Monday, January 23, 2012

Explain Your Bigotry Please

So I'm late to the party, as usually happens when something like this happens over the weekend, but I wanted to express my own distaste at the open displays of bigotry that are becoming ever more evident.

So remember Jessica Ahlquist? The girl that won her court case against prayer in public schools, who was called some terrible, condescending names in the media, but who held strong and saw her cause through to the end? Well, the Freedon from Religion Foundation wanted to send her flowers as a sign of encouragement, and lo and behold, the florists in Cranston, RI refused. PZ has given the links to the four florists' websites in hopes we might all voice our displeasure (civilly), and while one link is only a google-maps reference (which now has some hilarious comments to its name), only one had an email address to contact them by. I, living far far away, did what I could to be scathingly civil in the following email I sent to Floral Express:

To whom it may concern,

I am writing you because I have a question regarding your delivery policies. It has come to my attention that your floral shop has refused to deliver roses to a teenager in Cranston, RI because she is an atheist. While I am perfectly aware that, as a private organization you are fully within your rights to discriminate against whomever you choose, I simply wanted some clarification. Reading the "About Us" section of your website I found no reference to your business being religiously affiliated in any way. If it is a Christian business I wanted to know why it was not more clearly stated, and whether or not your delivery policy extended to other groups as well. For example, do you also have a policy not to deliver to Muslim or Jewish families? Openly homosexual couples?
Some clarification from you would be greatly appreciated, as well as a more detailed policy to be published on your website to avoid customer confusion in the future when making online orders and having them refused.

Thank you for your time

Crys

Ever one to want to hear both sides of the story, I am very curious what response I will get, though I think it doubtful I will get any. For those of you that live there and therefore with more direct means of contacting these businesses, here's the link again where you can find their phone numbers. Discrimination is something that should be shunned and abhorred, not tolerated to the point that this 16 year old girl becomes a social paraiah for exercising her constitutional rights.

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