(January 25, 2012 at 6:10 pm)Doubting Thomas Wrote: I agree to a certain extent, but I don't agree with the "I should be able to refuse to do business with anyone I don't like." While I think you should have the right to refuse to do business with someone who is a nuisance, I don't think that anyone should have the right to prevent anyone coming into their business based on race, religion, gender, etc. I could see it easily being abused where I live, where the vast majority is Christian. I'd hate to not be able to buy groceries anywhere because all the stores require you to express belief in Jesus as your personal savior. I know in this bad economy that most places would be too competitive to do that, but I'd hate to see "Whites Only" signs being put up everywhere like in the 1950's, or even "Christians Only."
I could very easily see people in Oklahoma putting up "No Muslims" signs in their store windows.
I can see both sides of the issue, but the bigger question is why. Why would someone want to hurt their business by not allowing someone based on a belief or color or anything else that is arbitrary. It is not logical or rational in any sense. So why would/did people do it?
Well lets look at the case of the landlord who recently put up a "whites only" sign for her pool. Her reasoning was the girl used hair chemicals that would make the pool cloudy. Well that has nothing to do with skin color, the landlord is clearly ignorant, because a white women or man can also use the same hair chemicals. A "Must shower" would be a logical sign to use.
Many people are uneducated and ignorant. You would have to ask these shop owners why they would discriminate because of color or sexuality and the reasoning behind it, most likely they won't be able to formulate a rational reason for it. They are generalizing due to stereotypes given out by the media. Media and government need to stop the propaganda against certain groups of people.
(Hypothetical) Do people in Oklahoma have a problem with Muslims coming into their store and terrorizing them? Is it because that Oklahoma guy has met hundreds of Muslims and every single one of them fucked him over some how? I doubt it.
Let the ignorant fucks put the sign up, they can deal with the backlash, and it wouldn't be some crooked police force either because their would be no law for or against it.
The government can't dictate morality only the people can. And the people of the community can decide the shop owners fate in Oklahoma, not bureaucrats sitting in Washington trying to push a certain agenda.
