This Really Highlights The Difference Between The West And Other Cultures

[youngmafbog]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3728996/The-contrasting-cultures-brought-Olympics-Perfectly-timed-photograph-showing-Egyptian-German-volleyball-players-highlights-divide-teams.html

Not that I have any particular issue with this one. At least the women are being allowed to participate so that is something. But I think it really shows how the West has moved on with regard to freedoms for women that simply does not exist in some other cultures.

[Khandro]

What I wonder is, how do those divers manage to get all their tackle into those tiny briefs?

[pastafreak]

I would never be so arrogant as to assume that *all* women from Muslim countries are "forced" to cover up. For them,it is natural to want to be modest...unlike the West,where the opposite seems to be true. In this case I think the fact that they are participating is far more important than what they wear.

[naomi24]

pastafreak, this isn't about all women from Muslim countries. It's about the Egyptian female volleyball team who are forced to cover up.

[ummmm]

Naomi - did you read 237's post?

[naomi24]

Ummmm. Yes.

[Mamyalynne]

Well I wouldn't be forced into those skimpy bikinis.

[jim360]

It's clearly wrong to be forced to cover up. It's equally wrong, surely, to be forced not to. However the change in the rules appears to be not to give the women who compete in beach volleyball any real freedom but to allow countries the freedom to impose a different dress code, so doesn't really advance anything much.

[jourdain2]

The point is, surely, that the western ladies (e.g. the German team)have a choice. If the rules allow for a full cover-up (the Egyptian team) then that choice is available to the Germans. The Egyptian ladies are not allowed to opt for the bikini uniform.

The fact that a lot of men just watch this sport for their own reasons is neither here nor there.

[Ellipsis]

I believe every athlete at the Games has to wear their team's uniform. No athlete gets a choice of what they wear. So the Olympics is not really the ideal context in which to discuss individual choice of clothing.

That said, I have seen Moslem women on beaches. They are usually covered up. So when it comes to Beach Volleyball, their team's choice of attire seems to be what you'd expect of a Moslem country and what the team themselves are comfortable wearing. The German women also seem to be wearing attire in tune with what German women wear on beaches, although often they don't have any tops on ...

Also, this may be worth considering:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/36963954

A competitor from the USA wearing a hijab ...

[ummmm]

Ellipsis - why do you type 'moslim'?

[ummmm]

'moslem'

[-Talbot-]

Quite a few ABers use Moslem, ummmm

[ummmm]

I know...I just wondered why.

[-Talbot-]

I dont know why they use it but http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/524

[Ellipsis]

Habit, that's all. It's also how I pronounce it, so I end up writing it the same way ...

[ummmm]

Cheers, Talbot.

[ummmm]

And cheers, Ellipsis, it's just that I've only seen it on this site.

[Cloverjo]

Referring to Khandro's comment, I've also wondered why the male divers have to squeeze into such tiny shorts. Surely they could wear the same style as the sprinters and still be aerodynamic enough for their sport.

[anotheoldgit]

naomi24

/// Why on earth are some of you people so eager to defend this utter stupidity? ///

Is it any wonder Naomi? Because in a country where we are allowed to wear what we please, it is still very much frowned upon by some, to criticise certain groups.

[Old_Geezer]

Oh Mamyalynne. I've a shoehorn here if you want to borrow it.