I might have my complaints about Georgia and I'm not always proud of this very red state, but I don't think anything makes me shake my head quite like California.
Maybe I'm just a rebel. Maybe I'm a little out there, but I'm just not a fan of state governments sticking their nose where it doesn't belong.
I came across this article about a bill that is about to go into effect in California, which would ban department stores from having their toy displays separated by gender.
California Seeks Gender Neutral Displays in Large Stores | California News | US News
It is absolutely absurd that a bill was presented in the first place in regards to how department stores can display their products. The only possible reason that that would make sense is if certain types of displays were unsafe and stores continued to use them anyway. In that instance, I could see the law getting involved. Or if a store was turning people away based on their race. I could see the law getting involved in that situation, but to make a law restricting what decisions that a business can make regarding what kind of products they carry or how they display it just to push a petty agenda is insane. And yes, it is a petty agenda.
First of all, with everything going on in this world, how the hell is this anyone's priority? Seriously. If this is what you are doing with your time as a lawmaker, then why are you a lawmaker? There are plenty of kids with plenty of stories. To pick a toy display issue as a priority is an...interesting choice.
Secondly, it seems that everyone behind this bill has a very twisted view of what the word "forced" means. The bill became an idea when a 9 year old named Britten said she felt "uncomfortable" going into the boys section because it wasn't designed for girls. (You can read more about her story here. 9-Year-Old Inspires Bill to Ban Gender-Based Toy Sections (spectrumnews1.com) ) The next thing you know, a lawmaker who felt inspired by the story starts going on about how kids shouldn't be forced to pick their toys based on gender. He then proceeded to draft legislation that would force stores to comply with his view of how things should be displayed in their stores.
So to sum up, no force was used on this girl in any way to make her or her family buy girl toys, and in response to this terribly offensive, no force situation, the people who are opposed to people being forced to view things are certain way are using the law to try to force people to view things a certain way. What an absolute joke.
Here is my opinion on toys-I think it is ridiculous when parents freak out about their kids only having toys that were designed based on gender. I don't agree with parents telling their kids what they have to like, which takes all the fun out of toy shopping anyway, instead of letting them decide for themselves what they actually like and what they are interested in. And I do think that it's harmful when kids have to constantly try to act like whatever their parents are trying to mold them into. However, that doesn't change my opinion about the role of government. Yes, kids should be kids, but a business should be run how the business owners want that business to be run. To create a law that tells businesses how to display toys because one kid felt uncomfortable is absolutely nuts! It's none of the government's concern! Business owners should be able to make these kinds of decisions without government intervention and parents should be able to decide for themselves if they want to take their business to stores that don't have gender neutral displays.
Why is it so controversial to think that businesses should be able to make their own choices? As long as a company is not violating anyone else's freedoms, the law shouldn't be involved. Not even a little bit. Take mask policies, for example. Most people who oppose mask requirements in stores argue that customers should have the freedom to determine for themselves if they want to wear a mask. Since when does freedom mean that you are entitled to be on any property or visit any business you want to without having to follow any of the policies that the store has in place? What about the freedom of business owners? It's their property. Don't they have a right to say what behaviors are acceptable on their own property?
Or consider vaccine requirements. Florida can be just as ridiculous as California sometimes. And it is ridiculous that the governor saw fit to tell cruises whether or not they're allowed to require vaccination in order for customers to come aboard. First of all, let's not forget the unique situation the pandemic has put cruise ships through. People were stranded on board during outbreaks. Would you want to be stranded on a ship because there was an outbreak? Wouldn't you want to do something to avoid people from being trapped at sea once a vaccine was available? Even if you don't consider those things, of course these companies should be able to decide this for themselves. They should absolutely be able to determine how their own ships are used. Like the little girl in the department store, whether or not DeSantis feels "uncomfortable" about it really has nothing to do with it.
The government has bigger things to worry about in these cases. I see no reason why they should keep sticking their nose where it doesn't belong.
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