has the impulse to take it away from him or to harm him.

It is said that Agustín de Foxá, aristocrat and successful writer, devised an effective strategy against the envious: "I have started to spread the rumor that I have an ulcer in my stomach". Then he received this comment: "he is not a bad writer, but he is very sick".

For González de la Mora, egalitarian envy is born of the status of the natural superiority of another that, supposedly, generates happiness, and that the envious person wants to make disappear. To this end, all efforts are devoted to demean the superior, demanding, therefore, equality between inferiors and superiors.

Some historical definitions of envy stress that it springs from inferiority "Envy is a declaration of inferiority" (Napoleon I); "Envy is the homage that mediocrity pays to talent" (Jackson Brown).

Demagogic politicians establish alliances between the envious and the envied. Aren't populist political movements currently doing this?

 Javier Marías points out that, in envy there is a novelty, typical of our times. "The professional scornful, the gratuitous and universal envier has taken a new step. Instead of limiting himself to be suspicious and rage, or to raise his chin with anticipated contempt, he has said: "And why not me?". This is largely because he has seen how cheap fame is nowadays.

Egalitarian envy affects young people more than older people; it occurs when the former see others enjoying something they desire. That is, at least, the conclusion of a study graduate "Envy, politics and age", published in the American journal "Frontiers in Psychology". This means that envy decreases as we mature.

The authors of the study, Harris and Henniger, believe that this is closely related to the frustration produced in young people by the feeling that they have too little power to act in order to adapt reality to their expectations. They add that during youth it is easier to fall into envy, because they yearn for too many things that they cannot achieve. On the other hand, after a certain age, if we want something, it is likely that we have already achieved it; and if we do not have it, it is because the effort required to achieve it is not worth it and we have given it up. Therefore, we are less frustrated.

Once again, from necessity we make a virtue. A great consolation...