Thursday, July 3, 2014

Burqa ban legal in EU -- can we ban suits, too?

The European Union Human Rights Court (ECHR) has upheld laws banning wearing the burqa and the niqab in public.
Making a big effort to sidestep any implication of religion, the ruling emphasizes a certain idea of "living together" is the "legitimate aim" of governments.

The narrow view of proponents of the law is that the face should be visible in public interactions, as a common courtesy in social interaction.

It's the same for motorcycle helmets, said one.  

Perfectly understandable, said the K-Landnews TheEditor. Guess what, back in the States, I would very carefully take down my hoodie when approaching a liquor store, or any small shop for that matter, even in snow and freezing cold. Common courtesy to the lone store clerk and his or her family. That's safety and security, but the "certain idea of living together" claim, come on.

So, how might creative administrators of the public space use the latest legal ruling in daily life?

Burqa/niqab wearers in most of the EU should be able to go fully decked out on at least one day of the year: Halloween. Even if Halloween is out of bounds because of religious beliefs, it should make a usable loophole. [Disclaimer: Only a theory, so you are on your own! Your results may vary.]
Carnival offers a second opportunity in many countries.

The creative administrators of public space, on the other hand, might be tempted to curb the use of masks on those very same occasions, with carnival being quite safe. But that pagan Halloween ruffles feathers, for instance, in Germany.

So, expect the odd call for banning Halloween masks in some localities based on this ruling.

Given that the French, in particular, have a thing against headscarves, is it time to talk about suits?

A K-Landnews instaPoll of friends found that two out of two experience a violation of their "idea of living together" as well as increased apprehension in the presence of groups of fully suited males.
We did not bother to look on the web if there is a name for it, so please accept the bold new name "Banker Presence Syndrome" (BPS). 

Examples of BPS abound in literature and movies, for instance, the great It's a Wonderful Life. The poor man becomes suicidal as a result of BPS, after all.

Would if not make sense to ban suits in public?

And T-shirts!

Pesky, irritating, provocative outerwear par excellence -  the daily violation of many people's certain idea of living should come next. Please, dear public servants, use the law to rid the world of the "I'm with Stupid" t-shirts, at least in public.

Do tie-dyes irk your certain idea of living? Ban them alright, like this this one which invokes the German flag. Maybe, maybe not.
(c) 2014 K-Landnews, of course.

Where are the straight lines and clear color separation we have a right to expect even on the cheapest flags made in developing countries?

Outrage, please.

You can take it from here, okay.

In case you have a Tricolore lookalike t-shirt would you send us a photo?




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