The Pessimist

Hijab, burqa, turban, yarmulke, skull cap, mitre

Well, you know me; always willing to try new things. I heard that Yahoo Answers was all the rage on the internet. The first new idea in a while that was launched by somebody other than google. The first question on the new site was asked by Steven Hawking, so It has a pretty good pedigree. Right?

I thought I'd give it a spin. I signed up and posted my first question:
So, does wearing a silly hat make you religious, or does being religious make you want to wear silly hats?

I didn't get many answers, probably because I couldn't find the religion category and posted it in Anthropology instead. I couldn't find religion (no pun intended) so I assumed there was no category, given it might lead to proselytizing.

Answers ranged from telling me I'm an idiot

i wear silly hats whenever i feel like it.
i will even let you on a little secret...
sometimes i even put on my thinking cap pomdoepol

or the highly reasoned response:

WTF?

from lavendergirl who has probably never before considered religion to be ridiculous.

A few of the answers I liked:

"I would rather reason drunk with a dog than reason sober with a religious fanatic."

Being silly and religious has nothing to do with hats. Eugene P

Well, let's look at it this way; There are two guys from different religions, each wearing their religion's hat. Each points at the other and cracks up. Which one is wearing the silly hat? davidi

The most elaborate (and useless) answer I received was

What silly hats are you refering to exactly? All religions have histories (some going back thousands of years actually) and traditions. That does not make them "silly". They all have meaning and if you studied a particular religion there is actually meaning and a reason for whatever is worn by the clerics of that religion and by some of the followers. These are not random things but have great meaning for that religion. Uniforms as it were are worn for all kinds of things. I don't get your point at all. And why would someone's religious preference or their tradition bother you in any way? Not very tolerant or educated is it? Island Queen

which confuses culture and religion. Or maybe that is the point. In Afghanistan and Israel, the costumes are part of the culture. It is all you can buy to wear, it's not "silly", it just is.
But when these people immigrate to Canada, the U.S or Europe, where these costumes are not traditional, and they insist on wearing them anyway, what does that say?
It says, I don't belong here; I don't accept my new homeland; I want to make this new homeland like my old homeland. I want to destroy your culture.

I agree with Holland. These people should be given one generation to adapt. Grandma can stay in the house, not learn english and wear whatever she likes. But, if you want a job or go to school, go to the store and buy some clothes off the rack. Send your children to public school, so they can learn the language and become proper citizens of their adopted country.

Or get out. Go back to where wearing silly hats is the norm.