Boris Johnson pillar box comment

[stillamum22]

I'm just appalled by his comments on the Burka. In my opinion there's no barrel he won't scrape to get backing from sections of the British population to be leader of the Tory party. Really is Boris reflecting Brits opinions or just a nasty potty mouth racist? I'm curious to get the opinion of the good women of MN

It wasn't a gaffe or clumsy. It was deliberate to stir islamaphobia for his own ends.

Yes, indeed. I don't buy the idea that Boris says these things accidentally. He is far too shrewd and calculating for that.

And please, let's not kid ourselves that Boris's comments had anything to do with male/female equality or women's rights. You don't stand up for oppressed women by ridiculing and othering them, nor by saying that they look like criminals.

I'm agreeing with you HRH. Sorry if it sounded like I was picking you up on your point.

I totally agree with him. He’s said what most people think. This is the only thing I do agree with him on, I expect.

What is inappropriate is that the foreign secretary has a newspaper column. Why is he using it as a forum to express his personal views?

I do not like BJ.
However the burqua has nothing to do with Islam. It it repressive and at odds with Western culture and values.
People who move to another country should integrate and abide by the host country's laws and customs.
BJ was right.

What is inappropriate is that the foreign secretary has a newspaper column.

Boris is no longer the Foreign Secretary, fwiw. Though he may still have had a column while he was. Lots of politicians write stuff for the papers.

As I said in my previous post, Boris should have kept his opinions to himself. However, as he has opened up the Pandora's Box that is the time old subject of patriarchal religions' view of women modesty, I have an inkling of this as I was raised a Catholic when women were expected to cover their head in church. I'd like to ask why is this never extended to the male counterpart. I can't help noticing, as previously stated, the men will often have tight t shirts and jeans, thus defining contours of torso and buttocks. Disrespectful surely Furthermore I would point out that men are more likely to shed their hair than women thus exposing their skull to the elements and possible sunburn, certainly with the summer we are experiencing at present, Logic would dictate, this is God's way of telling them. Cover Your Damn Head Brothers!

What infinitesheldon said

People who move to another country should integrate and abide by the host country's laws and customs

Last time I checked it was our law and custom that people can wear whatever they damn well please! I like it that way, btw.

Edith - I didn’t think you were disagreeing, I just wanted to expand on the “all press is good press” view. You are right, Boris generates a lot of publicity for himself and now because his most recent buffoonery we are talking about him again. With the US election Trump was rarely out of the press and mostly it was negative, but crucially it didn’t impact him adversely. Will Boris benefit in the same way? Or because we don’t have “fake news” here, will he be seen for what he is....a self-serving, opportunistic invertebrate.

How is Boris 'right?'

He gave no balanced,informed view as to why he feels Burka is unacceptable. He said nothing about Muslim men not being compelled to cover up in comparison.
He just directly took the piss out of Muslim women. Is that what he's being admired for?🙄

If government reflects society then it must be true that Boris has a lot of oafish supporters out there who are drawn to basic dog-whistle politics and can't get their minds beyond that level.

This man is on the world stage as it were, and he can't even articulate or speak diplomatically FFS.

Diplomacy matters.

This isn't clumsy, it's a calculated opening move in him trying to challenge May for leadership on the same populist lines that Trump followed. He's been meeting with Steve Bannon, who was instrumental in getting Trump in.
Who gives a fuck about burkas. Do you honestly think Johnson cares? He's using it to recruit racists to his cause. The world is going to shit and he thinks we should fuss about what a couple of hundred women wear?

Exactly, cholka. He used it as a sound bite to shock people and get them talking. He’s entirely self-serving.

This was not 'clumsy' on Johnson's part.
He met with Steve Bannon very recently.
He cares nothing about Muslim women and what they do or do not wear.
He is seeking to appeal to a very particular part of society.
He is preparing the ground to make his move.

He’s entirely self-serving.

^This! Exactly this.

Forget women with covered faces. This kind of dog whistle politics is far more sinister in my view. It's terrifying to see so many posters approving of what Boris has said.

It's terrifying to see they can't work out what he's doing.

t's terrifying to see so many posters approving of what Boris has said.
It's terrifying to see they can't work out what he's doing

Perhaps they're part of the audience he's appealing to?

People who move to another country should integrate and abide by the host country's laws and customs
Why do you automatically assume that Muslim women who elect to wear burqas weren't born here?

Dottie it's surprising how easily the 'othering' of people occurs and people like Bannon, Trump and Farage harness it...

Yy, clearing, french and edith.

Dottie, for me, the point is the BJ is not saying burquas should be banned. Quite the opposite. Unlike France & Denmark, we haven’t passed such an intrusive law ( with a couple of specific exceptions).
But BJ expressed an opinion, which while not politically correct, is something he is entitled to do in a free country.
Just as all the leavers and remainders express derogatory views of each other.

He's a massive racist. Don't know why some people are condoning his views on how women should dress when if someone else made a comment on how (non-Muslim) women dress would be shot down with the same people telling the poster they have no right to pass judgement on a woman's choice of clothing. Most of the comments here are clearly defending BJ because his vitriol is aimed at Muslim women. BJ is a douchebag who is trying to emulate Trump so he gets voted in by even bigger douchebags to become the next leader of the Tory party.

To prove my point:

Totally in-appropriate outfits for toddler session http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/amiibeingunreasonable/3329642-totally-in-appropriate-outfits-for-toddler-session

As one of the posters in the toddler thread commented:

Unless they were walking around completely starkers, does it really matter? People wear clothes they like/feel comfortable in. It's irrelevant whether you like it or not. Says more about you than them tbh.

But BJ expressed an opinion, which while not politically correct, is something he is entitled to do in a free country

The standard line trotted out when some oaf makes a racist remark.

It's all a bit "Free Tommeh" isn't it