Discrimination: The All-Purpose Accusation
Today I got three letters with a subject line and/or opening sentence accusing me of discrimination. Here are the three complaints:
- A camper did not get the $8 senior discount to which he was entitled, in large part because my new employee did not recognize his very old-style government recreation access card (I processed a refund immediately).
- A 20-year-old accused me of age discrimination when we told her she was too young to work in a store, despite the fact our manager explained patiently several times that we are prevented by law from hiring minors to sell alcoholic beverages
- A camper accused me of discrimination because we would not let him occupy a site clearly marked as having been reserved by another camper (who had not yet arrived). This obviously is odd -- I am discriminating against people without reservations for reserved sites?
None of these folks appear to be a part of a legally protected group, nor did they site any treatment they received that was different from similarly situated people at the same location. They just didn't like a particular policy and wanted to complain, but have been taught by society that the best way to get attention is to claim DISCRIMINATION -- sort of like a witchcraft accusation in the 17th century.
All of this is to answer the question of why someone like myself who has vocally supported gays and gay marriage for decades would oppose legislation naming homosexuals as another government-protected class. I have defended openly gay employees of mine against ignorant accusations that their homosexuality somehow posed dangers to the kids camping at the park they helped to maintain. But discrimination law makes me crazy. Think of it this way -- bad things happen to everyone from time to time. I am a white male, but despite this status I have gotten turned down for jobs, have been laid off from jobs, and frequently have received bad, even rude customer service. Everybody does. Discrimination law often takes these typical day-to-day indignities we all face and converts them, literally, into a Federal case.
