Ron Paul to Magazine Seller

This scenario occurred last week with my mom, which prompted me to wonder what Ron Paul’s would say:

During the course of a week, Ron Paul would be visited by up to 5 magazine sales-persons, with the same sales pitch, attempting to sell magazines in his neighborhood, where soliciting in not allowed. While relaxing after a hard days work, there is a knock at the door. He opens the door to find another magazine seller:

Seller: Hi, I wanted to offer you this wonderful package of magazines I am selling, and for every magazine you order, I get commission, and this would greatly help my cause.

Ron Paul: No thank you, I am not interested.

Seller: I am not on welfare, your neighborhood is beautiful, and it would be a great help.

Ron Paul: No No, I am really not interested, thank you.

Seller: Sir, this is great package deal, and you can get up to as many magazines as you want sent to your door.

Ron Paul: I am really not interested. You people have come knocking on my door 5 times this week already, soliciting is not allowed in this neighborhood, and I am not interested.

The seller instantly reacts angrily to Ron Paul’s use of “you people,” although he was referring to magazine sellers, and accuses him or being a racist, since the seller is African-American.

Ron Paul responds to this accusation: “I am sorry if I have offended you in any way Miss, however, I was referring to number of solicitors who have knocked on my door to sell magazines, and not at all referring to you on any racial grounds. After all, you are knocking on my door, on my private property, and breaking the law at that. I have to say that even if I were being discriminatory, in my own home, it would be in my right. “...Individuals are allowed to be creeps and pick and choose all their associations...they can discriminate even when the majority disapproves of their choices.” (pg. 75, Liberty Defined, Ron Paul)


To be fair, the use of "you people" when referring to race is a "reminder of America's long history of segregation of black people," and I agree with this fact. (pg. 221, ARCS) Both with my mom and the made up scenario with Ron Paul, this was not the intention. However, Ron Paul's views remain on the side of a right to one's own opinion, whether approved or not by a group of people, which would cause him to respond to situations from this point of view.