Thursday, March 06, 2008

5193: Complaining, Complaining, Complaining.


Increased complaining in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Job discrimination complaints jumped 9 percent in 2007, the largest increase since the early 1990s, according to data from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. “Corporate America needs to do a better job of proactively preventing discrimination and addressing complaints promptly and effectively,” said a commission official. No comment from Madison Avenue officials, who were probably too busy sexually harassing old, disabled, gay minorities and forcing Jewish creative directors to visit Eastern European brothels.

• Harvard University sparked controversy by banning guys from a gym for a few hours per week to let Muslim women exercise freely, as their religious and cultural traditions make it uncomfortable to work out in the presence of men. A student columnist wrote in a school paper, “I think that it’s incorrect in a college setting to institute a policy in which half of the campus gets wronged or denied a resource that’s supposed to be for everyone.” Look for discrimination complaints from nerdy male students to jump in 2008.

• Aunt Jemima is foul. No, really, she’s foul. Quaker Oats recalled Aunt Jemima Pancake & Waffle Mix products with potential salmonella contamination.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nerdy male students? You ought to be ashamed.

They have singled out men, because it is acceptable, it is politically correct to do so.

Enlightened Westerners properly decry the widespread mistreatment of women in the Islamic world. It is, therefore, astounding that the University is asking its student population to be respectful of Islamic women’s, frankly, medieval notions about men, especially when such notions deprive students of access to a University resource based solely on gender. Would a fair-minded person sense a double standard here? The question scarcely survives its statement.

Denying individuals equal access to a University resource based on the gender or race into which they were born cannot be justified by invoking terms such as “balancing interests” or de minimis harm. Harvard is heading down a slippery slope when it seeks to validate any form of gender discrimination in order to accommodate one cultural interest or another.

But as I say, hey, it's just men, so what the hell? THAT's the problem.

HighJive said...

Well, the story referenced provided more details. First, it’s not the only gym on campus, and it was identified as being one of the least used gyms. Second, the women made an official request, and it was granted. There were no demands or protests involved. It seems like a case of respectful accommodation. This did not seem like some terrible form of discrimination. The Curves franchise of workout gyms has created a females-only audience. Is it really outrageous for a single, small facility to do likewise for a few hours per week?