Quote:
Originally Posted by Random
Just to play devils advocate...
You have a flower shop...
You have someone wanting to order table pieces... 100 of them, let's say...
They want the center pieces to have icons that you find offensive(insert the confederate flag or the swastica or some other sybol) as the main feature...
Do you take the order or do you refuse on principle?
If you refuse the order because it offends your principle or your belief system, then how can you deny someone else that right?
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It would depend on which country I'm inhabiting. In Germany it is illegal to bear the swastika and to sell items depicting the swastika. So if I were living in Germany, no I would not sell that centre piece because I'd be committing an illegal act. On top of that, I agree with German law as far as the depiction of the
National Socialist swastika (note, that the swastika is
not only an NS symbol).
If I were in Canada, it is not illegal to sell an item depicting the swastika. I would sell it to them, whether the
symbol itself offended me or not because I understand the difference between certain uses of that symbol and the inciting of hatred. It is, however, illegal to propagate hatred through speech, writing or visual representation, and so if any of the above occured in my establishment or were suggested in my establishment, then I would not sell it to them.
As I mentioned above, the swastika isn't only an NS symbol, but is also used in a number of eastern religions as a religious symbol, as well as in various European pagan religions as a religious symbol (though there is a difference between the NS swastika and that found in European pagan religions).
I'd say that same thing goes with the Confederate flag, in that I don't think that it can be deemed as exclusively a symbol of hatred, and so I would have no reason to refuse to sell an individual such a centre piece. Hell, I've seen tons of university students mount Confederate flags if only because they love Pantera, so I'm not that quick to be offended, lol.
But I might also argue that there is a flaw in your playing devil's advocate here. Do you really not see a difference between discrimination and "religious morals"? There is a reason why many nations have laws against intolerant groups and their propaganda. There is a marked difference between protecting the rights of visible or marked minorities and protecting the rights of those whose belief incites or promotes hatred, alienation or oppression of other groups purely on the basis of skin colour, ethnicity, nationality, sex or sexual orientation. If someone wanted me to provide them with an image that depicted a lynching or had "god hates fags" written on it, well I think there are very good reasons for there being laws against that and I'd have very good reasons to refuse them if I gave a damn about promoting a society that protects individuals from discrimination in all aspects of their life. It's not inherently wrong to say "god hates fags" or other homophobic remarks, but it has no place in a society that wants to protect its citizens from discrimination.
Basically, I think striving for the creation of a society free (or as close as possible to it) from discrimination takes precedence over personal inclinations. I might be offended by a Christian cross as a symbol of 2000 years of oppression, but I'm not going to deny Christians the right to enter my restaurant or flower shop or refuse their use of the symbol.