Don’t steal Ladies Night from the men

Published 8:27 am Monday, August 2, 2010

Never once have I professed to speak for men worldwide. At times seeing male behavior sickens me, but on occasion someone must stand up and put a stop to a foot-in-the-door injustice being perpetrated upon all of us in the name of ending discrimination.

Reuters, a worldwide news agency, obtained an email from the new head of the Minnesota Department of Human Rights cracking down on Ladies Nights. The email, from Commissioner James Kirkpatrick, states that Ladies Nights deny “men the right to the ‘full and equal enjoyment’ of the goods of a place of public accommodation because of sex.”

“Gender-based pricing violates the Human Rights Act,” he wrote.

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Is it not enough women earn on average about 30 percent less than men in the business world? Is it not enough that in most functioning households the women run the finances, the meals, the children?

And now some malcontent wants to take away a minimal discount on drinks?

This decision really isn’t about costing women money on drinks. It’s allowing the door to the ridiculous to be opened a little bit wider. Once the foot is in the door — in this case something as minuscule as Ladies Night — the attack moves to other “discriminatory” acts.

Time to get rid of Faith Night at the old ballpark. I mean if someone does not have faith, but likes baseball, aren’t they being discriminated against because a ball team is catering to the faithful?

Adios children eat free at the local motor lodge. Why should children get all the breaks? I cannot eat for free.

Ask the better percentage of the man world, and I would guess the answers would be similar: Get rid of Ladies Night? Yeah, whatever.

A man goes to a bar for two things — cold drinks and women. A man wouldn’t care if a bar owner gave away drinks, pedicures, manicures, new shoes and a department store shopping spree if any one would attract more women to a bar.

Banning Ladies Night will hurt men as much as it hurts the women. Banning real discrimination is paramount to a functioning society, but this is a stretch at best.

Every once in a while the door gets jarred open and must be slammed shut. Preferably on Mr. Kirkpatrick’s foot.

Sean P. Murphy is web editor. He can be reached at smurphy@vicksburgpost.com