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Apr 14, 2016
The Post Office discriminates against Haredim
The Postal Authority has recently started using a new service in some post office branches. In participating branches one can use their new app to make an appointment at the post office. If you come at the designated time, you get to skip the lines and take your turn.
Somebody, a lawyer, is complaining that this is discriminatory against Haredim and elderly people who do not have smartphones. Advocate Chester says that the post office should make its services available to everybody, and even to people who choose to use a kosher phone that does not support the ability to make appointments. They are discriminated against by having to wait longer in line, just because they chose, or like the elderly are often not technologically savvy enough, to listen to their rabbis and not use a smartphone. And it is absurd that young people come in and go before elderly people who were already waiting, a secular person goes in and goes before a Haredi waiting, just because he cannot use a smartphone.
The Postal Authority responded that they are working on creating the ability to order appointments by phone.
source: Behadrei
As if it is the fault of the post office that some people choose to not use smartphones. And nobody else should benefit just because some people choose not to. Many other aspects of religious life also make a person choose to not avail himself or herself of available benefits - that does not make the mere existence of such benefits discriminatory.
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I am sympathetic to the elderly, who often do not know how to do these things, even if they have a smartphone for skyping with the grand-kids.
ReplyDeleteI don't care whatsoever that Charedim, who choose not to avail themselves of a service, don't get that service.
Let's say they were to make this app available only on iPhone and not Android. Would you say the same thing - that it's fair that iPhone users get to jump the line and not Android users, because they are choosing not to have an iPhone?
ReplyDeleteAnd it's a LOT less costly to create a voice system, than to develop an app for an additional platform.
Also important to note is that this is not just a 'service' that you either use or you don't. This is actively disadvantaging those who don't use it by making them wait _longer_ than they otherwise would, by letting others jump the line.
android people might be left out, as many apps are often only on one platform and not the other, at least until the second platform version is developed, if at all. but i wouldnt consider it discrimination, though I would encourage them to make it available on the second platform as well. I would encourage them to make it available by voice now, but I wouldn't turn it into an anti-haredi issue with claims of discrimination
ReplyDelete@Rafi, I totally agree with you that it's not discrimination just because they haven't got round to developing it yet, especially as they're working on it. I was addressing myself more to Avi, who "doesn't care whatsoever that Charedim, who choose not to avail themselves of a service, don't get that service." Wondering if he would have the same sentiments towards Android users or if it's an emotion specially reserved for the Charedim...
ReplyDelete