Ill be in Nice next August, I shall make a point of wearing a long sleeved robe and scarf. Then I as a privileged white western male can experience first hand the humiliation of being made to disrobe to my acceptable swimming attire underneath- maybe a dashing pair of ‘speedos’.

But I’ll give fair warning, as a pasty pomegranate with a appetite for good rich food and nice wine the resulting beached albino whale that will appear will have them drawing side arms and demanding I redress poste haste!

Please excuse my appearing to make light of your writings, I’m not. Im just wondering why there is this double standards in people’s perception.

Why do some choose to see a person dressed in a style they are comfortable with see terror? I don’t look at an Irish Nun in a habit and see an IRA terrorist? yet I grew up during the reign of the sectarian violence in the UK.

I don’t walk down the street in my home here in New Zealand and see a Maori person and immediately assume they are a member of the one of the local gangs, the Black Power or Mongrel Mob, I don’t see a man riding a Harley in leathers and think he’s an outlaw biker, I don’t walk past a catholic church and the minister, clutching my childs arm to protect them from pedophiles. Indeed I don’t see a woman wearing a head scarf and reach for my bullet proof vest or calling the bomb squad. Or to rub some salt , do I hold all french people to account for the French Govt in the 1980’s sending a team of saboteurs and spies to my home country of NZ and blowing up the peaceful greenpeace ship, “The Rainbow Warrior” in the Port of Auckland and killing a photojournalist who was asleep on board at the time?

NO. No I don’t.

Nor when I’m in France on my annual trip to visit family do I see every person wearing a traditional french Beret and striped shirt do I assume he’s an onion seller so reach for my goggles.