Reader question:
In this sentence - The US dollar’s role as the world’s major currency would weaken to become a “first among equals” (US clout down, risks up by 2025, Reuters, November 25, 2008) - what does “first among equals” mean?
My comments:
In the sentence, it means the American greenback’s sole dominance as a world currency will be replaced by a few equally important currencies. The euro, for example, will be equally as important. However, the dollar will probably retain a slight edge, hence the term “first among equals”.
“First among equals” is from the Latin “Primus inter pares” meaning “first among peers”, peers being people enjoying the same social status or position. “First” means that even though someone is considered equal to others in a group, he’s especially respected and revered. In other words, he’s a leader, even though a different kind of leader than what a leader is generally perceived of in China.
Indeed, “first among equals” is strictly a Western concept. In China, no similar concept exists. In China, someone considered in the West as first among equals might just be called a leader outright. In other words, he’s your UNEQUAL and this has to do with the historical lack of a sense of equality on the part of all individuals (even the concept of the individual as we know it today was practically non-existent).
In the Roman Empire, peasants began to sue their masters (landlords) for wrongdoing and to expect a fair trial in a court of law as early as the eight century (correct me if you can). In China, that is still a rarity, something unfathomable to most. I won’t dwell on the subject but will give you one example to demonstrate the lack of sense of equality among the Chinese – the country’s leaders at various levels of government still address the public as “the masses” and “the masses” keep letting them do so without giving one collective bother. Well, it’s been that way for thousands of years and so I think it is proper to note that old habits die hard.
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