Freedom of business

[vivster]

pokoko said:
I guess I'll give my take on the issue. I've been a co-owner in one small business and a sole proprietor in another, both store-fronts with multiple employees, both successful and in operation for multiple years before I sold. My mother owned a successful restaurant for several years, where I worked throughout high school.

The question, as I see it, is about fairness and having valid and logical rules which apply to everyone. What does someone being gay, or black, or hispanic, or white have to do with my business? If I make an exclusionary rule, does it serve a positive purpose for my business? I think part of being a business owner is having a responsibility to being professional and treating everyone who walks in the door as equal potential business partners UNLESS they do something which takes away that privilege.

I just really can't see a reason why I would ever not do business with someone because of something which has nothing to do with the business itself. It makes no sense to me. It would be purely selfish and putting my own personal opinions ahead of the interests of the business. A person who does that on a broad basis deserves to lose their stake.

Here is a small example. A restaurant which lies in a very right wing and deeply religious neighborhood. It's bad business for me if my majority of customers start to puke out my food when they see a gay couple kissing or just holding hands.

There are reasons for everything. Be it business wise or just personal. Personal priciples and ideologies are stronger when it comes to things that only have a very minor impact on business. For example not having the business of 0.1 of my customers who are gay. Or 0.1% of my customers who wear metal themed t-shirts when I don't like metal at all. They can tell their gay and metal friends that they shouldn't come here but I wouldn't give a fuck because it has next to no impact on my business but gives me inner peace instead.

The problem here is that for these decisions which affect no one but me and my customers I get the hate and threats of all the internet SJWs combined which may really hurt my business when they start picketing my store. I don't think that is really fair, especially coming from people who proclaim they're for equality and anti discrimination.

It's the old vicious circle of not having freedoms without taking some from someone else.