The joy of double standards

Write something light yet poignant about double standards, said TheEditor calmly and with an inviting smile.

Around here, calm and inviting smile tend to be synonyms for "take it as a challenge, and, well, don't bother me for a while". Procrastination worked for a few minutes, yes, we can report the accidental avocado tree is doing superbly well, its leaves shiny as if polished by elves or leprachauns, or whoever polishes avocado tree leaves in these northern latitudes.

More coffee, followed by a very conscientious hunt for the perfect fresh grass clippings for the cats from the yard, another thirty minutes of successful avoidance. Should we try and determine the botanical names of the different species of grass in the yard? There is a blueish grass with nice wide leaves, a strong dark green with narrow, almost round leaves, there is a super soft kind, and...

Nah, double standards, it is. No, we won't hand out examples of how we personally used double standards. You'll find some if you read enough of our posts.

What is a double standard? Merriam Webster has a definition for kids link, so we had to pick it: a set of standards that applies differently and usually more harshly to one group of people or circumstances than to another.

Not bad, but there is a link to the online version of Encyclopedia Britannica. Go there or not?
Not to be accused of double standards right off the bat, we clicked it. What a relief, it is about bimetallism, a monetary system.  

When we talk of double standards, we tend to attach a value statement, moral judgement to our statement. Since a statement like "xxxxx is a double standard" rests on the definition of the "group" or the "circumstances", owning the definition of "group" or "circumstance" is what any debate about being accused of double standards is really about.

If you look closely at conflicts big and small, you'll see they tend to be about "different standards" versus "double standards". If you have two groups of people and you manage to define them as sufficiently different, then you can justify modification of the "set of standards" or suspend application of the "set of standards".

At the end of the day, that's most of what you need to justify nationalism, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, sexism, poverty, or any of the daily injustices in the family.

Failure to come up with sufficient differences does not mean you have to give up on double standards, however.

You can simply crush opponents:  As a parent, you can yell at your kids and beat them up, which, at an international level, somewhat equates to a sharply worded protest note and war.

The two preferred ways of enjoying treating people differently are invoking an ultimate unverified authority or declaring an unverifiable common good. Try to talk to a religious fundamentalist or an ardent supporter of the German policy of "if your spouse does not pass a language test in their home country, we refuse to issue a visa, it's for their own good and the common good".

Was that light yet poignant about double standards? 

Use double standards in moderation.

Oh, the avocado tree needs to be looked after.