Recently I've been watching a highly political video regarding the repeal of the Civil Rights Act, which claims these laws aren't needed because the free market naturally makes discriminatory businesses unprofitable.

    I am highly skeptical of some of the assertions made in the video and wanted to ask: What would actually happen to the economy if the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (and similar global laws) were repealed to allow for "total freedom of association"? Specifically, would the market naturally penalize businesses that choose to discriminate, or would it lead to systemic exclusion?

    Here are the economic assertions that i found relevant in his video.

    The Profit Incentive Against Discrimination: The primary economic argument is that discrimination is "bad for business." A company that refuses service to a specific group loses out on potential revenue and cedes market share to competitors who are willing to serve everyone. [00:01:52]

    The Japan Example: The video points to Japan as a modern first-world nation that lacks formal laws prohibiting private racial or religious discrimination, yet maintains a stable economy because widespread exclusion "doesn't make economic sense." [00:01:29]

    Market Competition as a Regulator: Using a ramen stand analogy, the guy asserts that if one business discriminates, a competitor will open to serve the excluded group, earn more profit, and potentially drive the discriminatory business out of the market. [00:02:05]

    These are (i think) some of the more controversial and possibly not related to economics ones

    The Cost of "Disparate Impact" Standards: The video claims current laws enforce an "equity fallacy" where unequal outcomes are treated as proof of discrimination. This leads to the lowering of academic or professional standards to avoid legal liability, which reduces overall economic value. [00:04:51]

    Incentives Against Integration: He argues that protected status creates an incentive to remain a "victim" rather than organically integrating into the economy, contrasting this with historical groups like Irish immigrants who integrated without civil rights laws. [00:09:17]

    If we removed/repealed Civil Rights act of 1964 , would discriminatory businesses fail?
    byu/ChingChong-100 inAskEconomics



    Posted by ChingChong-100

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