Month: August 2016

In case you haven’t heard, there are people in the world who wear burkinis, and there are places in the world that think they’re evil.

If you’re in the anti-religion half of my family, then you think this is great.

If you’re me, then you think the French haven’t gone far enough.

You see, if we’re going to tell women what the rules are surrounding their expression of religion in a public place, why are we stopping at the burkini? We should also move to ban:

• Make up
• Plastic surgery
• Hair cuts
• Painted nails
• Wigs
• Any clothing outside of a pre-defined, government approved list including (but not limited to):
  • Bikinis
  • Hats
  • Skirts
  • Graphic t-shirts with expressions of opinion
• And many more things I’m sure I’m forgetting

For all I know, the gods of Christianity, Judaism, eCommerce, and the anti-gods of atheism, capitalism, and personal expression are using these tools to manipulate women, and their role in society. Most of these products are created by companies run by men, and are produced to manipulate the freedom a woman has to express who she really is.

You see, freedom – as defined by this French mayor, and the people who think like him – is the right to believe what the majority believes. Being different, having a differing opinion, or being identified by a different group are not protected. Nor is being on the wrong side of history.

And the people who define freedom this way are wrong.

I feel like I’ve started many blog posts these last few months, and published none.

The truth is hard to write about. It exposes people who I have no intention of hurting. And yet, my inability to both write and say some of these things may have been what led me to where I ended up.

It feels like a one-sided attack. What I want it to be is a conversation. But how is that possible in this format?

The more I process it though, the more it feels like a plea for help. A plea to change. Why couldn’t we move faster? Smarter? With more empowerment? With more trust?

I knew leaving TokBox was going to be tough in the moment, but I’m also now realizing how much what we had built there had weighed me down. Of course I was part of the problem. I built the problem. (I built some good things too, don’t get me wrong).

And so I’ve been silent because the truth is too hard.