Attitudes and Immaturity
After having a good discussion with my roommate, I have started to think about our American Attitude.
This all stems from a discussion about the gay marriage debate that is happening in New Hampshire (my home state) right now. To put a long story short the Governor has agreed to sign the gay marriage bill if language to protect religious institutions from performing a ceremony that goes against their beliefs.
Alright, cool let’s put the language in and move on. It is not that easy.
Now surrounding this debate is the reader comments on WMUR (the NH local TV news station’s website). Again to paraphrase the comments that I am concerned with: if a business or individual who does not agree with gay marriage refuses to do business or have anything to do with a gay marriage ceremony they are liable to be sued for discrimination.
Okay, first off, if you refuse to do business with someone because of a group they are a part of (race, creed, sexual orientation, gender, etc.) that is discrimination. That’s pretty much the definition of discrimination.
Secondly for those people who are planning weddings and picking vendors: why on Earth would you insist on doing business with someone who didn’t agree with your service? Why not find another vendor who agrees with you and keep everything about your wedding, what is supposed to be the happiest day of your life (or did we forget?), positive and happy? Why would you take the time, energy, effort, and heartache to take someone to court over the flowers or the cake?
Unfortunately it seems in this day and age we are more likely to sue a vendor for not giving us service and play the victim of “The Man” instead of moving on and resolving the issue in a simple and mature way. Why do we choose to throw a temper tantrum in the courts and demand service or reparations instead of doing the adult thing and give our business to someone who’s values we agree with?
I seriously think as a society we need to GROW UP.
May 21st, 2009 at 2:58 pm
I agree with you for the most part, but i also think that if a wedding photographer doesn’t want to do a gig, that’s his business (or rather loss).
I think anti-discrimination laws are a vital part of maintaining a free and equal society, but i don’t think they should apply universally, specifically, in relation to specialty trades, such as photographers, architects, and the like. If you don’t want to work with someone, that’s your business. The key difference between these trades and other businesses is that someone in these professions acts more as a partner in a two way relationship as opposed to a simple service/good provider in one way contact that exists in things like say, a restaurant.