Should Businesses Have the Right to Refuse Service to Anyone?
Yesterday, the Arizona House and Senate passed some very controversial legislation allowing businesses to "discriminate" by refusing to provide services to people if doing so violates their own personal religious beliefs. This bill is being viewed as specifically as an anti-gay type bill (which it is).
But I think it does bring up an interesting question. Should PRIVATE businesses be able to reserve the right to refuse service to anyone? It makes sense to me that any sort of federal, state, or municipality should not be allowed to discriminate, or for that matter, any private business who accepts or has accepted any sort of taxpayer funding. But for the solely private business, should they not be able to discriminate if they want to for ANY reason, not just religious? Shouldn't that be one of the rights of a private business? The State of Arizona was short sighted, and in my opinion somewhat foolish, by limiting this to a gay vs. religion type bill, which itself is discriminatory as it is a governmental agency selecting who can and cannot discriminate. Either everyone should be able to or nobody should be able to.
And as consumers don't we also reserve the right not to shop at these businesses and to tell all of our friends not to shop there either? It's one thing to sue a business because they cheated you or did not follow up with a service you paid for, but should we be able to sue them for simply refusing to take our money?
I know this conjures up images of segregation, whites only restaurants and what not, and maybe I'm naive, but I'd like to believe we now live in a country where we as a society would simply refuse to shop as such a business or that some enterprising individual would take advantage of all the money these businesses are refusing and set up shop next door offering their services to everyone.
Remember for America to remain great one of the things we must be willing to do is defend the rights of those with whom we disagree. Although, I disagree with discrimination, I think we should be cautious limiting the rights of any other American to do so in their private business. If consumers can sue business for refusing to serve them because of the business owner's personal beliefs, then when will businesses be able to start suing consumers for refusing to shop at their store because of that owner's same believes? There are many people who won't shop at certain businesses not because of the business itself, but the personal beliefs of the business owner. Consumers boycott businesses all the time for things like animal testing, religious beliefs, political leanings, etc... (See Chickfil) Since we as consumers have the right to discriminate against a business because of the owner's personal believes, I'm not sure the business should not maintain that same right. And not just because of their religious beliefs, any belief or reason they might have. Remember, we don't have to shop there.
But I think it does bring up an interesting question. Should PRIVATE businesses be able to reserve the right to refuse service to anyone? It makes sense to me that any sort of federal, state, or municipality should not be allowed to discriminate, or for that matter, any private business who accepts or has accepted any sort of taxpayer funding. But for the solely private business, should they not be able to discriminate if they want to for ANY reason, not just religious? Shouldn't that be one of the rights of a private business? The State of Arizona was short sighted, and in my opinion somewhat foolish, by limiting this to a gay vs. religion type bill, which itself is discriminatory as it is a governmental agency selecting who can and cannot discriminate. Either everyone should be able to or nobody should be able to.
And as consumers don't we also reserve the right not to shop at these businesses and to tell all of our friends not to shop there either? It's one thing to sue a business because they cheated you or did not follow up with a service you paid for, but should we be able to sue them for simply refusing to take our money?
I know this conjures up images of segregation, whites only restaurants and what not, and maybe I'm naive, but I'd like to believe we now live in a country where we as a society would simply refuse to shop as such a business or that some enterprising individual would take advantage of all the money these businesses are refusing and set up shop next door offering their services to everyone.
Remember for America to remain great one of the things we must be willing to do is defend the rights of those with whom we disagree. Although, I disagree with discrimination, I think we should be cautious limiting the rights of any other American to do so in their private business. If consumers can sue business for refusing to serve them because of the business owner's personal beliefs, then when will businesses be able to start suing consumers for refusing to shop at their store because of that owner's same believes? There are many people who won't shop at certain businesses not because of the business itself, but the personal beliefs of the business owner. Consumers boycott businesses all the time for things like animal testing, religious beliefs, political leanings, etc... (See Chickfil) Since we as consumers have the right to discriminate against a business because of the owner's personal believes, I'm not sure the business should not maintain that same right. And not just because of their religious beliefs, any belief or reason they might have. Remember, we don't have to shop there.
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