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Discrimination is usuallly fine!

Some people are so sensitive to political correctness that they behave way too sensitively and believe some stupid things. They see racial or sexual discrimination everywhere, underlying nearly all of society’s ills, and therefore conclude that if only people were prohibited from making choices and taking actions that exhibited “discrimination” (according to the gun-pointers’ definition, of course), then society would be much more fair and peaceable. For instance, I remember a Fark.com discussion thread from two or three years ago about a Texas couple who were sued because they refused to hire a home landscaping company (or some such) owned by homosexuals. These hateful, bigoted (probably true) Texans didn’t want to do business with, or in any other way interact with, homosexuals, so after they learned the owners were gay, they stopped hiring them or canceled an upcoming appointment. It was completely innocuous. It only became a news story because the company sued the couple for sexual discrimination.

Now, as harmful as the consequences of bigotry and prejudice can be, what did this homophobic couple do that was so harmful or threatening to these or any other homosexuals? Did they…oh, I don’t know…threaten to apply the full force of the police power of the State to their hated foes if the latter didn’t spend their time and money in a manner pleasing to the homophobes? Did they threaten violence against anyone? Extortion, beating, kidnapping, enslavement, murder? No, it was the gay landscapers who threatened exactly that against the bigots. This is always what government action implies: the use or threat of deadly force. By the very definition of its nature and its existence, the State can only take, injure, kill, punish, or threaten to do so. Liberals who favor political correctness laws should keep this in mind when they advocate social-engineering laws to weed out discrimination and prejudice. This type of discrimination might not be nice, classy, or thick-libertarian, but it isn’t nearly as bad as threats of murder against people who don’t share your values. Far worse than feelings that lead people to treat some groups differently from others are coercive actions that actually violate people’s rights.

Besides, we discriminate every day, even sexually and racially and in other seemingly unfair ways, but that’s human nature and it’s perfectly legitimate some of the time. It is illegitimate, and should be frowned upon, repudiated, or worse, when the discriminatory action violates someone’s rights or treats someone in a hateful, threatening, collectivizing manner. Most of the discrimination we commit in our everyday lives is completely innocuous. I don’t go to gay bars or hit on men because I’m heterosexual, not because I’m a homophobe. I didn’t take any women’s studies or African-American studies classes in college because they are a complete waste of time and money and (supposedly) perpetuate policies and stereotypes that actually do real damage in the world, not because I am sexist or racist. I’ve noticed that with the notable exception of country music (which I loathe), most of the music I dislike could be considered largely “black” music: blues, jazz, R & B, rap, and hip-hop. I don’t dislike it because it’s made by black people; I dislike it because it sucks. That probably only counts as “discrimination” in the original, literal sense of the word, but I get the feeling that the political-correctness bellowing blowhard bully brigade would consider such an innocent thing evidence of racism.

This reminds me of another example that occurred to me recently. When entering my lab building after-hours, you have to swipe your ID card and the electronic sensor thing will unlock the door for you. I don’t like letting anyone in who came up behind me and didn’t swipe their card, but let me ask you something: if a 22-year-old college girl tried to grab the door before it closed behind you, or a middle-aged black man in a hooded sweatshirt and raggedy-looking clothes tried to grab it before it closed, would you react slightly differently? How would you think differently and how would you act differently? I’d confront any seedy-looking character (which, let’s face it, would usually be a male) and ask them where they work and where they’re going, but I would—and have—let plenty of people who looked like students or researchers into the building without authentication.

That’s not racism, that’s common sense! But most PC nazis are blinded from common sense! They can only think in terms of groups and collectives and victims and oppressors, and everyone and everything has to fit into those notions of discrimination and oppression, so they ignore the particulars of the situation! Common sense is all you need to determine if someone was acting fairly or not, not political correctness and certainly not legislation, police, and lawsuits.

Posted in Political correctness