Well, there's two lines of thought:
1) The government has no business telling people what they can/cannot wear. This I would largely agree with.
2) Being able to identify who you are interacting with is core to our society, if not for security then at least for good relations. This I would also tend to agree with, although with some caveats mostly related to (1) above.
Would I let you wear your gas mask? Lets consider a few possibilities. Firstly, you're a typical law abiding citizen. What difference does it make to me if you wear it or not? What difference does it make to wider society? I can't see that it makes any difference so why not let you wear it? Secondly, you're a bank robber. Would a law preventing you from wearing it make a difference to you? I doubt it. Would people be immediately more alert and suspicious of your behaviour? I guess so. Would a ban stop the crime or alter the consequences of the crime? I doubt it. In this case it doesn't seem to make a difference. Finally, you're a suicide bomber. Would a ban prevent you from wearing it? I doubt it, although it could make you more likely not to as you probably want to blend in as much as possible until you reach your target. So strangely, in this case, a ban could potentially make people less safe, although I'd still be inclined to assume it would make little difference.
Despite my general disagreement with the reasons for the ban, I'm still inclined to support it. Why? Because you wearing you gas mask would likely be an isolated incident with little consequence, whereas allowing the widespread wearing of the veil could represent a cultural shift that is to the detriment of wider society.
1) The government has no business telling people what they can/cannot wear. This I would largely agree with.
2) Being able to identify who you are interacting with is core to our society, if not for security then at least for good relations. This I would also tend to agree with, although with some caveats mostly related to (1) above.
Would I let you wear your gas mask? Lets consider a few possibilities. Firstly, you're a typical law abiding citizen. What difference does it make to me if you wear it or not? What difference does it make to wider society? I can't see that it makes any difference so why not let you wear it? Secondly, you're a bank robber. Would a law preventing you from wearing it make a difference to you? I doubt it. Would people be immediately more alert and suspicious of your behaviour? I guess so. Would a ban stop the crime or alter the consequences of the crime? I doubt it. In this case it doesn't seem to make a difference. Finally, you're a suicide bomber. Would a ban prevent you from wearing it? I doubt it, although it could make you more likely not to as you probably want to blend in as much as possible until you reach your target. So strangely, in this case, a ban could potentially make people less safe, although I'd still be inclined to assume it would make little difference.
Despite my general disagreement with the reasons for the ban, I'm still inclined to support it. Why? Because you wearing you gas mask would likely be an isolated incident with little consequence, whereas allowing the widespread wearing of the veil could represent a cultural shift that is to the detriment of wider society.
