Sensitive Hands

[David Boots]

Sure, I have a perspective but if we are not careful it won’t be long before I am not allowed to express it freely.

I disagree with the suggestion that this is not a big problem. In my view it is the thin edge of a great big fat wedge. Look at these everyday examples of religous sensitivity imposing behaviour or opinion on others:

• Richard Dawkins was recently de-platformed because he could potentially cause offence;
• Posting any criticism of islam will result in your content being de-monetised on youtube or pulled on facebook.

No doubt I am biased; but that doesnt preclude me being correct. In my case I can relate to you what happened at our work. I employed a junior lawyer a few years ago. We have two offices and at the office she was working at we had promotional type material on a tv screen in the waiting room. A simple slideshow of graphics.

A couple of weeks after she started she complained to me about the images on the screen being offensive. Not having ever really paid attention to them before – I looked at them and couldnt see a problem. No staff or clients had ever complained.

Anyway, we removed the ‘offending’ images. No big deal really. Other than the lost cost of paying some graphics guy – no harm all round.

A few weeks later she had to be in a room alone with a male client. She rang me and told me she couldnt do it. Now I started paying attention. It turned out she wasnt allowed to drive either. This meant she couldnt get between the offices easily during the day.

So not only was her religion an imposition on her but an imposition on us and a burden on other staff. But it was the business who had to accomodate her – not the other way round. Despite not revealing to us these characteristics of her employment at her interview – there was never an offer by her let alone a suggestion that she would adapt to her environment.

So we worked with her and found ways to get the job done. At worst it was an inconvenience and an impediment but not fatal. Several months went by and all was fine. That is until we hired a muslim girl. Within a week the jewish girl had quit.

When we hire people we dont care about their religion or race or gender. We are only interested in their capability. But it is impossible to have a workplace that runs efficiently when you have different religions taking offence at different things or worse still refusing to work with people of other religions.

 

[Simon Paynton]

That’s an interesting point you make about the workplace, @davidboots.

I think the points about Richard Dawkins and Youtube are separate issues.  I’ve posted comments about Islam on Facebook, the same as I have on Atheist Zone, and nothing’s happened to them.  People get de-platformed all the time, and that is really a de-platforming issue rather than religious.

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