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Comment by scotty79 | Hacker News Reader

If you leave it to the market you'll get segregation, and whites only stores and buses on no Jews and dogs allowed signs.

Allowing this kinds of things in public space wouldn't advance humanity.

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A private business is not a public place.

I've never understood that argument; if you invite unkown customers you are inviting the public. I mean if you really want to keep it private you would have to have a guest list imho. Which is fine, but you can't have a guest list that says "not that kind of people". Private is for things like Sento imperial palace, where you guide people through your property, but when you let people in freely it is my belief that at some point that will have to be interpreted as public space (like trademarks).

If you have a book that gives more nuance to this "a private buisness is not a public space" I would be glad to read it.

Actually you can have a place like that. There are places where you cannot enter unless dressed in a way, but there is no specific guest list.

How so? Just because it has word "private" in its customary english name? If you translate it to other languages word private often disappears. And if it remains it serves to separate state owned buisnesses and privately own buisnesses. Both participate in public market, have random customers from the public and are regulated so that they need to display prices and not refuse service to some people based on owners stupidity.

But nevertheless in intrudes on the public sphere, to simply deny its effect on the culture surrounding it and the society which uses it is naive. The idea that businesses exist apart from everyone and everything is a pernicious one.

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