This is the sort of thing that gives liberals a bad name.
And Californians.
So there’s a bill up in the California Assembly (Bill 2826) that would legislate (with fines, even) how stores could set up their toy aisles.
Now, I happen to agree (basically) with where the bill is coming from: there really are no “boy” or “girl” toys.
As the meme goes: “Do you operate this toy with your junk?”
- no: this toy is for any children
- yes: this toy is not for children
So I’m sympathetic to someone wanting stores to stop it with the stupid pink and blue sections. Really.
But this is not something the government should be getting involved in.
Really: we don’t want to have the party-currently-in-power passing laws regulating every facet of life however they see fit.
The ongoing attempts to do that by the religious right are one of the most odious things about them, after all. You don’t want to be like that.
And you shouldn’t be allowed to.
The State should absolutely not have the authority to legislate things like this. This is a cultural conflict, and one where (as long as no other laws are broken) neither side is directly harming the other.
The existence of a pink toy aisle does not harm anyone.
Sure, it’s lame and annoying but those are not harms.
And Barbie being shelved next to a baseball doesn’t harm anyone either.
I really don’t understand why people do this.
But apparently the temptation to use a public office to try to force their lifestyle choices on others is a failing that crosses the political spectrum, so we need to do something about it.
The state Constitution needs to be amended to limit legislation intrusion into the lives of the citizens to limiting harm, and risk of harm.
Actually, it’s not just a California problem.
Although we do seem to be afflicted with it more visibly than others.
So I guess we need to change the federal Constitution too.
