The only instance when someone is not free to change careers is when government forbids it. Anyone can change their job at anytime. Why would a person take the job if the compensation plan isn't to their satisfaction? If the owner of a business sets a policy it is their choice to do so. They have no power to coerce people into working under policies they object to, and they have no power to force consumers through their doors. We don't need protection from boogeymen that can't jump up and grab us.
How can you not see the slippery slope? We literally have to force people not to be racist, discriminatory, etc. Otherwise, this country would be shit. "Sorry honey, we can't live there because they don't accept black people in town. It is against their religion" "Sorry sir, you are Muslim so no home loan for you." "We don't serve gays"
We only need to worry about government institutionalized discrimination, like Jim Crow. If people in private enterprise behave like assholes then competitors will take their place. That is how a market works.
Not practical for most people. How about a coal miner in a west Virginia town? He can't just go out an become an accountant in San Francisco. How about someone in their 60's. They have a hard time getting hired by anybody. Do you think all those Wal-Mart employees enjoy being part-time and getting no benefits? Many folks don't have a lot of choices. You can't possibly be this naive. Holding a persons livelihood in their hands is very powerful coercive force.
You are so wrong on this issue. That is NOT how the market should work. I am more conservative than most and I can see the reality of human nature. This idea that people should be free to act like racist assholes, or practice discriminatory practices freely is absurd. You have the freedom to THINK whatever you want, but you should not and will not have the freedom to DO whatever you want. I don't know what myth you think Freedom is, but that is NOT it.
My own dad was a crabber from Dulac who became a university professor. So I would assume a West Virginian miner could become an accountant if he went about getting the proper credentials. Who is making them work for Wal-mart? Nobody. They do it because they need jobs and Wal-mart offers them. It is their choice, maybe they can get something better, maybe they can't, but they choose to take what Wal-mart offers. They don't hold the person's livelihood in their hands. The person is free to leave whenever they want.
How can they hurt you? What could a business with no force of law ever do to harm you? Nothing. If a business owner is a dick and doesn't sit gays just don't go there. The idea that every individual has to conform to a changing set of social norms is stupid. If you didn't like guys with freckles why should you have to hire them? You shouldn't. You are free to interact and engage with whomever you like. It really isn't anyone else's business.
Unfortunately, you are wrong. The public realm is built on a "set of social norms". These social norms are evolving because people were free to deny service to blacks, gays, etc. It was inhuman, immoral, and way out of hand. Privately, you can do whatever you like. In public life, we must conform. But guess what, if YOU don't like our social atmosphere you can very much leave! That is one freedom you DO have.
No. My friend people were obligated by law to deny service to blacks or to segregate, and it was a crime to be gay. Those are examples of government destroying freedom. That is the type of institutional discrimination that can hurt us. You are describing tyranny. We aren't supposed to live in a tyrannical society. You have lost all concept of what freedom is. You can't even tolerate a different opinion. Sadly too many think like you. And red55. And LaSalle. This nation has lost all bearing on authentic liberty.
i What the whining crybabies on this thread refuse to acknowledge is that a person can be anything he wants to be if he is willing to sacrifice and work hard to achieve his goals. They would rather suck on another doobie and stuff their pie holes with Twinkies and ice cream while moaning about it being impossible to break out of their dreary existence. They are all about instant gratification. The words sacrifice and hard work are not in their vocabularies. If your dad could go from being a crabber to being a college professor why can't a coal miner or a ditch digger or even a Wal-Mart worker become an accountant, a doctor or a lawyer if thats' what he really wants and is willing to work at it? I saw a story on TV a few years ago about a homeless man who was raising his toddler son while attending a university. I think it was in New York or Chicago. On nights when he couldn't afford even a cheap motel they spent the nights in the restrooms of the subway where he studied by the lighting of the bathrooms. Now he has graduated with a Masters and has a great job.
