Double standard
A double standard is the application of different sets of principles for similar situations, or to different people in the same situation.[1] A double standard may take the form of an instance in which certain concepts (often, for example, a word, phrase, social norm, or rule) are perceived as acceptable to be applied by one group of people, but are considered unacceptable—taboo—when applied by another group.
The concept of double standard has long been applied (as early as 1872) to different moral structures on men versus women.[2][3]
A double standard, thus, can be described as a sort of biased, morally unfair suspension (toward a certain group) of the principle that all are equal in their freedoms. Such double standards are seen as unjustified because they violate a basic maxim of modern legal jurisprudence: that all parties should stand equal before the law. Double standards also violate the principle of justice known as impartiality, which is based on the assumption that the same standards should be applied to all people, without regard to subjective bias or favoritism based on social class, rank, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age or other distinctions. A double standard violates this principle by holding different people accountable according to different standards. The phrase "life is not fair" may be invoked in order to mollify concerns over double standards.
There is a distinction to be made between double standards and hypocrisy, which implies the stated or presumed acceptance of a single standard a person claims to hold himself or herself accountable to, but which, in practice, may be disregarded. Being hypocritical to the double-standard is then a positive example of hypocrisy as well.
Though the term "double standard" is of relatively recent origins, the concept expressed by it has existed in various cultures from far earlier times. For example,[citation needed] Jewish tradition has interpreted in this light the Biblical injunction in Deuteronomy 25, 13-15
Do not have two differing measures in your house—one large, one small. Do not have two differing weights in your bag—one heavy, one light. You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
The modern Hebrew term for "Double standard" is derived from this Biblical verse - "Eifa Ve'Eifa" (איפה ואיפה) (literally, "two differing measures").[citation needed]
See also
- Discrimination
- Double bind
- Golden rule/ethic of reciprocity
- Morality
- Reciprocity (social and political philosophy)
- Untranslatability
- Quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi
- Paradox
- Contradiction
References
- ^ "Double standard" Dictionary.com
- ^ "Unjust Judgments on Subjects of Morality". The Ecclesiastical Observer. XXV. London: Arthur Hall and Co.: 167–170 April 1, 1872.
- ^
Josephine E. Butler (Nov. 27, 1886). "The Double Standard of Morality". Friends' Intelligencer and Journal. XLIII (48). Philadelphia: Friends' Intelligencer Association: 757–758.
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External links
- Examples