Discrimination

We all know what discrimination is right? Discrimination is when you treat someone differently because they are different from you. There are many kinds of discrimination "cultural discrimination" is when you discriminate against someone because of their race color or faith. Then there is the ever popular "Corporate discrimination" This occurs when corporations dictate how people should look or act. When a company automatically denies you employment because you have tattoos or pierced body parts, unusual hair styles (Like dreadlocks, cornrows, or purple and green hair) this type of discrimination is also creeping into our schools.

Let me pose an example: once when I walked into a liquor store and watched the assistant manager practically pole vault from his perch, so that he could get an immediate look at myself and my shopping practices. "Can I help you", he inquired as he managed to keep a secure distance.
I really didn't understand his apprehension, my jeans didn't even have holes in them, I was wearing a two hundred dollar jacket, my hair was combed, my shoes tied.
But I suppose it was really my own fault. I decided since it was my day off, I would go sans ponytail and casual in an old T-shirt. I probably looked like shit, I was up half the night working on my web site.
He even opened up a special register and took care of me personally. He stared at my long flowing hair and full beard as he politely took my credit card and carefully compared my picture on my ID.

The truth is however that I don't begrudge him personally in the least. I played the management role playing game for years.
Selective prejudice is practiced at any hiring, and when dealing with customers. I really couldn't hire that really nice boy with dreadlocks as a waiter nor could I ignore loud drunken college students when they sat in my restaurant.
These prejudices are government and corporately sponsored, after all, it is just part of the job.
The truth is it was the part of the job I hated the most and one of the primary reasons I am not doing it now.

My personal complaint is with beards. I have worked in Management positions for all my life, most of the positions I have held, I did not apply for; I was usually asked to come to a company because of my reputation as effective management employee. I always made keeping my beard part of my Management contracts.
A few years ago, after a long career with a corporation, I was downsized out of a job... This really didn't bother me much, actually I volunteered for it. Then I went out to find a new job, great glowing resume' in hand I applied to a number of companies and received a number of interviews and even some offers... However everybody seems to have a no beards policy... at one group interview session I glanced around the room noticing that my fellow competitors in their new suits, clean shaven and smelling of aftershave..
I felt like I was at an Amway convention. I watched as the interviewers called on them one at a time, each interview taking ten to fifteen minutes. When it came my turn I was given a short curt interview of less than two minutes.
The interviewer informed me that they had policies for drug testing, against cigarette smokers (I Don't smoke) visible tattoos (I have none) and beards would I be willing to shave mine?
I said yes but questioned how or why that affects one's ability to do the job?
I was sent on my way with out finishing the interview... They called me...and wasted two hours of my time.

I have worked in Management jobs for all my adult life, I have always worn a beard, it has never interfered in my job performance. Nature put hair on my face...
Several religions require beards of their male members. My beard does not effect the quality of work I produce, people respect me because I know what I am doing. I think people should be judged in their work by performance not looks, not because they got a little crazy and had their arms tattooed when they were a teenager.
The reason appearance plays a massive role in business is because people are used to it playing that role.
I have shook up a lot of people with my hiring practices, I hired Blacks, Asians, American Indians and even college students...
I remember at one location some members of upper management flipped out because I hired a black waitress to work in a restaurant. They said it's not our prejudgment, the customers around here will not accept it, you will lose business.
She turned out to be the best waitress I ever worked with and the customers came around.
One Elderly businessman,whom I was told had been a regular daily customer for 30 years, told me he didn't want to be waited on by that damn nigger.

I told him he could be waited on by the damn nigger or leave, that I would not send a white waitress to his table.
Although shocked at my response, He swallowed his pride and soon when he came in he was asking for the black waitress, whom he then referred to as the colored girl...!

So what if someone has purple hair or a nose ring if they can do the job...
If a person is physically and mentally capable of doing a job,they should have a chance to prove themselves. I have found that drug users can do the work, that hair color or style does not affect output. I was once called a amazing supervisor because I ran a crew with a pothead hippy, an atheist, a Hindu and a baptist ministry student. We got the job done without placing our various culture at the workplace.

Yet after several interviews I found that everyone has the same policies...not only for management but for minimum wage jobs as well... How many men have beards? How many people use drugs? How many people smoke cigarettes, and How many have visible tattoos and piercings. All of the people that fit into these categories are legally being discriminated against in this country. Why should someone have to take a piss test in order to work in a fast food restaurant? They tell you they may spike the food with drugs. Drug users will not waste their expensive drugs on strangers, anymore than a alcoholic would share his last bottle.

This prejudice stems mostly from the war on drugs. People who use drugs are nonconformists who get tattoos, wear beards, black leather jackets and ride motorcycles. Now they dye their hair weird colors pierce their noses eyelids and other parts. The scariest part to me is that most of them swear they don't touch drugs...However the government says we can not give these weirdos jobs... Where does that leave the individualists? Out of work, on welfare , dealing drugs and committing crimes because they are not allowed to work in this society. So now the Federal Government wants to kick them off welfare....which leaves what ... Jail, an entire class , a culture of people locked up because of government and corporate sponsored prejudices.


Which brings us to the reason I am updating this page today, the newest popular form of discrimination. "Computer generated discrimination" Many if not most companies now require that you apply for jobs online. This obviously discriminates against the computer illiterate; those over 50 years of age, poor people, uneducated people and people who are unable to type. All of which already have a hard enough time finding work.
so they can learn, and they can use computers at the public library right?
Most public access computers limit you to an hour at most each day and most applications take an hour to fill out, if you can read quickly enough and type well enough. I filled out an application recently where the instructions said; if you took longer than five minutes on any page, you would be booted from the system and your application canceled...

Now many states require, unemployment, medicaid and welfare recipients to apply online
Why does the government need to know what your racial background is when classifying you for a census, job or benefit program? When ever I face that sort of question I check other and write in human, the fact that some of my ancestors were native Americans should not affect my life. The answer is outlawing the questions, quotas and astigmatism. Corporations and government agencies are not people, they are servants of the people, they should not be able to discriminate on any basis which will not effect the job. If some hot shot CEO wants to discriminate he should not have incorporated his company.
Discrimination of all sorts is learned, so it can be stopped through education.

In case you are wondering every business I ran increased sales from day one. Every business I ran set their all time sales records on my watch...
I had my own restaurant for a number of years, I actually offered every single person who applied a job, some disappointed me some soared. I also have fired a lot of people over the years, the only reasons were for job performance and for stealing. The last position I held was managing a store for an individual, on several occasions he told me to fire someone because he didn't like them. I refused to do so without just cause...
As for the drug issues, if they are not affecting work performance then why bring it up? I have written up and fired people for using drugs on the job, but what they do after work is their business. If they show up late or miss work due to their personal habits, it is affecting their job and they are out. Personally I have found drug users to be better employees than alcoholics. Once I wrote my wife up for coming to work drunk at my own restaurant. I didn't get any for a month but she and my employees got the message, no favoritism, no bullshit.

Recently for the third time in my life, I found myself in the position of being homeless again. So I checked into a shelter for the homeless only to find that they too practice discrimination. During the check in process you have to take a breath and piss test, test positive for alcohol or drugs and you can't stay, or get kicked out. On the flip side of the agenda, they supply tobacco for the residents for free. Who needs a homeless shelter more than an alcoholic or drug addict down on their luck? Why does smoking marijuana two weeks ago, make you less than human?
After a couple of days there, I found out where these poor souls go to when they get thrown out as sub-human. There is a small tent city nearby in the woods, where those who have the worst problems hang out and pass time.

But no the moral right cries; they should conform, give up their individuality, go to church shave your beards get rid of that extra jewelry... God put this beard on my face, God created Marijuana, God accepts me for who I am... Why can't they???

My point is that discrimination is discrimination what ever the reasoning behind it is ... If you follow the Libertarian philosophy as an individual you have the right to discriminate. Most corporations currently will not hire people with visible tattoos or excessive piercings, Women are often required to shave their legs. Some will no longer hire cigarette smokers. Why should a drug bust when you are 18 disqualify you from working for the rest of your life? Why should a tattoo?
However the real truth is that you can't tell anything about some one's honesty personality or moral character by the color of their skin or hair, by their choice of clothing or body adornments, the truth is most people are nice kind and considerate. The truth is when being ourselves, a special being that is who we are, we become a minority of one. The problem being that some of us are assholes and jerks. That makes the rest of us a bit paranoid, when dealing with those we are less familiar with... but that's okay too. Just don't be blinded by hate and propaganda and you will find not only do you respect others but you will respect yourself more...

They say that pride is the flip side of prejudice... If you think you're better than others without knowing them, then you are practicing prejudice. The federal government and big corporations are the worst.
I appeal to the good hard working citizens to set aside all prejudices, if someone is not up to a job they can be fired... give them a chance to prove you wrong.
I think we should push a bill to stop the government from asking the questions... It doesn't matter where we came from or what we do with our lives we are all people we all deserve a chance to prove ourselves..
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