Ze burkini is a problem with Ze France

[garbon]

Running away and hiding because they are jerks in the world is rather ridiculous.

Not wearing a bikini = running away and hiding?

[Slargos]

Yeah. Segregation is great.

I'm all for segregation.

My favourite kind would probably be "Muslims only" full-size baking ovens.

[Admiral Yi]

Also, for what it's worth, I could see benefit in gender segregated swimming, particularly for women who are either embarassed by their looks or annoyed by people like me ogling them.

Not everything has to be Goddamned political.

Could you see the benefit of straights only swimming hours?

[Valmy]

Not wearing a bikini = running away and hiding?

No I meant the whole sexuality is terrible and oppressive to women thing, ergo should be discouraged everywhere.  Whether or not you want to wear a bikini is entirely a matter of personal taste.

[Sheilbh]

That's multiculturalism in action.  Where weastern values are watered down to cater to 3rd World savages. 

If, from Plato to NATO, Western values boil down to mixed gender swimming in revealing costumes then we've really not much to be proud of. 

[garbon]

If, from Plato to NATO, Western values boil down to mixed gender swimming in revealing costumes then we've really not much to be proud of. 

[Malthus]

If, from Plato to NATO, Western values boil down to mixed gender swimming in revealing costumes then we've really not much to be proud of.

Not sure I can agree with that. 

[Duque de Bragança]

Though I believe the problem Muslim women have with swimming is solved in this country by arranging women only times in the pool.

Lille is a peculiar case. That's the case you are referring to I guess. Merci la gauche politiquement correcte!
Ségolène, as the holier than thou bourgeoise she is, supported it of course but then for her japanese cartoons are more of a threat for French youth than the islamic scarf... 

OTOH, a communist MP, supported by the conservatives, suggested the burqa ban.

Converts are indeed a pain in the neck but in my experience, it's mostly black men who do so out of rebellion against the white man who is the only one to blame for the slave trade, unlike Arabs or even Africa itself. 

[Crazy_Ivan80]

How is separate swimming 'gender oppression' unless the women have to swim in a pool of piss?  If the service is exactly the same and it's a matter of choice then I can't see how it's an issue.  As I say a number of the people who take advantage of this are elderly women who, from their cultural context, aren't happy with swimming semi-nude with lots of men around.  A big issue in recent years has been that the NHS started to prefer mixed sex wards and elderly people (men and women), especially took a dislike to it.

I think the point is that muslim women would be coerced/pressured to participate in the female-only swimming hours by their husbands/fathers/brothers, and thus there would be no freedom of choice that you speak of.

bingo.

[Barrister]

If, from Plato to NATO, Western values boil down to mixed gender swimming in revealing costumes then we've really not much to be proud of.

Not sure I can agree with that. 

[Valmy]

If, from Plato to NATO, Western values boil down to mixed gender swimming in revealing costumes then we've really not much to be proud of. 

The revealing costumes not so much but not segregating things by gender is something we have been pretty good about.  Heck even Peter the Great copied that as one of his reforms by bringing the Russian women out of the Terems.

I actually take alot of pride in that.  Well pride may be the wrong word since I don't really have anything to do with it but it is something admirable I think.

[Jacob]

If you think it's okay to have gender segregated change rooms, gender segregated showers, gender segregated saunas, gender segregated toilets, gender segregated fitness classes and/ or gender segregated areas of the gym, it's pretty hard to make a convincing and consistent case that having gender segregated swimming is oppressive.

[Admiral Yi]

If you think it's okay to have gender segregated change rooms, gender segregated showers, gender segregated saunas, gender segregated toilets, gender segregated fitness classes and/ or gender segregated areas of the gym, it's pretty hard to make a convincing and consistent case that having gender segregated swimming is oppressive.

Most of those involve nudity.

[Jacob]

Most of those involve nudity.

That varies by local custom.

Showers, yes - though many people take great care to cover up with towels so if you don't want people to see you you can prevent them from; saunas should be naked, but lots of people wear swimwear for them; toilets not really except for urinals, fitness classes and parts of the gym - no;

[Valmy]

If you think it's okay to have gender segregated change rooms, gender segregated showers, gender segregated saunas, gender segregated toilets, gender segregated fitness classes and/ or gender segregated areas of the gym, it's pretty hard to make a convincing and consistent case that having gender segregated swimming is oppressive.

Wow an all or nothing arguement.  Nice one how original!