“That’s Not Fair!”

            This expression struck me when some teenaged character in a movie was complaining about being grounded by her parents. In this case, and many like it, “fair” refers to some sort of basic moral feeling with which we evaluate the outcome of decisions. We, supposedly, have an inner sense of what is “fair” and what is not. Someone accused of a crime should get “a fair trial,” and my non-attorney understanding is that the legal system has a long list of rules and procedures to try to make sure that the outcome is “fair.” At the very least, the judge should be fair – as in, unbiased. These established rules apply “fairness” to the world of specific incidents and decisions. The phrase “moral compass” is sometimes used to describe how we determine what is fair. I think of it as a matter of conscience, but applied to the larger world. You may know someone who has a vacuum where a conscience should be.

 

            There is a problem in judging fairness by using established rules when the established rules might themselves be suspect. Think of the Jim Crow laws, or of Manifest Destiny. Calling them “unfair” is a vast understatement. In looking over American history, including recent history, it is sometimes difficult to see “fairness,” though I admire our struggles to achieve it.

 

            If judgment about an action’s “fairness” can be rendered by something as high-flown as a moral compass, then why does “fair” also mean “mediocre”? As in, “That glass of wine was fair,” by which is meant “only fair – not excellent.” And in baseball, if the batted ball is in “fair” territory, that means it is in play, and the teams can compete to take the next step toward winning, using their own skills, strategy, etc., supposedly leading to a fair outcome.

 

            But what about a fair complexion or fair hair? What makes them “fair”? Difficulties with words often drive me to etymology, and the dictionary tells me the word derives from the Middle English “fager,” akin to the Old High German “fagar,” which means “beautiful.”

 

            Yes! Setting aside thoughts about blondes, I find something very satisfying about seeing beauty at the heart of the word. Yes, a world that is fair to people is beautiful, as is a person who has a functioning moral compass. And a ball hit into fair territory allows the intricate beauty of baseball to present itself.