We need a law, here in Canada, to prevent discrimination against left-handed red-headed idiots. Clearly, they are often bullied; tools are not designed for them; they suffer snap personality judgements; and are not sufficiently enabled to meet their potential.
I’m joking, of course. But I’m trying to make a point: we have laws against discrimination, and the existence of a plethora of specific laws is, in effect, discriminatory against any group not shielded by a such a law.
My favourite example is TTC Special Constables. The signs have, I think, been sheepishly taken down, but they said something like this:
It is an offence to spit on a TTC Special Constable.
Like, give me a break. It’s not an offence to spit on anyone? It’s OK for a constable to spit on an offender?
We are in the process of putting in laws to prevent discrimination against LBGT individuals. While I agree that discrimination is bad, imho it should be handled legally by other means.
It should be illegal to treat another human being shoddily. Any human being. In any shoddy way.
I note, by way of contrast, that we have general laws against cruelty to animals. There are no special laws, imho, singling out specific animal groups: large scary dogs, shedding cats, talking mynahs, defanged cobras. It is assumed that bad treatment of animals is understood, detectable, subject to legal action, and under societal control.
I think anti-discriminatory laws are subtly, even overtly, discriminatory against all the rest of us. Doubtless there will be comments on this, eh?
Now for the dumb questions.
Do the Americans need a special law to prevent discrimination against illegal Mexican workers?
Does Toronto need a special law to prevent people waiting for affordable housing from being harassed while they live out-of-doors?
Do patients need a special law to prevent (mostly) doctors (and occasionally, other professionals) from treating them like hostages in their waiting rooms?
Is it the lack of money and lobbying that prevents the above from being dumb questions?