So, why is the private business section (Title II) in the Civil Rights Act? Why did the federal government feel it had to dictate to private business? Why wasn't 'separate but equal' working in private business?
There were many reasons. In the south, as businesses denied services and goods to blacks, they could - there were black businesses that dealt with black customers, or created a separate entrance, or a contained area, it was reinforcing a class system, along with a degradation of a segment of the population. White businesses, because of a strong, richer white majority within the population were destined to do better, to demand better prices from suppliers, deal with strong, white banks, be able to withstand fluctuations in the market and economy. Black businesses were at a disadvantage - catering to a poorer segment of the population, which weren't able to advance because of discriminatory policies in hiring, unable to get the same type of loan advantages from black banks, because the deposits in black banks were much smaller, because the earning base of blacks were less, unable to get as good of deals from suppliers, more susceptible to economic ups and down, all created for a more fragile business climate in the black community. Which reinforced the class system in the south. Black businesses were more likely to fail - meaning even less income opportunity in the black community.
As black businesses failed - white business could force black clients to pay more for the exact same goods. If the black farm supply company eventually went out of business, because the farmers it supplied couldn't sell their produce to white restaurants, and the black restaurants were so few and far between that they just couldn't sustain all the black farms, then the few that were left would be forced to buy from the white farm supply company - at inflated prices, therefore causing more black business to fail. Eventually black communities would be entirely dependent on the white majority, a type of slavery.
Separate but equal is anything but equal. With an unequal number of players - such as the white majority/black minority situation in the south - equality quickly becomes inequality.
It makes no difference on the makeup of minority and majority - race, gender, sexual preference, creed, if discrimination is allowed in private business the majority will become stronger and the minority will become weaker, it is exactly what a free market dictates. Capitalism reinforces a class system if you have a majority that is able to dictate 'terms' to the minority. As long as whites are in a majority, they will 'win' the war of attrition in a free market which allows discrimination.
This isn't a question of racism - is it a question of creating class systems within the United States based on things that individuals have no choice in - the color of their skin, their sex... What happens when a majority turns into a monopoly, it has happened in history over and over and over again, even in America. Does the constitution protect the minority, the weak, or does it allow the majority, the strong to dictate? Because that is the inevitable outcome. The majority will dictate.
So, Cal and Shag and KS - why don't you just state what Rand Paul stated (and then retracted) that private business should be allowed to discriminate? You are dancing all around it with 'rights are self evident' and 'right to property' comparing CRA to tyrannical law or that our 'American society values' will prevail. There has to be a reason you are balking and skirting the issue - what is that reason?
However shag - you have said over and over again that we basically do not evolve in any quick measurable time frame - so why do you think we have evolved from some pretty basic human tendencies - the human tendency is to discriminate - why would some fuzzy 'American Value' trump our natural, human tendency. We won't evolve beyond this for a long time to come... what happens in the meantime? Will we magically rise above our natural tendencies?
Are we noble?
There were many reasons. In the south, as businesses denied services and goods to blacks, they could - there were black businesses that dealt with black customers, or created a separate entrance, or a contained area, it was reinforcing a class system, along with a degradation of a segment of the population. White businesses, because of a strong, richer white majority within the population were destined to do better, to demand better prices from suppliers, deal with strong, white banks, be able to withstand fluctuations in the market and economy. Black businesses were at a disadvantage - catering to a poorer segment of the population, which weren't able to advance because of discriminatory policies in hiring, unable to get the same type of loan advantages from black banks, because the deposits in black banks were much smaller, because the earning base of blacks were less, unable to get as good of deals from suppliers, more susceptible to economic ups and down, all created for a more fragile business climate in the black community. Which reinforced the class system in the south. Black businesses were more likely to fail - meaning even less income opportunity in the black community.
As black businesses failed - white business could force black clients to pay more for the exact same goods. If the black farm supply company eventually went out of business, because the farmers it supplied couldn't sell their produce to white restaurants, and the black restaurants were so few and far between that they just couldn't sustain all the black farms, then the few that were left would be forced to buy from the white farm supply company - at inflated prices, therefore causing more black business to fail. Eventually black communities would be entirely dependent on the white majority, a type of slavery.
Separate but equal is anything but equal. With an unequal number of players - such as the white majority/black minority situation in the south - equality quickly becomes inequality.
It makes no difference on the makeup of minority and majority - race, gender, sexual preference, creed, if discrimination is allowed in private business the majority will become stronger and the minority will become weaker, it is exactly what a free market dictates. Capitalism reinforces a class system if you have a majority that is able to dictate 'terms' to the minority. As long as whites are in a majority, they will 'win' the war of attrition in a free market which allows discrimination.
This isn't a question of racism - is it a question of creating class systems within the United States based on things that individuals have no choice in - the color of their skin, their sex... What happens when a majority turns into a monopoly, it has happened in history over and over and over again, even in America. Does the constitution protect the minority, the weak, or does it allow the majority, the strong to dictate? Because that is the inevitable outcome. The majority will dictate.
So, Cal and Shag and KS - why don't you just state what Rand Paul stated (and then retracted) that private business should be allowed to discriminate? You are dancing all around it with 'rights are self evident' and 'right to property' comparing CRA to tyrannical law or that our 'American society values' will prevail. There has to be a reason you are balking and skirting the issue - what is that reason?
However shag - you have said over and over again that we basically do not evolve in any quick measurable time frame - so why do you think we have evolved from some pretty basic human tendencies - the human tendency is to discriminate - why would some fuzzy 'American Value' trump our natural, human tendency. We won't evolve beyond this for a long time to come... what happens in the meantime? Will we magically rise above our natural tendencies?
Are we noble?