Monday 4 November 2013

The Hammer of Legislation.

It being November 5th tomorrow – Bonfire Night in Britain – I’m reminded of something that happened back in the late 70s when the mania for anti-discrimination legislation was becoming fashionable.

I was driving home one Bonfire Night when I saw a dog running back and forth across the road, obviously scared out of its wits by the sound of a war zone filling the air. I stopped, persuaded the poor animal into the car, and took it home. The next day I set about placing an ad in the Lost & Found section of the local paper:

‘Found on Bonfire Night in Anchor Road, Longton: Stray dog, medium size, short haired, black and brown, male.’

‘You can’t say “male” said the woman.’

‘Why not?’

‘It’s against the Sex Discrimination Act.’

‘But I’m not discriminating. I’m stating a fact.’

‘All the same…’

‘So if you cover a road accident in which a man gets run over by a bus, you can’t say it’s a man?’

‘That’s different. That’s a factual news report.’

‘This is a factual finding of a stray dog.’

‘Ah, but it’s in the ads section.’

‘I don’t suppose I can say ‘not bitch’ can I?’

‘No. Same thing.’

‘But this means that people who’ve lost bitches will be wasting their time calling me, which would be so easy to avoid just by making it clear that it’s a male dog.’

‘I know, but that’s how it is these days.’

I could have gone on. I could have asked what happens if you want to sell clothing that’s specifically men’s or women’s, which most clothing is, but it was obvious I was onto a loser. Over the next couple of days I had six calls, five from people who'd lost bitches. And the sixth was unsuccessful, so I kept the dog.

I’m not saying that legislating against discrimination isn’t sometimes necessary, but legislation is often a blunt instrument that’s quite inadequate for dealing with complex and sensitive issues. It’s as likely to hit your thumb as it is to hit the nail, especially when it’s being interpreted by bureaucrats and media people. Education is better. Enough said.

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