Free minds, not hair. | 101 comments (101 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Free minds, not hair. (4.00 / 2)

I think that you're actually concerned with different things: your concern is with the girl who wants or is pushed to wear a head-scarf to school. The argument about coercing that girl not to wear a head-scarf is concerned with defending against a perceived threat to the status quo - a hard-won and insecure status quo to be sure. Your arguments about that girl's well-being have little weight in that frame.

I don't buy the "defending laicism" frame either: forcing Muslim girls not to wear headscarves in order to keep religion out of schools seems analagous to requiring Christian girls to bare their breasts at school in order to keep religion out of schools. Forcing girls to dress immodestly by their families' standards is not the way forward if you're concerned about their well-being. If your concern is ramming your standards down their throats however ...

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 05:43:09 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Free minds, not hair. (none / 0)

I'm not sure I completely understand this point...

The argument about coercing that girl not to wear a head-scarf is concerned with defending against a perceived threat to the status quo - a hard-won and insecure status quo to be sure. Your arguments about that girl's well-being have little weight in that frame.

Could you elaborate?

by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 06:10:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Free minds, not hair. (4.00 / 2)

Defending the hard-won and insecure secular status quo against religionists. Though in Bavaria it's about defending the long-standing, entrenched but insecure catholic status quo.

"It's the statue, man, The Statue."

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 06:13:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Free minds, not hair. (4.00 / 4)

Yes, I was combining several groups: the feminists, concerned that progress on women's rights is at risk; the conservatives, concerned that their image of a white, Christian country is under threat; the secularists, alarmed at the perceived public profession of faith and the racists, who don't like anything involving brown people or foreigners anyway. In all cases the concern is with defended what's theirs, not with the well-being of the other.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 06:20:25 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Free minds, not hair. (none / 1)

Brilliant.

A pleasure

I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men's minds without their being aware of the fact. Levi-Strauss, Claude

by kcurie on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 03:09:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Free minds, not hair. (4.00 / 4)

Hey, force everyone to go to school nude, including the teachers, the heads, the cleaners, and any school visitors--including parents. Make clothing an out-of-school activity. Celebrate the body! My word...clothing is so culturally conditioned, it's...yes! School is about education, not cultural conditioning. Take those clothes off! And that means you, Mr. Politician who wants to do the rounds...

(I am assuming schools are suitably heated/shaded.)

Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.

by rg (leopold dot lepster at google mail dot com) on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 06:24:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Free minds, not hair. (4.00 / 2)

Well, except for people whose religion requires them not to wear clothes. They'd have to wear hijab in order to avoid displaying religious symbols, so to speak.

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 06:27:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Free minds, not hair. (4.00 / 4)

Parents in a school playground wait for their kids to finish class. All parents are naked, except for two--who are dressed in fullbody burkhas.

Naked person one: "Who are they?"
Naked person two: "They're nudists."

Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.

by rg (leopold dot lepster at google mail dot com) on Tue Jan 16th, 2007 at 06:38:45 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Free minds, not hair. | 101 comments (101 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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