Comment by coldtea
9 years ago
>I'm curious, if you imagine a possible historical situation, let's say a German business owner in the 1930s that took a stance of not offering services to Nazi organizations, does that appear commendable, or bad in the same "slippery slope" way that you apply in the present situation?
How about the possible historical situation where a business owners doesn't offer services to the irish, jews, gays, blacks, etc?
Because those things have also happened -- and when you say it's ok to refuse those services to a group, you open a window for refusing those services to other groups too.
Just because consensus or power today is with the "good groups" (as far as you're concerned) doesn't change that fact.
It's even worse when what's right and wrong is even more muddy. E.g. someone criticizing their own country (like the Vietnam war protests) or in favor of a regime change etc.
Being Irish, Jewish, gay or black are not choices (for the most part, anyway) and do not inherently imply that you're intolerant of any other group. Being Nazi, on the other hand, is clearly a choice, and intolerance is inherent to it. I think the difference is clear.
Also, people arguing that companies should be required to serve and even create safe spaces for particular marginalised groups usually do so not from a "First Amendment" standpoint, but from the point of view that a sex life, gender identity or religious belief has higher inherent value than any particular prejudice against it.
If people would like to make the argument that Naziism also has higher inherent value than prejudices against Naziism, they are welcome to do so explicitly...
> How about the possible historical situation where a business owners doesn't offer services to the irish, jews, gays, blacks, etc?
I'm sorry if someone was born a nazi then.
Then you wouldn't mind if they didn't offer services to vegans, christians, hackers, etc, right?
Not when they start organizing murder, no.
I must have missed the memo on us hackers. What group of traits in people do we blame for our woes? Just so I know who we want to exterminate.
I know this isn't a place for sarcasm, but when I can't tell if your comparison is sarcastic or not, I have a hard time not responding in kind.
26 replies →