The Skyliner

Issue date: 2/21/07 Section: Opinion

Ryan Stone
Visual Arts Editor


I was doing my daily web surfing Sunday when I stumbled upon a rather disturbing article. In California, a doctor, Dr. Gary Merrill, denied service to a little girl because her mother had tattoos.

"The doctor said he is just following his beliefs, creating a Christian atmosphere for his patients," according to healthbolt.net.

On top of that, Merrill has a sign in his office that reads, "This is a private office. Appearance and behavior standards apply."

In recent months, there has been a move of multiple businesses doing rather daring things like refusing services for whatever reasons the administration deems appropriate. The excuses for refusal of service go further than the usual restraints of the "no shoes, no shirt, no service" idea.

I recently saw on CNN a man who refuses business to anyone who does not speak English. So why is this a big deal? As Americans become more ignorant of the world around them, more occurrences like this will happen and eventually many people will become more ethnocentric.

I actually applaud businesses like Pizza Patron who is offering southern California residents a pizza for pesos program. Instead of paying for pizza with dollars, customers can pay with pesos. I think that it is a great idea to embrace situations like immigration with a new approach.

Perhaps Dr. Gary Merrill should take another look at how he treats his patients and instead of a bigoted approach to healthcare, he should think of an innovative way to embrace the customers he feels less comfortable with.

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