Double Standards
By Jan Larson (09/18/06)
Double standard - "any code or set of principles containing different provisions for one group of people than for another."
- dictionary.com
If we agree that it is wrong to categorize people into groups based on generalities such as race, ethnicity, disability or gender, rather than treat each as a unique individual, double standards are inherently wrong. However, no one can deny that we live in a world of double standards.
Double standards are most often applied to majority groups or the groups that traditionally wield power. In the United States, the group that faces the most double standards are whites, particularly white males. Ironically, it is this application of double standards that constitutes a tacit oppression of the group least likely, by conventional wisdom, to be victims of any kind of oppression or discrimination.
Have you noticed that on television programs and commercials, and even in the comic pages, that all things being equal, the white male is most often made to be the one that is the butt of the joke, the fall guy or the loser? A good example is the series of commercials for the online travel site, orbitz.com.
Orbitz’ series of ads feature game show host Wink Martindale hosting a fictitious game show called “Take on Orbitz.” In every commercial in which the “contestants” include one white male and anyone other than a while male, the white male is always the loser. Do you think it would go unnoticed if every black woman that appeared were the loser? White males are easy to target in this way for the simple reason that they don’t complain.
The case of schoolteacher Debra Lafave demonstrates a blatant example of a double standard. Lafave was convicted of having a sexual relationship with a 14-year old male student, but received no jail time. Where was the outrage? Well, there wasn’t much, certainly not as much as if Lafave had been a seedy old man with a 14-year old girl. When it comes to “hot” teachers and sex with young men, there is clearly a “nudge, nudge, wink, wink” double standard in the criminal justice system.
The University of Virginia’s student newspaper, The Cavalier Daily, recently published two cartoons derogatory to Christians. Did anyone at the university or newspaper apologize? Well, not yet, but that certainly wasn’t the case when, in 2005, the same paper published a cartoon with an offensive reference to gays. Shortly thereafter the paper issued an apology “to those that were offended.”
The difference? Christians are in the majority while gays are not. It’s OK to bash the majority according to the modern double standards. I wonder if the paper would be so cavalier (no pun intended) with respect to a cartoon offending Muslims?
The Black Coaches Association is waging a battle to get more blacks hired as head coaches in college football. Currently five of the 119 Division I-A head coaches are black. Not surprisingly, the Association has no problem with the fact that blacks comprise a disproportionately large percent (46%) of college football players. Care to guess what would happen if there was a parallel effort brought forth to increase the number of white players in college football? For that matter, I wonder what the members of the BCA would say if a White Coaches Association even existed? Double standard? You make the call.
There is a Congressional Black Caucus. Why not a Congressional White Caucus?
There are “Miss Black USA” and “Miss Latina US” pageants, but no “Miss White America” pageant.
Affirmative action programs can get an otherwise unqualified minority student into college, but there are no such programs for unqualified white students.
A few years ago, 2003 to be exact, there was a well-publicized effort by Martha Burk to coerce the Augusta National Golf Club to admit women members. Club chairman Hootie Johnson stood his ground and Augusta remains a male-only club. In the ultimate of ironies, and a double standard worthy of classification as a “double secret double standard,” Martha Burk represents National Council of Women's Organizations! I can only wonder how many men Martha Burk has helped join these organizations in the past three years.
Copyright ©2006 Jan A. Larson All rights reserved.
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