On Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:32:57 +0200, you wrote:
What's evil in being different?
The point is that people use _generic_ differences as a rationale for discrimination against _individuals_. For example, in the US, it has, until recently, been used as an argument against female firefighters, because women, in general, have less upper-body strength than men, and are therefore less able to manage the equipment used. But there are, of course, plenty of women who have upper-body strength significantly above average, as well as men whose upper-body strength is well below average. So the appropriate basis for discrimination is, "Do you have the strength to manage the equipment?" rather than "Are you a man or a woman?" So yes, there are generic differences between As and Bs (whatever categories A and B may represent), but that should not be used as a rationale for discrimination against individual As or Bs, because there is nearly always substantial overlap between the categories in whatever criterion it is that you're measuring. -Steve Schafer