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A double standard, according to the '' World Book Dictionary '', is a Standard applied more leniently to one group than to another. For example, a belief that it is permissible for teenage boys, but not teenage girls, to engage in premarital sex is a double standard. While double standards are generally condemned in the abstract, they are also very common. When judicial processes are applied more strictly to some people more than others, such double standards are seen as unjust 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 or other distinction. A double standard violates this principle by holding different people accountable according to different 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. If a man believes it is his right to have extra-marital Affair s, but that his wife does not have such a right, he holds a double standard. A man who pretends to condemn ''all'' Hypocrisy while maintaining his Mistress is a Hypocrite is a double hypocrite. DEFENDING THE STATUS QUO Efforts to defend real or purported double standards usually take the form of denying that a double standard is being applied or attempting to give a good reason for the disparate treatment (in which case it is a double standard but it is a favorable or acceptable double standard). For example, Child ren are generally forbidden from acts such as using Alcohol and Tobacco products, while adults are usually permitted to perform such acts with impunity. This differential treatment could be described as a double standard, because people are being held to different standards. However, one defending this differential treatment could argue that there is a good reason for the different treatment — that children are inherently less capable of making mature Decision s regarding those activities, so they should be protected from risky and potentially harmful behavior. Supporters of this argument may also point out the fact that use of alcohol and tobacco at a young age can irreparably cause damage to a child's Brain development. The counterargument, then, would be that children are not inherently less able to make good decisions, as there are some people who are more mature in their decisions than older adults, so that age is an Arbitrary Criterion . Another double standard related to the distinction of minors from adults is that minors who are ''almost'' but not yet at the Age Of Majority are disadvantaged both ways, in being treated with the responsibilities, standards, and fewer protections that adults have, while still being subjected to the restrictions of being a minor (parental consent). This can be applied to Juvenile Law , in which a minor who is younger than the age of majority can be "tried as an adult" (rather than as a juvenile), with respect to the slight differences between the term " Minor " and " Juvenile ". (However, if a minor is tried as an adult, he/she is entitled to their Constitutional and Miranda Rights , without fear of parents/guardians waiving those rights against their best interests. Another example of this double standard was resolved by the 26th Amendment To The United States Constitution , which lowered the Voting Age in the U.S. to 18, in which Congress agreed that it is wrong to Conscript people to compulsorily fight and die without giving them the Suffrage to choose the leaders who determine how military force is used. GENDER AND ETHNIC DOUBLE STANDARDS The most common ethnic double standard in the United States is racism, when perpetrated by people with different skin colors. For example, in the United States , it is widely considered that blacks can say racial slurs about their own race, when whites can not about the black race. When whites use black racial slurs, (the same racial slurs used by blacks), they are condemned by all sides. When blacks use it, it is considered acceptable to do so because logically it has no offensive effect coming from an African American. The general ethnic double standard in the United States is that whites can be racist, but non-whites cannot. It has also been argued that women can use offensive terms about men more readily than men can about women. Both of these alleged modern double standards arise from the reversal of preexisting, double standards of the opposite kind. Also, due partially to complaints from white Americans about the double standard regarding hate crimes, minorities attacking whites have been increasingly charged with hate crimes as well. One of the more common double standards that is seen every day is where females should be treated more leniently than males for the same acts. For example, physical violence; many females believe that they deserve to be given the right to hit a man, however, he should not be able to retaliate against that. These women say that they are physically weaker than men, therefore it is okay for them to attack men. {Link without Title} A counter-argument of this is that for two parties to be treated equally without discrimination, they should have the same consequences that they would receive if they were a different gender. A notorious type of double standard is the classic " Studs Vs. Sluts " model, in which a man who has sex with many female partners is considered a "stud" or " Player " (which are often considered compliments), while a woman who has sex with many male partners is considered a " Slut " or " Skank " (which are highly Pejorative terms). This is related to the Madonna-whore Dichotomy (also called the Virgin - Whore dichotomy). Proponents of this double standard would say that it is justified by Natural Law . For example, some proponents point to the fact that among Apes , males usually have multiple female sexual partners, while females only have a single male partner. It is interesting to note however that in the animal kingdom, female monogamy is the exception to the rule (Ruthus and Nevid 2005). Other proponents argue that men naturally cannot help it, but women can and are thus supposed to function as the "gatekeepers". This view is derived from faulty premises based on archaic, but culturally propagated, lies about the female libido. The socialized pressure for women to deny being sexually excited by visual stimuli in the absence of a relationship and to deny desiring sexual relations without commitment alters the norms of female behavior. For a woman to publicly deny, either verbally or in action, that these imposed norms reflect her, would be met with socially damaging punitive recourse, implying that her actions are aberrant. This recourse and women's abidance by it serves to reinforce the culturally enforced myth of the female indeed having less desire and/or biological dictates that direct her libido only within the confines of romantic feelings. Opponents to the women-as-gatekeepers gender role say that such an assumption is Sexist and based on outmoded views of sexuality. Opponents may differ with one another; some feel that Nonmonogamy and/or Promiscuity is a good thing for both sexes, some feel it is wrong for both sexes, and others simply view it as neutral. Some believe this double standard is gradually breaking down, citing Neologism s such as " Playette " (a female "player") and " Manwhore " (a man who sleeps around). Gender-neutral terms such as " Free Love r", " Free Spirit ", or " Libertine " may also be used as well nowadays. However, Skeptics argue that the use of such reversed and gender-neutral terms remains relatively rare. Another example of a double standard would be the difference between male and female nudity. When a woman shows her bare chest it is considered nudity, but when a man does the same, it is not. Therefore when this argument comes up, alot of men tend to argue that "it's okay" or "fair" when a man shows his chest after a woman shows hers. Then all of a sudden, the argument appears to be justified in that regard. This type of double standard is evident in movies that obtain nudity, which most women tend to get upset about. RELIGION AND POLITICS In the context of religion, many argue that accusations of Blasphemy are an especially common example of double standards in that the very concept of blasphemy relies on applying or seeking to apply different standards to the theology seeking protection than to other matters. The Ancient Roman Aphorism , '' Quod Licet Iovi, Non Licet Bovi '' ( God s may do what cattle may not), captures the idea of the way relatively relaxed norms of behavior are applied by the elite to themselves, while harsher behavior standards are applied to the masses. Specific political examples are harder to give because almost no one, regardless of their position on the political spectrum, will admit to double standards. For example, many in the United States are quick to point fingers at the " Liberal Media " or " Conservative Media " for giving a 'pass' to one side of the Political Spectrum , while at the same time often Slandering those on the other side of a given debate. Arab governments have claimed that the United States government has double standards when it comes to its treatment of Israel versus the Arabs. Arab countries have been angry over the U.S. position on the Palestinians and on the current Israeli-Lebanese conflict [http://.www.doublestandards.org/usfor.htm [http://.www.thenation.com/doc/20021028/zunes][http://.www.wrmea.com/backissues/0489/8904020.htm]. Nuclear non-proliferation activists have also mentioned the double standards of US nuclear non-proliferation policies where the U.S. has clearly supported Israel's and India's efforts to develop advanced nuclear weapons, but has attempted to suffocate Iran's and North Korea's nuclear programs [http://www.commondreams.org/cgi-bin/print.cgi?file=/views06/0623-24.htm [http://www.observerindia.com/analysis/A516.htm]. It should be pointed out, however, that both Iran and North Korea are signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, while India and Israel are not. Another frequent defense of such a policy is that Israel and India are democracies, and North Korea and Iran are dictatorships, though Iran Is Not Actually A Dictatorship MORALITY OF DOUBLE STANDARDS Generally, in Western society, double standards are considered wrong and demeaning, despite some ''de facto'' double standards in Western society. However, there are groups of people that do not consider it wrong to have double standards. Many people who believe they are in positions of "authority" employ double standards without admitting that their behavior is immoral. Many people say double standards are wrong, but many of those same people use and apply it themselves. SEE ALSO
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