Many companies choose to keep their views and positions private. It’s good business…you offend no one, and you take everyone’s money. Thankfully, MiniWaters doesn’t care about your money as much as we care about having some guiding principles. As a result, we can share the core values behind what we do, and we hope you’ll respect us even more, regardless of whether you agree or not!
An Inclusive Hobby
It’s disappointing that in 2021, there are still people in the world who espouse hate, who bully, who feel superiority over fellow humans. In response to overt discrimination against the LGBTQ community on a prominent web forum, and in the wake (and hopefully end) of one of the most divisive periods in American politics, we feel the need to make a firm position statement on these issues. If you have a problem with our views, please feel free to take your business elsewhere.
It is official MiniWaters policy that while we are tolerant of disparate views, and welcoming of people from all walks of life, the one thing required in a tolerant society (and a welcoming hobby) is, ironically, an intolerance towards intolerance.
MiniWaters rejects hate & discrimination and will never knowingly choose to work with customers, businesses, and organizations who engage in or endorse these practices. We will do our best to avoid these pitfalls ourselves!
MiniWaters is welcoming of all faiths, including those who believe in no religion. As a hobby based on science, we insist that science, and evidence, rule the day-to-day world we live in (see Our Position on Science). However, any scientist worth their credentials must also be willing to admit the things they don’t know. We all should remember the countless examples of the “impossible” becoming reality, while also acknowledging that today’s commonplace technology would’ve been a holy miracle, or work of the devil, to someone just a century prior. Our great country was not only based on freedom of religion but freedom from religion. All are welcomed, so long as they keep an open mind and kind heart and don’t force their views on others.
MiniWaters is proud to say that while “all lives matter”, we firmly believe in the underlying realities that demand, specifically, that Black Lives Matter. It is a sad state of affairs that in 2021, it’s painfully clear to see that we still have a long way to go until non-white citizens in the US are treated with equality and respect.
MiniWaters is proud to stand with the LGBTQ community for equal rights and equal treatment, and hope that, in time, members of this community will see equal protection under the law alongside women, veterans, the disabled, and all other protected classes.
The glass-box hobbies are often thought of as an escape from the world around us. We’re able to transport ourselves from our home into a tropical world of wonder, places that many of us will never experience firsthand. However, when hate and discrimination seep in, attempting to deprive our friends, family, and perfect strangers from enjoying and sharing these hobbies, we must stand up and demand better. Even if we disagree.
We must all remember that the hobbies of keeping glass boxes bring many disparate people together. MiniWaters encourages you to build those bonds and bridges between the people you encounter who may be different than yourself. Keep an open mind, and a kind heart, and embrace the diversity of people you share this hobby with. Just remember that one truly universal Golden Rule, and your life will be richer for the friends you make as you partake in the aquarium and vivarium hobbies. The flora and fauna are pretty cool, but the friends you make can be downright life-changing. Just as you grow the life you keep in a glass box, so too, seize the opportunity to grow yourself.
