[prewett]

Americans see everyone as equal in status (in theory); in paragraph two of our first document, we say that it is, in fact, self-evident that all men are created equal. Since we are all equal, titles don't really serve much purpose, as the whole point of titles is to distinguish yourself.

[dragonwriter]

"are created equal" means a very different thing than "are equal".

Even Americans who really do believe that all people are created equal (which any discussion thread on any major forum -- including HN -- on gender or race issues, among other topics, will reveal is far from all Americans) rarely believe that all people are equal.

[rational_indian]

>we say that it is, in fact, self-evident that all men are created equal.

How is this self evident?

[pseut]

That phrase is from the Declaration of Independence, one of the US's founding documents:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transc...

[icambron]

The nature of self-evidence is that you don't have to say how.

(Though I'm not sure I agree with the parent point that Americans as a group really believe equality in the relevant sense here.)