Randolph County HB2: The most hateful county in North Carolina
Even more interesting is the Courier Tribune ran a non-scientific public opinion poll of Randolph County citizens showing that the respondents were against HB2. This means that Randolph County Government literally voted to support a measure that was entirely superfluous and did so against the opinion of its constituents. This despite there has never been a single instance of a need for this law in Randolph County, and the absolute silliness of all this as it's completely unenforceable and will be completely ignored.
If anything will come of this measure it's hostility. Hostility not towards LGBT people (though it definitely could) but hostility towards non-LGBT individuals, those who don't conform to traditional gender stereotypes. How long before ambiguity leads to confrontation? How long before someone takes HB2 into their own hands and it leads to violence? Violence against these same women and men that HB2 purports to protect.
If this law was aimed at other minorities we would call it racism. If it was aimed at foreigners we would call it xenophobic and it's important to remember that the words and expressions of local government who support HB2 is nothing short of hate speech. Unlike the U.S., hate speech is largely been criminalized in Europe thanks to a 2008 European Union decision. What's that got to do with little Randolph County? Why are companies pulling out of North Carolina? Because almost every multi-national corporation currently operating in this great state of ours, which also operates within countries that fall under the European Union framework are at risk of being in violation the 2008 decision should they be forced to implement HB2. The higher legal standard applies. Even with regard to U.S. law, the possibility for a lawsuit due to violence or a hostile workplace is enough to send companies running.
In all honesty, they should. Run away from this place until it's inclusive to people of all gender, race and religious beliefs. This is totalitarianism at its worst. It's hateful, wrong and morally repulsive.
In ancient Rome entertainment was Gladiators killing people in the arena. They worshiped pagan gods and did all sorts of immoral things the appease them. Then Christ came and Christianity influenced the roman culture. The moral law giver became a man and out of that grew personal hygiene and respect for personal privacy. I'm for progress in the right direction not regress in the wrong direction.
ReplyDeleteThe bathroom portion of HB2 was used as a red herring because the authors of the bill (the real authors probably aren't NC residents) knew this would be the most inflammatory and controversial and so would garner most of the public's and media's attention. It serves nicely as a smoke screen for the other provisions of the bill that have a much broader and significant impact on us. The Republican party has long championed the notion of smaller and more local government, yet HB2 sucks the powers of local community government away from them and the people they serve (and who put it in place) and gives it to the state. Our state Legislature is opposed to Federal power and to local power, so that leaves...who? Right, the STATE, i.e., the Legislature (and the special interests that control it). If HB2 is truly a "bathroom" bill, then why are all those other provisions hooked to it? If they're main concern was really the safety of people who use public restrooms, why isn't HB2 not simply a STAND ALONE "bathroom" bill? Why connect it to other provisions that might not be as palatable to those citizens who support the "bathroom" portion of the bill. We've been snookered by one of the oldest tricks in the hustler's repertoire: misdirection. How many legislators do you really think went sleepless worrying all night about who was using which restroom before the poor hapless leaders of Charlotte gave them the opportunity to use an emotional (on both sides) controversy as a smoke screen to seize power away from local cities, municipalities, and ordinary citizens? People in Randolph county aren't haters, at least, no more than people in all the other counties, regardless of their politics. They are mostly hard-working people who don't have the time to dive deeply into everything their state government does. Like everyone in every other county they get duped by politicians seeking to divide them (us) with inflammatory headline grabbing issues aided by and sometimes with the complicity and/or complacency of a media that is neither useful nor trustworthy. They (we) are preyed upon by forces that would divide them in order to conquer them. Now that is what the people of Randolph County and the rest of the state should be angry, very angry, about.
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