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From: era1987@violet.berkeley.edu
Newsgroups: misc.legal,news.admin,soc.women
Subject: Re: A real sweetheart
Message-ID: <12729@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: 29 Jul 88 06:20:03 GMT
References: <12624@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> <1809@iscuva.ISCS.COM>
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In article <1809@iscuva.ISCS.COM> davids@iscuva.ISCS.COM (David Schmidt) writes:
>
>I agree that is IS impolite and rude not to abide by your wishes (no
>matter what a person thinks of them), but it is not "discriminating".

If the ONLY reason for being impolite and rude to someone in a certain
way involving their religion, race, color, age, handicap, or sex,
*IS* their religion, race, color, age, handicap, or sex, then it *IS**
discriminatory.

If the only reason you can give for referring to someone repeatedly,
against their wishes, in a rude and impolite way that refers
to what they are, rather than what they said, that is, to their race,
religion, color, age, handicap, or sex, is that they ARE that
particular race, religion, color, age, handicap, or sex, then
you have a case of discrimination based on race, religion, color, age,
handicap or sex.

If you do it from a site of which you are am employee, and I happen
to be a customer, such as, for example, AT&T, you could be reprimanded
or penalized if I file a complaint.  One person has done that several
times, and I had hoped not to have to file a complaint, but they do
not wish to stop putting their company in a position of liability,
so I may have to file a complaint in order to get that person's
harassment to stop.   Suing me for threatening to sue or file a
complaint  unless the harassment against me stops, by alleging
that my threat to sue or file a commplaint after repeated harassment,
is itself a form of harassment, is akin to kicking somebody in the
face in front of witnesses, and then filing a harassment complaint if
they call the cops, because you feel that calling the cops is an
infringement on your "right" to kick them in the face.  Libertarians
make the argument that private businesses should have the right
to discriminate, and that federal nondiscrimination laws are an
infringement on their right to  discriminate.  That right stops when
they leave the private and enter the public sphere.  They are free
to discriminate against Blacks and Jews by not inviting Blacks
or Jews to their home, but if they have a public restaurant, or an
apartment building, they forfeit their right to private
discrimination by engaging in public business.  

--Mark