This response reveals how institutions can weaponise the language of fairness to justify universal neglect. By treating equal treatment as synonymous with equal denial, staff avoid the discomfort of difference—but at the cost of justice. When equity is flattened into sameness, support disappears under the guise of protecting others from envy.
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Allocation framing
Allocation framing is the bureaucratic sleight of hand that replaces care with calculation. Under its logic, support is not given based on what a child needs, but…
This entry is part of The budget is the behaviour—a series of graded rebuttals that translate common institutional justifications into the language of consequence. Each response challenges euphemism, clarifies impact, and holds decision-makers accountable. Read the full series.
