What the burkini ban and clowns have in common

There is nothing NOTHING that annoys me more than intolerance. There are millions across this planet and we ALL have one thing in common—we are ALL people. I don’t care if you’re black, white, or green; small or big; if you prefer the company of women, men or horses; or if you believe in God, Allah or the flying spaghetti monster. We live in a free society. You should be able to dress how you like, go to whichever bathroom you want to, love whomever you please and believe what you want to as long as it doesn’t physically or mentally harm anyone else.

We all have brains. We are capable of greatness. We should be able to learn from the mistakes of our past. Why is it so difficult to understand that the actions of one individual do not represent the beliefs of an entire segment of our society?

[tweetthis]The actions of one individual do not represent the beliefs of an entire segment of our society.[/tweetthis]

WHY CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?

Why do we have to pit black against white? Police against citizens? Religion against religion? Why can’t we all just be decent human beings?

This is the way I see it:

  • Just because a person who had a mental illness did some really messed up stuff proclaimed he was of the same religious affiliation as the women at the beach does not mean that the women at the beach should become our targets. Unless they’re doing the same messed up stuff. They’re not. They’re trying to have fun at the beach.
  • Some police officers are biased. This does not mean that ALL police officers are biased. But it does mean that we should be looking closer at how we are training police officers.
  • Guns kill people very efficiently. People who carry guns are more likely to kill people–whether they have good or bad intentions. The solution is to make guns less available, not more.
  • Some people are just bad people. Bad people are a range of colors from a range of socio-economic backgrounds, religious affiliations and at various levels of mental stability. We need to focus on fixing the problem of bad people, not on what color they are.
  • Telling someone that they have to dress the way that you want them to because you believe that their religion dictates how they dress IS JUST AS BAD as if their religion is telling them what to wear.

In summation—don’t be an asshole. Nobody likes assholes. If you are from a specific religious affiliation, you likely have some form of “love thy neighbor” tenant of your religion. Just do it. Love everyone. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.

With that said, I have a post on Sammiches and Psych Meds that speaks to how ludicrous the burkini bans are by comparing it to an outright clown ban. It’s funny. You should check it out.

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8 Comments



  1. Love thy neighbor is the second most important commandment, and it applies to everyone, both ways!

  2. So much truth in one post! Everything would be better if we all just loved one another! THANK YOU!

  3. I just love you. I think you’re brilliant, and I think a LOT of the world we live in is utterly ridiculous…but it’s down to people willfully misunderstanding one another and operating from a point of self-righteousness rather than from a desire to connect.

    I personally think a lot of bad people would be less bad if someone, at some point in their past, had tried to make a meaningful connection (I admit there are always those who are just bad).

    1. Author

      Yes you’re right. There are a lot of stubborn people out there who have somehow convinced themselves that they’re always “right”. And yes – I too believe that some people could be redeemed if they made the right connection. So (like you), I’m going to keep spreading joy and light and hope that it sticks somewhere. 😉

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