WE ARE ALL EQUALS ~ALEX

Let me start this post with a disclaimer, just to prevent any interjections, although that sort of thing is not likely. I am not racist, nor am I sexist, nor do I have any generalised prejudice against any sort of majority or minority on the face of this earth, perhaps with the exception of Nazis, although thats not really up to me to judge, so I would just leave them alone. But there is one thing about all this that really pisses me off; The strive for equality.

Alright, I believe that women should be able to vote, work etc. I also share this same point of view for anyone of any race or type. However, I believe that discrimination should not be something we force upon people.

We live in a "banned" society as of the mid to late 2000's - for all I know it could have started in the 1990's. If we don't like something, we ban it. That's that. This
is the worst sort of political stance, in my opinion, and I would never have full support for anyone who saw issues in such a way. Of course, that is not to say opinion is wrong, however there are absolutely no issues that are so black and white that banning is necessary. After all, those who do not support something can just avoid it can't they? For the sake of argument, we'll look at smoking in the workplace. At this point in time, 2010, smoking in Australia is banned in all indoor workplaces as well as many outdoor areas. Everyone has the right to a smoke-free workplace. Many companies now refuse to hire smokers because they believe that the breaks smokers take throughout the day result in unproductivity. I am not going to say that everyone should smoke indoors, its absurd and would result in many health problems, as well as the immediate effects such a measure would have on people with asthma. But, if we were to go back before the ban and play out events differently, it would result in new circumstances. Many companies would realise that their hiring pools are dwindling due to their smoky environments, and many would start to VOLUNTARILY ban smoking. Others would not uphold the ban, and both smokers and non-smokers would be happy.

Discrimination is banned. Now, maybe its just me, but I dont see how such a thing is possible. Discrimination is a mindset, and while many people VOLUNTARILY ban discrimination by not practicing it themselves, I believe many people are entitled to their prejudices, so long as no violence is committed or anything dangerous comes out of it. People are people, and they will always have a certain view on the world, and it is not the job of a government, a union or any other organisation to alter it. So of course, in the age of banned discrimination, a new problem rises; "If I treat those of a minority as disadvantaged, will I be seen as discriminating?"

So now, we dont have disabled people. We have "differently abled" people (I think I ranted about this earlier, go search it for yourself). We bend over backwards to allow minority groups to gain places in establishments we worked hard to earn places in ourselves; university, high-profile jobs. If you can earn the place, it's yours. But you shouldnt get a free ride because you are of a different culture or are a woman; I dont disagree with the idea of women or people of varying ethnic backgrounds getting into establishments and high profile jobs, I just dont believe that they should get preferential treatment above everyone else. And yes, for the record, if you do not have the same capabilities as a normal human, you are "disabled", if you are a member of one of the races that have been in Australia longer than the white people, you are "Aboriginal" (or if the case may warrant, Torres Strait Islander) not "Indigenous". Indigenous is a general term used to describe anyone native to anywhere (which encompasses anyone on the face of the earth), and when I say Aboriginals or Aboriginal, it's not like I'm calling you a "boong" or a "coon". The intent behind the word classes the offensiveness of the word, if you called your friend some derogatory obscenity that would make any self-respecting old lady pass out, he probably wouldn't care. If you yell it in hate speech, then maybe its time to get a bit annoyed. Honestly, I believe half of the derogatory terms are taken too hard, especially the Andrew Johns scenario. He called another player a "black coon", and while I can see how you get offended, really if he were the bigger man he would point out that its offensive and let it go. Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

On a similar topic, with the government attempting to ban the wearing of the burqa, wouldn't this be considered ironic? Australia has spent decades trying to make up for decades more of racial assimilation against Aboriginals, yet now we are trying to assimilate muslims into our own culture. Some claim the burqa to be "anti-feminist" and maybe in some contexts it is, but generally speaking, no it is not. This is the women's religion, they follow it. They uphold the rules of the religion, because they follow it. Australia is a free country (or so I am told), and if they really weren't happy with their circumstances, they could easily be changed. It's as simple as that.

I will leave with a final anecdote, told to me by a relative. Bear in mind that my hearing it and passing it on is a third hand story, as this happened to a friend of the relative;

This friend worked for the government, who prides themselves on being 'equal opportunity'. This is the late 80's or early to mid 90's we're talking about, just for context. Several aboriginal men working in the same branch were given money, a truck and other supplies in order to do some surveying work or something similar, the money, truck and supplies were necessary to the job. Several days later it became apparent that the men and all their government-owned supplies were gone. No complaint was lodged, no case was filed, nothing happened. The government ignored it. The story finished with a question; "How would this have been handled if the act had been committed by white men?"

Equality my arse.