The Boris Burqa Brouhaha

I feel the need to comment on the recent Boris bollox since it conflates several topics I’ve written about at length before. This tweet from @Whoozley sets the agenda fair enough:

“Banning” is generally wrong way to address any complex topic with divided opinions, and to be fair, that IS Boris’ substantive point.

Attacking the individual is generally wrong too — but that depends on freedoms and motivations (see complex). Attacking an issue by “mocking” archetype individuals — letter-boxes and bank-robbers — is kinda OK if you are the court-jester but not if you expect to taken seriously as a politician. Being provocative in order to start a debate can be OK too — but this debate has already started, what we need now are constructive contributions. The “right to offend” comes with context dependent responsibilities. Boris has a track record when it comes to rhetorical irresponsibility and opportunism — it is for this he should be damned.

Of course, the right to choose what to wear is not absolutely free in general. Muslim or not we have social mores on what is appropriate to wear / expose, where and when, body and face. See modesty more generally — always the elephant in the room in these debates. (And think bum-cracks and lard-arsed leggings, you name it. When it comes to freedom, the sky’s the limit, but not always appropriate. “Too much information” generally covers it.)

That’s all pretty general — appropriateness — true of so many issues.

It’s the final point that adds a distinct additional level of complexity here. That is the extent to which wearing Muslim body coverings is in fact a choice for the woman concerned. Before we even get to questions of religion and patriarchy, this is as complex as multiculturalism itself. The extent to which cultural & religious differences — symbols and practice — should be tolerated, supported, encouraged, moderated, segregated, integrated, etc, etc. Bigotry city for the overly simplistic.

As @Whoozley says, it is — “well complicated”.

Originally published at Psybertron Asks.