We all know what discrimination is right? Discrimination is when you deny something to someone else based on a difference....any difference. Let me pose an example: not too long ago I walked in to a liquor store and watched as the assistant manager practically pole vaulted 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 wore my two hundred dollar jacket, my hair was combed, my shoes tied.
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 bitch 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 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, people 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 man 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 or leave that I would not send a white waitress to his table. He swallowed his pride and soon he was asking for the black waitress! So what if someone has purple hair or a nose ring if they can do the job...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 sponsored prejudices.

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 stigmatism. 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, 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, 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.

But no the moral right cries they could 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. Should a drug bust when you are 18 disqualify you from working for the rest of your life? 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 familar 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 your better than others with out knowing them, then you are practicing prejudice. The federal government is 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..
More from John