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Burlington Self-Survey on Human Relations: Final report, 1950
Page 29
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29 A glance at the additional comments shows that the great preponderance of them, at least 71 percent, set forth props or excuses for practicing discrimination. Only one category, ("Do not refuse to serve anyone"), covering 13 percent of all comments made, expresses an outright philosophy of equal service. As indicated above, however, the value of these comments lies in their implication of underlying causes for existent discrimination and in the guides they hold for community leaders seeking approaches to implementing democracy. An enforced public policy of non-discrimination would directly eliminate 22 percent of the reasons given for discriminating. Experience has shown that legislation with teeth in it has an influence on individual (social) attitudes, which in the immediate instance, would mean an influence on an additional 10 percent commenting that they "would rather not serve Negroes." Since such public policy would also establish a new precedent in the community, we can reasonably predict that it would finally have its affect on those establishments that either "never have" or generally no not" serve Negroes. In short, to the extent that the public amusements entrepreneurs in Burlington exhibit a community identity, responsive to community mores, to that extent are they open to community change and progress.
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29 A glance at the additional comments shows that the great preponderance of them, at least 71 percent, set forth props or excuses for practicing discrimination. Only one category, ("Do not refuse to serve anyone"), covering 13 percent of all comments made, expresses an outright philosophy of equal service. As indicated above, however, the value of these comments lies in their implication of underlying causes for existent discrimination and in the guides they hold for community leaders seeking approaches to implementing democracy. An enforced public policy of non-discrimination would directly eliminate 22 percent of the reasons given for discriminating. Experience has shown that legislation with teeth in it has an influence on individual (social) attitudes, which in the immediate instance, would mean an influence on an additional 10 percent commenting that they "would rather not serve Negroes." Since such public policy would also establish a new precedent in the community, we can reasonably predict that it would finally have its affect on those establishments that either "never have" or generally no not" serve Negroes. In short, to the extent that the public amusements entrepreneurs in Burlington exhibit a community identity, responsive to community mores, to that extent are they open to community change and progress.
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