Family: Mum's the Word

From the thigh gap to Boris, Youngest enters the debate

As the youngest in the household, and having endured a full year of indyref discussion, without getting a vote herself, Youngest has an eye-rolling/no comment policy in family politics discussions.

But she’ll be voting soon and as it turns out has succinct, strong opinions on many matters and although she prefers to keep them to herself, lately they’ve been slipping out.

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Youngest on gender neutral toilets: “Wrong. More women will be attacked if there are men in women’s toilets.”

Youngest on the thigh gap: “Just wrong.”

Youngest on Boris: “Wrong. Ridiculous.”

On this one, I try to draw her out, I’ve never heard her mention Boris before.

“Why’s that?”

“Just is.”

“Yeah. Em, why?”

“OK, I’m writing an essay on this so I might as well say…” She sighs and rolls her eyes.

“Because he attacks people wearing burkas by insulting them, saying they look like bank robbers or post boxes, ridiculous. Then he says oh but I’m not saying you should ban them, so he sounds moderate and reasonable. That way he’s getting votes from the racists by attacking Muslims and at the same time getting votes from the people who want to sound moderate, but aren’t really, the ones who are less extreme so it makes racism reasonable. So he’s being clever. A politician. Playing with people.”

She continues,

“I think people should wear what they want. Imagine if it’s your culture to wear a burka and suddenly people are telling you you can’t wear it.”

There’s more.

“But then there’s the security argument, and you can understand that too, if the face is covered, so there are two sides to it and you can see why some people might argue for a ban. So it’s not that straightforward…”

“No, it never is. What about banning tracky bottoms for men? I’m all for that. This morning at the bus stop the man standing next to me had both hands shoved down the front of his tracky bottoms and there was a whole party going on down there. I had to move away, and I missed the bus and had to get the next one. He should have to wear a burka.”

“Ridiculous.”

“Yes, it was.”

“No, you.”

“Can I help you with your essay?”

“No.”