Quote:
Originally Posted by FoolThemAll
In the sense that the right to life is only a right when others let you live. In the sense that all moral judgments are equally arbitrary. Sure. I'm okay with residing within that miles-wide definition of 'arbitrary'.
|
Good. Now, the next time you see fit to argue matters of morality, remember that arguing that a given thing should be simply because it is
moral is a waste of time. It's as useful as getting all huffy about aesthetics. You know, like forming a passionate argument for why purple is
the best color.
Quote:
|
Why are you even slightly passionate about your own position, then? Sounds like the wind's blowing both ways in your world.
|
I know how I think things ought to be, but it isn't really relevant here. I'm not interested in arguing about what is right or wrong.
Quote:
|
The hell you didn't. Terms like 'failed' and 'inability' are pretty obviously loaded. If you wanted to pretend neutrality about the issue, "certain landlords didn't satisfy the general public with their actions" would've shrouded your obvious endorsement at least a little better. 'Failed' and 'inability' clearly carry the implication that a job was not done as it should have been done.
|
So wait... Are you trying to get all PC on me? Was my language too mean? Holy smokes. You're right. How's this: Those poor widdle wacist wandwodes got all mixed up in being wacist wandwodes and mean ode west of america towd dem dat dey coodnt be wacist wandwodes any mow.
Quote:
|
Did you really imagine that I wasn't talking about rights in the moral sense? The legal sense is pretty clear-cut. There's not much to debate there.
|
Were you hoping to tap some hidden reservoir of debate? Because there isn't much to debate with respect to "moral" rights either. You either think something is a moral right or you don't-- there isn't a lot of wiggle room.
Quote:
|
Well, you'd be about as likely to phrase it that way as a neutral observer using "failed miserably". But is there some other unifying principle besides 'they're being mean to prospective tenants'? What separates this case from punishing meanness in general?
|
Broadly-scoped patterns of discrimination tend to have far reaching effects that overshadow any sort of quaint notion of meanness. When entire neighborhoods become segregated because it is profitable to segregate them then the situation has moved beyond meanness. Do you think the worst thing about racism is that it is mean?