That's wonderful, and we welcome them. Just be sure you realize that tolerance swings both ways. Just as we would happily tolerate (for instance) an acid-dropping atheist polygamist living next to us, he would need to tolerate a gun-toting fundamentalist Christian living next door to him.
(Note that "tolerate" means just that - neither has to invite the other over for BBQs!
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Hi Debra. First I'll begin by stating I thoroughly enjoy many of your posts, and I'm going to start using your "gun test" on a regular basis in discussions with my conservative friends and co-workers. Its makes an excellent point very clear - something I've been unable to do with facts and other metaphors.
I have a question for you, as I am an FSP newbie since last week.
Everyone seems concerned with their alternate lifestyles, drug use, religious and personal values, etc. I assume that carries over to the usual concerns about races and ethnicity.
It is my understanding, and feel free to educate me, that in a truly free society individuals are free to discriminate based on whatever criteria they wish.
I am not saying I approve of this!. I would never want to belong to all-white/all-men's golf club. I would have a problem working for a company that announced it would fire any women who got pregnant. As soon as I found another job I'd quit and make a stink. I would think others would do the same.
I guess I believe that people have the right to be prejudiced, racist, biased, homophobic, ignorant (etc) and in general hate who ever they want. They are
not free to violate the rights (life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness) of others. I don't believe a job is a right. Its an oppurtunity. If a company won't hire you because you are Asian, then go out and start your own company.
People should be free to hire who they want, and I guess that means they can fire who they want to. Or form clubs with who they want. etc. It goes both ways though: all-black golf clubs, companies that won't hire anybody white over 50. Discrimination is not some evil word. Some people have discriminating tastes for food. Others discriminate when it comes to choosing who they will work and play with. It is my belief that the discriminator is really the one who is losing in the long run. He is denying himself the potential of a better employee, and its likely that others who aren't discriminated against will leave the company or group on their own in protest (or never consider them in the first place). As citizens we have the right to boycott and protest that company.
That being said, I would state that I wouldn't be very comfortable having an openly gay couple living next door. I find homosexuality unnatural and would be afraid of the exposure to it on my children. Would I insult and attack? Of course not. I might move. That is my right. I see nothing wrong with communities formed around common beliefs, ideaologies, religions, ethnicity, race, lifestyle, etc.
What I do not want to see, nor do I want anyone to expect, is that these individual items will be protected in the free state (other than a govt org of course).
Others have a right to an alternative lifestyle; I have a right to not want an openly gay teacher educating my kids in my local community school.
Could I, or any of us for that matter, put a gun to someone's head, and be willing to pull the trigger, if that person didn't want to hire a highly qualified Latino because he was Latino, or gay, or had AIDS?
I'd like to slap him around a little, but no, I couldn't pull the trigger.