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July 09, 2004
Moron ubiquity
Well several things come to mind today and all seem to validate my theory that 85% of the people you see on a daily basis are morons.
Blinding blue headlights on crappy cars. I know that some cars come with Xenon headlights, but 1999 Hondas are not among them. I know some of the finer retailers in my 'hood sell Xenon bulbs but if you buy ten dollar bulbs and jam them in the sockets of cars not designed for these type of lamps all you are going to do is blind people. You do not look cool because you spent twenty bucks on poorly designed misaimed bulbs. You simply demonstrate that you are a moron. Xenon bulbs are manufactured to be used in lamps with more precise tolerances because the bulbs are brighter and can blind oncoming drivers if aimed improperly. These lamps and lights are much more expensive to design and produce than typical halogen lamps used on most cars. I guess that is why they are on the Mercedes line and not the Hyundai line. Save your money. Don’t buy the aftermarket Xenon bulbs, save up and get the spinner rims.
Mobile phone cameras are ubiquitous these days, not to mention annoying. It is bad enough to have some idiot parading around with his phone clamped to his head, but to have him wandering about with an outstretched arm, navigating by squinting at a 2 inch square display certainly demonstrates what a moron he is. My God what can be so exciting in the grocery store that you have to capture it for posterity.
Our local television station has given these idiots their one minute of fame by allowing them to take photographs of traffic backups, send them to the station via mobile phone e-mail, and then call up to give a live report of the traffic backup. Maybe the backup would go away if people get the hell of the phone, stop taking pictures and drive the damn car.
There are now television spots from some organization that notes that 39 states do not have laws that prevent an employer from firing someone because they are homosexual. My God how many protections do we need to have? Don’t tell people you are homosexual and no one will know. I am not allowed to have sex at work, so being gay, or not being gay in this case has never been a concern. Where are these people working that they are required to disclose, or demonstrate how they use their genitalia in their off hours. Now, I don’t think you should fire someone because of what they do at home unless it affects their work (like smoking crack), but homosexuality offends a great number of people. If you work for someone who is offended by homosexuality simply shut up about it if you are of that inclination. I am of the belief that homosexual activities are immoral so if I were the boss I would prohibit them at work. However since I would prohibit all sexual intercourse at work that would not really be a problem. Sometimes people will do things we can’t agree with, sometimes people will not be as open minded as we would like, but we can’t legislate acceptance. If they pass a law that says you can’t fire people because you find the sexual practices abhorrent, then they will simply fire them for being seven seconds late, or not straightening their paper clips. If you are gay, some people will not like you. Life is unfair. We can’t make it fair by passing a law, if we could it would have been done a long time ago.
Calculators on the SAT
Now kids can use calculators on the SAT. No wonder the little darlings don’t learn anything we have made it too easy. If the little wonders can’t do math well enough to take the SAT then it explains why they can’t make change at McDonalds. Perhaps we should just provide them with a smart kid to help them their entire life.
Posted by Matthew at July 9, 2004 01:47 AM
Comments
Why is it alright to fire someone who happens to be gay just because they happen to be gay? Why should homosexuals have to "hide" their home life because their employer doesn't agree with it? I thought America was a "free" country. I guess it is if you're a white heterosexual male. I'm sorry but don't ask, don't tell is demeaning and not really a good guiding principle. I'm not talking about bringing one's sex life into the office, but one's family life. Some homosexuals have a family--a domestic partner or s.o. or lover, whatever term you prefer; they may even have kids.
So the plan you advocate is for them to never be able to talk to their coworkers about the important people in their life. Meanwhile, all the straight people can do that, talk about husbands, wives, kids...Double standard, anyone.
Some people may be "offended" by homosexuality. Too bad, get the hell over it. Their fears shouldn't be allowed to dictate workplace policies. Their fear shouldn't be allowed into the workplace to intimidate and silence other workers. Some people used to be offended by people of colour being considered equal to whites, (some people still are). It's no different. Homosexuality is not a choice. It's the way they are born, much as a person of colour is born that way, and it can't be changed.
And we do need the laws; people who are discriminated against need something to protect them from employers who fire them _solely_ because they are gay. The laws aren't to make life "fair" as much as they are to protect people from discrimination.
s/
Posted by: slashgirl at July 9, 2004 08:04 AM
Moveable type sucks, if you preview and then post it never posts. If you have moved more than 1 page away you are screwed. I'll have to fix that.
Condensed since I have to retype.
I never said it was OK to fire people because they were gay. In fact I said you should not fire people because of what they do outside the office as long as it is legal. (Fire the crack dealers if you want.)
Comparing being black to being gay is not a valid comparison. I can tell from across the room if you are black. I could be as gay as Truman Capote and no one would know simply from looking at me.
However the question is do we need a law to deal with this or can it be better resolved by market forces. I think the latter.
If I were choosing between two stores and I found that one treated its employees unfairly I would certainly go to the fair store. Public opinion and public outcry are amazingly effective tools for change. Recall if you will the Washington Mayorial assistant who used the word 'niggardly'. Of course niggardly means stingy, but it sounds like it would be offensive, especially if you are black. Public outcry was so great that the man lost his job. So public outcry, even misguided, is an effective tool for change. Why delay justice in the courts when it can be obtained more quickly and more efficiently in the court of public opinion.
While many people do not approve of homosexuality I feel that even fewer approve of firing someone because she is a homosexual. The right to provide for one's self and one's family through work is a human right which cannot be abriged by one's distaste for another's proclivities.
If anyone finds they cannot feel comfortable in their workplace because of their homosexuality -either that they cannot announce themselves as homosexual or that they cannot refrain from announcing that they are homosexual(don't tell policy) please feel free to let me know. I'll happily tell the company that it is treating its employees poorly. If anyone is fired for being gay let me know and I'll tell their company why I won't be doing business with them.
You don't have to tolerate discrimination, but we need not legislate everything. Public opinion is remarkably effective in situations like this and it should be our weapon of first resort.
Posted by: Matthew at July 9, 2004 10:01 AM
Slash Girl... briefly, and hopefully again, in Portland, Oregon, they even had spouses. The State is going to recognize the marriages, but hold off on deeming them "official" until the Oregon Supreme Courts hears the cases. In the meantime, we're going to face a state consitutional amendment that will attempt to define marriage as between one man and one woman. Does that mean you can't get married a second time? I hope Oregon goes for Kerry.. and defeats the amendment. Now that would be win/win.
Posted by: Robert at July 10, 2004 02:24 PM
Next time I go to McDonald's, I will ask the cashier if they used a calculater on the SAT. You should really write a column for the paper.
Posted by: Irene at July 11, 2004 11:38 AM
Write a column for the paper, I should get a life and get out from in front of this computer once in a while.
Posted by: Matthew at July 12, 2004 07:47 AM