If you are a fan of Devo, you probably had the phrase, “…is what you want!” running through your head after reading the title. I certainly did…but I am beginning to believe that people in this country don’t want that. Well, to be a bit more accurate, they don’t want others to have that freedom.
Here is an example of that hypocrisy for you: That hypothetical bakery we all know about which doesn’t want to bake cakes for a gay couple. The claim is that it would be going against their religious beliefs by supporting what they believe to be a life lived in sin. So far, nothing hypocritical…but then, in walks the standard engaged couple…does this baker ask if they have been engaging in pre-marital coitus? Why not? If he supports this marriage with his cakes, isn’t he tacitly supporting a sinful lifestyle? Yikes! Grab your skis because slippery slope here we come!
Again, while I think any business (that isn’t receiving public funds) should be free to choose how and with whom they do business, shouldn’t they apply their “deeply held religious beliefs” equally across the board? Shouldn’t it be all or none? And…since according to the book they quote as their foundation, no man is without sin, doesn’t this mean that no one is deserving of cake?
Before all you liberal types go cheering up a storm in agreement, you are equally hypocritical…you decry the baker that will not bake for the gay couple, but rejoice when Elton John refuses to play Trump’s inauguration. Different beliefs, so don’t provide your services for them…sounds familiar, no?
Now…Let’s ask the question no one wants to answer. In this example, a white female Uber driver gets a ride request from a black male. Can she rightfully decline to take the assignment?
Uh oh! That’s uncomfortable, isn’t it? What can she possibly claim as a reason for declining without sounding completely racist or sexist? She can’t claim fear…right? What is she afraid of? Afraid that a black man will hurt her? Why…because he’s black or because he is male? Neither one is acceptable in the “zero tolerance for discrimination” landscape that people want to believe we can achieve. So…can we check Uber records to see how many female drivers denied rides to males…or males of other races?
If it came out that this was happening (and we all know it most likely is), would you call for these women to be forced to drive any rider or risk fines and criminal penalties? Why not? Her belief (rational or otherwise) is causing her to decline service to a group of people…and these are protected classes (gender or race). Shouldn’t that fall under the same category as the baker?
What about this service denial? A restaurant in North Carolina has decided to ban children under the age of 5. Where are the lawsuits and the protests and the rage at the age-based discrimination? People are voting with their wallets and the restaurant has seen a 60% increase in diners. So…should we punish this business for discriminating? Why not?
What if I added a 5 and this restaurant had banned people over the age of 55. “They eat too slowly, they demand to be charged less…it was time to remove them from the restaurant and increase our sales”. Would we be as accepting then? I certainly doubt it…
It seems that most everyone has an acceptable level of discrimination…as long as it aligns with their opinions. Problem is…that isn’t good enough for either side…they want it their way for everyone. They want to be sure that they are pushing their agenda on all of us. People are in such a rush to legislate their beliefs into law so that all must adhere…but why? Just because you have chosen to believe something, doesn’t mean any of the rest of us should be expected to live our lives accordingly.
More and more states and municipalities are dropping their “blue laws”, which were a major example of legislating beliefs onto others. I am happy for you that Sunday is a special day and that you don’t believe anyone should be drinking or shopping or working on that day, so…don’t do those things. Why must everyone abide by your belief system? Why can’t you sit in church and not worry about what all the heathens are doing? Can you not be satisfied with how you have chosen to live your life? It reminds me of that old parental adage, “If Mom ain’t happy, no one’s happy”.
We can see the negative effects of legislating beliefs in North Carolina today. The strength of these beliefs is being put to the test. The state passed HB 2 and in turn, they have seen corporations pull out of building there, jobs being removed, and events such as the NCAA basketball tournament, NBA All-star game…all being pulled from the state. The estimates are the losses will be in the billions of dollars to the state economy.
Do they really want to continue pushing forward with this law on the books? Are they really looking out for their constituents? Or…are they attempting to foist their beliefs on others through legislation? We shall see…but the polls show that 66% of the populace is against this bill. Will they do anything about it and vote out those that put it in place? That remains to be seen. I will say this, anyone who re-elects any current representative that supported this bill, has no business complaining about it down the road.
If, as they claim, the government is protecting their citizens…they shouldn’t bend to the will of the dollar…right? Good for them for defending the citizens from a problem that didn’t exist and, according to the statistics, still doesn’t… Maybe they can pass a law to make it illegal for a leprechaun to hit people above the shins with a shillelagh. You know, to solve that non-existent problem and shield the citizens…
The NC state government is sure testing their theory that people are too stupid (or lazy) to read. They just passed what they called a “repeal” of this bill…which instead, actually strengthens the very parts of the previous bill that caused all the problems. All to lift this “cloud” that has been hanging over the state. That cloud being the lost revenue from major sporting events, concerts, etc…
All that said, if a business owner wants to put a sign in the window that says, “No Swedes Allowed” shouldn’t he have that right? And…wouldn’t you feel better knowing that not only will he be losing business from Swedish folks, but from those that think people shouldn’t discriminate? You would also learn a lot about the people who chose to overlook that practice and patronize that business, would you not?
I understand the historical reasons we put these anti-discrimination laws in the books…but then we also have a law in Rhode Island against selling toothpaste and a toothbrush to the same person on Sunday. There must have been a good reason at the time, but this is a different world. Forced tolerance is like forcing a child to eat broccoli…it doesn’t always create a lifetime of broccoli loving…it often creates someone who will resent and loathe broccoli down the road.
As anyone who has read my writings would know, I certainly don’t care what anyone chooses to believe or how they live their lives, as long as no one else is harmed in the process. That said, I also believe that free enterprise should be just that…free. The right to refuse service to anyone should be allowed…and right along side that is our freedom to choose where to do business. Isn’t that the idea of a free economy?
Above the Nonsense 