How Can It Be Wrong To Openly Say You Do Not Like Certain People?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2321362/I-stand-Jewish-people-Lawyer-loses-career-office-rant-queue-jumping-man-medical-centre.html

/// Trouble began after she attended the Bardoc medical centre in Bury with her baby. The hearing was told a man dressed in Orthodox Jewish attire 'caused a scene' at the surgery and as a result was seen first by a doctor. ///

/// Back at the law firm Mrs Morris relayed the incident to a receptionist she shared her office with and said: 'I cannot stand Jewish people.' ///

Would she had been so treated if she had said "I cannot stand old people"?

[sebhfhion]

This case has been brought to court because the receptionist had issues with the law firm and no other reason. I've heard a lot worse go unnoticed in similar circumstances. She was not in a public place,not inciting anyone to racial hatred, but expressing a personal opinion, albeit not in the best of taste and not PC, but this is just another case of 'what can I do my employer for' scenario.

[Zacs-Master]

'I cannot stand Jewish people who whinge so that they can queue jump"

Can anyone spot the superfluous word?

[Zeuhl]

/semantics and pedantry/

baz

that seems to be your label for people exchanging ideas with an effort to be accurate, clear and honest

no doubt such concerns conflict with your own evident preferences for posting in language that is sloppy, misleading or meaningless clichés

and let's not even get into your disturbing trait of launching into personal attacks against other ABers without any provocation

presumably that is a substitute when not having any useful ideas to add to the debate

Would it be 'discriminatory' to ask if you are an usually short person?

[Zeuhl]

an UNusually short person?

sorry to be pedantic about getting it right

[joeluke]

Zacs.......no, do enlighten us

[Zeuhl]

joe

you're joking....right!?

[Bazile]

//You could speak your mind without some do gooder jumping on you saying "you can't say that" //

'' Hey you n****r you should not be sitting in that bus seat - you should travel on the roof rack !!'

joeluke
That sort of speaking your mind ?

[jim360]

I don't think you could speak you mind in the old days. Certainly not if you were the underdog. That's the problem. It was OK to speak your mind, only if you happened to be in the majority. Perhaps the same is true today, although the difference, hopefully, is that the majority position these days is intolerant of racism and discrimination rather than encouraging it.

[dave50]

Watching what you are saying is good manners whatever the topic in case someone in earshot may be offended, that has always been the case. It's when the law becomes involved over an opinion someone has voiced, not incitement to hatred or violence, not a verbal attack, just an opinion, however misguided or narrow minded, just an opinion, a dislike of a certain group of people. If that is all that is said and then to try and take legal action, we are going down a very slippery slope.

[sp1814]

I can see what Bazile means, and I can see what dave50 means.

The problem the CPS have is that there's a whole grey area in these matters. Anyone should be able to say, "I can't stand " without fear of arrest. Personally, I think it should be down to friends/colleagues/employers to deal with the person, either by excluding them or disciplining them.

I don't think the law really needs to get involved.

[Zeuhl]

/a dislike of a certain group of people/

how would you justify or rationalise such an opinion dave?

When considering 'slippery slopes' it seems to me that it is exactly that kind of 'opinion' that has led to considerable unpleasantness

[joeluke]

zeuhl.......nope

It was a jewish person who whinged so that they could queue jump.....................according to the article

[chrisgel]

Zeuhl - I think the point is that people are not rational by and large and hold opinions that are accumulated from experience, upbringing etc. If these opinions are abhorrent to most people then one would hope the person holding that opinion would modify his views over time via peer pressure and the obvious disdain of other people.
I would agree with Dave that invoking legislation to try to curb peoples opinions would be a very bad idea indeed.

[jim360]

The superfluous word is "jewish". Everyone who queue-jumps is irritating and rude in doing so. It's hardly something that is specific to the Jewish population.

[joeluke]

Yes but this particular queue jumper was jewish.......

Sentence is not saying a dislike of jews..........only those who queue jump

[sp1814]

jim360

I'd go further...it's not even an identifiable 'Jewish trait'.

In fact, it's odd to mention the queue-jumper's religion at all.

But then, I'm not convinced that this woman is over-blessed with 'smarts'.

[Zeuhl]

joe

the sentence

"I cannot stand Jewish people who whinge so that they can queue jump"

because it specifies jews, leaves open the possibility that anyone Non Jewish whingeing and queue jumping might be ok

it distinguishes the 'hatred' specifically to Jews

[jim360]

ON the other hand, there's no need to bring his religion into it at all. And then, to go down the route this women went, to extend queue jumping to "I can't stand Jewish people." No, you can't stand queue-jumpers. It's a different thing entirely.

[jno]

Sentence is not saying a dislike of jews..........only those who queue jump

Really? Where's it say that?

[Zeuhl]

joe

so saying

'I can't stand black people who move into my neighbourhood'

isn't conveying a dislike of black people

it's a dislike of people who move into your neighbourhood?

that's OK then