cinco de mayo: RELIGIONS WANT TO CONTROL EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES

From the way we dress to what we can or can’t drink, what we eat or can’t eat…it even can get as outrageous as genital mutilation.

We have all heard the selling points: “Our bodies are like temples”, “The word of Wisdom”, and so on and so forth. But behind all those directives to their followers…and sometimes downright commands is the need for religion to control all aspects of a follower’s life.

Dress Codes…..can you say C O N F O R M I N G?

I remember the sixties and how the general population was just alarmed and insulted by the new fangled way a number of young people were dressing. It was a way of protesting conformity and a way of confronting the “values” of the society of the day. I remember that at first there wasn’t a word for hippie, they were called “beatniks”, bohemian, even malcontents or leftist communists.

But even then I realized that the new group of young unconventional dressers were conforming to a dress code themselves. It was colorful rainbows and peace signs, it was long hair and unshaven faces, it was unwashed and shabby appearances, and it was Patchouli perfume or incense, all heavy and reeking of high heaven, mixed in with the acrid smell of marihuana smoke and body odors. The Hippies were themselves conformists.

I am totally complicit with nudity. Originally the natives of the Americas, Asia and Africa they did not wear any clothing. Enter the prudish missionaries and they insisted in covering up the wicked nakedness of these heathen people. It was a great crusade on the part of Christianity to shame these peoples into covering their sinful bare bodies.

Of course it makes absolutely no sense at all that in a very hot environment or in the heat of a desert that people should be forced by their governments or religions to cover themselves up from head to toe, it is impractical and not very healthy. Can you imagine how uncomfortable it must feel for some of these women wearing the Burqa in 100 degree weather?

From the military uniforms to schools, it is a society imposed dictatorial mandate that people adhere to a certain dress code. How else is a government or a religion able to maintain control over the general population? Dress codes are simply a way of forcing the governed or the “followers” to submit to their religion or to their governments.

When we look at the precision and uniformity in which some of the more militarized powers functioned, we see certain homogeneity, a total uniformity that translated into submission and allegiance. Take for example the Nazi German soldiers, all marching with uniform precision to advertise their might and their unity. We see it in other militaristic societies like the Chinese and North Korean Communists who are the ultimate in crowd submission and put on shows that display total cooperation and acquiescence; from their military to their sports activities.

We see it in the the Cuban military, the old Soviet Union, and the Romans of 2 thousand years ago. It is just a way to show off, to convey a position of submission from the general public.

The great need for subjugation translates into all segments of society. Here in the West we see how our work force is compelled to accept certain established standards of dress. Companies demand it and you are not hired unless you adhere to a certain standard. That is why when you have a job interview you have to wear a suit and a tie. It is a way of you saying: “I will obey” but can you think of an article of clothing more useless as a man’s tie?

I am not much for following fashion nor do I get easily impressed with brand names. I think it is ridiculous to pay exorbitant prices for something just because it says CK or Versace. I can pay a little extra if I see that the garment or product has added value, good craftsmanship or warranties that imply durability.

I worked for the longest time inside a hangar at the airport. My work was done strictly on the telephone. I never ever got to see a customer. The hangar had no windows and it was depressing. Yet my company demanded that we wore ties and dress up every day for work. It was a pain in the ass because you had to wash and iron dress shirts and it served absolutely no purpose other than to make the employees subservient. I remember that it was a big deal to be able to wear blue jeans to work on a Friday. Sometimes the company would announce some acquisition or a great milestone and to celebrate, the employees were allowed to come to work on Friday in casual attire and they would send in pizzas. What a great treat!

FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION

The main purpose of clothing was originally to protect humans from the elements. You wore garments that shielded you from the sun, the heat or the cold.

And rightfully so, I once fell asleep in a nude beach and had the worst sunburn in my genitals that took a couple of weeks for me to regain use of my jewels. That is why loincloths came into being.

As humanity progressed and grew, the garments were codified to convey status, wealth or station in life. As clothing became more elaborate, the need for craftsmen to manufacture these came into being. Dressmakers and tailors appeared in the picture because there was a need to have garments fit properly and eventually they also were able to incorporate items such as shoulder pads and pleats that would “enhance” the contour of the body, suggesting a certain appeal to the sensual. Thus “fashion” was born.

The trend continued and we see for example how more casual attire will enhance parts of the body as is the case with very tight blue jeans to emphasize the bulge of the genitalia in men and the voluptuousness of the booty or the breasts in women. It is then that clothing became complicit in the sexual pursuits of both men and women. For women, skirts got shorter and cleavage accentuated.

I find that these days I am most comfortable just wearing shorts and a t-shirt in summer and pants and a sweatshirt in the colder days. For me dressing up means to be forced to wear shoes and pants instead of flip flops or sandals. I am most uncomfortable when I have to go to a function and wear a dress shirt and a tie…a tie, one of those garments that serve absolutely no purpose in life other than to say: “I am conforming”.

There has been a lot of debate in the past about forcing our offspring to wear uniforms to school. It is our way of “training” them to be conformists. It is our way of making our young be submissive. There is little room to express individuality and creativity when it is the law to look the same, everyone looks like everyone else…it is the ultimate concept of homogeneity and democratization. Funny too that it manifests itself in home owner’s associations where you can only paint your house an approved color.

There also has been debate whether some segments of the population that has adopted rather unconventional ways of expressing their individuality should be allowed to do so. There are even those who suggest that these ought to be repressed, as is the case in Dallas and most of Texas with the blacks wearing pants that are about to fall off, showing their underwear and at times their ass crack.

I am not a fan of that fashion, but I recognize that in our country, in our society, these people have a Constitutional right to wear whatever the fuck they want and how they wish to wear is up to them, not to some City Council or School Board to dictate.

My next question is: Should we allow religion to dictate what the general population should wear and how they should wear it?

In a theocracy, that is the case, but here in America as it is in most of the Western world there is an accepted consensus that religion should have nothing to say on the matter; that is, as long as it is another religion like the Muslim. If a Muslim woman comes to school or work wearing a veil then she is ostracized and discriminated against. If a Western woman goes to a Muslim country and goes about in public with her head uncovered, it is a defiance of Sharia law.

Again we are going into the insistence of religions of exerting their domination and authority over their subjects. We see it in the Jews; there are different types of headdress and clothing worn by them. We see it in the Arab world; we see it in the Mormons and some of the more fanatical Christian denominations. It is all about control.

What difference does it make if you wear a small skull cap or a tablecloth on your head?