Jim Crow laws are a dirty episode in American politics that bears remembering for the fact that a repetition will be inevitable otherwise. Conceived in the South in 1876 and in effect for almost 90 years, they embraced a “separate but equal” form of treatment for African Americans and Caucasian Americans.

The most obvious and well remembered expressions of this travesty were establishments with two different water fountains – one for black patrons and one for the white customers – and also the establishment of black versus white schools, houses of worship, and hospital wards – to name but a few examples.

At this point in time Jim Crow laws have been abolished and with the landmark court case of Brown v. Board of Education, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the inception of the Voting Rights Act, it would appear on the surface that progress has finally managed to blow the soothing sand of time over the egregious wrongdoing that plagued this great nation for so long.

For reasons which may yet elude rational explanation, the very fact that discrimination has been sought to become eradicated appears to have led to different forms of voluntary Jim Crow-esque segregation:

• Sexism is alive and well. If you consider that there are bars which refuse entry to individuals depending on their gender or the gender of the partner on their arm, you might wonder why the separate but equal doctrine is actively being embraced. Sure, it is couched in the “right to refuse service” to anyone, but should sexism as expressed by heterophobes and homophobes in the establishments they run really have a place in today’s society?
  
• Religious intolerance is another example. Living in a country where you have the right to worship a god, the God, or no god, why does a menorah, Star of David, or cross in a public place cause unrest among the natives? Now places where such signs of worship may be displayed during holiday occasions are to be separate (but equal, to be sure) from regular public places.
  
• Speaking of religious intolerance, what about the voluntary racial segregation that goes on Sunday morning? While worshipping the Christian God the churches which are either predominantly white, black, or brown are increasing in numbers while the churches which look as diverse as a kaleidoscope are gradually becoming a thing of the past, everyone agrees that God loves everyone equally (but separately?).
  
• Even as we love to speak about a color blind society and want every child to have the same opportunities with respect to education, for some reason the college applications of non-Caucasian students are put in a separate (but equal) pile for consideration. Only when a certain racial ratio is satisfied by the separate pile, will the Caucasian pile be considered for college admission.

The hang-up with still treating Americans as separate but equal when it suits a special interest group but ferociously equal only when it does not is stunning. Does it spell a gradual return to Jim Crow philosophy?