Behaviors can change in frequency. Debates about whether to punish behaviors are debates about whether a decrease in frequency of the behavior (dressing sexually provocatively or conforming to the norms of a lower-status subgroup) is desired.
But contrast, non-behavior characteristics don’t change frequency. Productive social reactions are about whether the characteristic should be accommodated (red heads—yes, ax-crazy murders—no).
The difference in the topics of the two debates makes me think that attempting to draw them in parallel is misleading.
Debates about whether to punish behaviors are debates about whether a decrease in frequency of the behavior is desired.
Whether a decrease in the frequency of the behavior is desired is only one piece of the debate. Other important pieces (from a consequentialist perspective) include how effective the punishment will be, how costly it will be to implement the punishment and what the side effects will be. Even if, for example, society collectively decides that if fewer women dressed like sluts there would be fewer rapes, it does not immediately follow that dressing that way should be a punishable offense.
Behaviors can change in frequency. Debates about whether to punish behaviors are debates about whether a decrease in frequency of the behavior (dressing sexually provocatively or conforming to the norms of a lower-status subgroup) is desired.
But contrast, non-behavior characteristics don’t change frequency. Productive social reactions are about whether the characteristic should be accommodated (red heads—yes, ax-crazy murders—no).
The difference in the topics of the two debates makes me think that attempting to draw them in parallel is misleading.
Whether a decrease in the frequency of the behavior is desired is only one piece of the debate. Other important pieces (from a consequentialist perspective) include how effective the punishment will be, how costly it will be to implement the punishment and what the side effects will be. Even if, for example, society collectively decides that if fewer women dressed like sluts there would be fewer rapes, it does not immediately follow that dressing that way should be a punishable offense.