Sunday, March 29, 2015

Apple and the NBA Go Strabucks Crazy

Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana has signed a law that is essentially about private property rights and the freedom of individuals to associate with those that they want to associate with and ignore others,
It allows businesses to discriminate against gay and lesbian people. Pence claims it is is about “religious liberty” and not discrimination. It's about discrimination and there is nothing wrong with that.

I personally have no problem with gays or lesbians, though,  I do discriminate against other groups.

That said, a number of private sector businesses including the NBA and Apple have gone full out Starbucks and have decided to comment on the law, while completely ignoring the simple notion of private property and the notion that one should be free to transact with whomever one chooses and free to not transact with others.

The NBA issued at statement saying "the game of basketball is grounded in long established principles of inclusion and mutual respect"  but it issued this statement about "inclusion" while not having any extremely short people, fat people or old people playing on their teams.

Apple hires smart programmers and designers. It has a rigorous interview process that discriminates against many. But Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted out this:
The fact of the matter is that from a business perspective it makes little sense for the NBA or Apple to discriminate against gays or lesbian customers. But if some firm doesn't want to serve gays or lesbians, so what?

Discrimination is a fact of life, sometimes it makes sense other times it can be goofy, but do we really need a "discrimination police" to force transactions between two people when one doesn't want to do the transaction?  Discrimination laws are nothing but state control, dominance and limitations on our choices and actions. It is pure evil.

Management at the NBA and Apple should know better,

 -RW




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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 29, 2015 at 4:59 PM

    Of course a person whipping on a white sheet and a high pointy headdress and trying to attend an N.B.A. game might not be welcomed with inclusion and mutual respect.


    I believe Apple runs a very tight ship with regards to the content of apps that Apple sells at its app store.

    ReplyDelete
  2. DwightMarch 30, 2015 at 9:48 AM

    Jim Crow laws prevented businesses and people from freely associating. The solution: the Civil Rights Act of the 60s, much of which prevents businesses and people from freely associating. Progress.

    ReplyDelete

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