Digiscrap Discrimiation

I had to speak out today about discrimination. I've received a couple of emails and a few private messages telling me that I was out of line. Let me tell you what happened.

There was a designer call asking specifically for Christian designers. The store owner wanted testimonies, church affiliations and alot of information that is highly inappropriate for a business. You must understand that there are different mindsets within the digiscrapping community. There are those that take this lightly, that are off and on. It's more of a hobby. Then there are those that want Digital Scrapbooking to be recognized and respected as a business. When I say that I work from home I want people to understand that the reason I have a sign on my door and posted hours of business is because I'm busy. I have set hours. I take lunch. I purchase trade magazines and keep up with business trends. I look at different marketing ideas. I treat my job here as a business. Many of us do.

I have written in the past about digital designing as a hobby versus a business. Apparently, it went unnoticed by those that needed to hear/see it most. So let's revisit this topic.

When you are operating a business, be it a virtual business on the internet or a brick and mortar establishment, there are rules that have to be followed. You keep track of taxes. If you have employees, even if they are independent contractors, there are management duties. You must keep records of payouts.

Now there are those that jump into this business (and yes it really is a business) thinking that they can make a quick buck, make massive amounts of cash and then retire to Fiji. That's the fantasy. The reality is that our market is so saturated that it is sometimes difficult for those who can make a decent living to actually make one. The recession has hit us all. People aren't buying like they used to. And unless you've been established for awhile, the likelihood of pulling in 4 or 5 hundred a month is slim.

But let me get back to the issue. When you work at a company, there are guidelines. The owners can't ask you if you're married, how many children you have, if you're gay, how old you are, do you hold down other jobs, what religion you are. Now they can NOT hire you for any reason, but if they give a reason, please GOD don't let it be one of those federally protected things. There are fines to pay. You could lose it all. And if you say these things to me: I'm not hiring Muslims, blacks, single women, people over 40 whatever... I will own you. It's called discrimination. Haven't we had enough of that nonsense in this country already?

Now there are those who would argue that there are companies that hire only Mormons or Black people or gays or whomever they choose. I am not an idiot and I know that they aren't either. And if I went to apply for a job at a Mormon bookstore in my full Islamic wear, they would be cordial and take my application and a few days later I would get the call that they had filled the position or I wasn't quite right for the job or something. But you can bet your hinnie that they wouldn't tell me that it was because I was a muslim.

This isn't the 50s or 60s when it was perfectly acceptable (though still incredibly wrong) to tell people that they couldn't be a receptionist because the company didn't want colored girls in the front lobby. Some of us have experienced this first hand and now when we see it still years, DECADES later, we have to speak out and let you know that it's wrong.

Now what you do with that information is between you and your God. But know that the God I believe in is all inclusive.


(Next time, I really will stick to the business versus hobby thing)

PEACE!
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