- Double standard
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For the monetary usage, see Bimetallism.
A double standard is the unjust application of different sets of principles for similar situations. The concept implies that a single set of principles encompassing all situations (a "single standard") is the desirable ideal.[1] The term has been used in print since at least 1895.[2] 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.
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, species 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, 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").
See also
References
- ^ "Double standard" Dictionary.com
- ^ See "Purity Alliance Work; Proceedings of the Congress Held in Baltimore Yesterday" New York Times, October 16, 1895. NYT subscription required for archival searches.
External links
- Examples
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