V's Comments
While I do not subscribe to any faith or culture that practices segregation, my personal interpretation of gender segregation isn't so much about equality but rather personal space. Rather than keeping the women away from the men, it's more likely a practice that evolved for the specific purpose of keeping the men away from the women to preserve their (the women's) personal space.
From my understanding there are bus lines that operate similar routes but do not satisfy the requirements of their faith and so, as a community, have managed to organise a contractor to run a line for their specific requirements. From my point of view, it's basically like a restaurant or fast food joint providing a vegetarian, vegan, halal, low fat, low sugar or gluten free menu. That bus line is run to satisfy a specific demand and you have a choice to use that bus or to use another bus.
Going through the actual article, I've gathered that a private company is paying the city the right to run a bus service that is open to the public. at a 2.50 fare, they're going to need 11,000 passengers a year to break even on the rights fees alone, probably double that in order to break even on the running costs. Considering how niche it is, it's possible that it could be barely breaking even, if not running at a loss. The fact that it is open to the public is that they're inviting other people to use the same services if they so desire.
To diverge on a tangent for a moment, I think that one thing most people forget about multiculturalism is that it's not about having all people adopt the host country's culture, customs and values but an opportunity for the guest and host cultures to engage in conversation, come to understand each other's differences and similarities and then continue to become a better international community. I don't think directly applying your own values onto another culture's practices does anything other than create conflicts and confrontations unless both parties attempt to understand each other.
That said, I am also not American so the only basis I have for reading into the article and its reader's opinions stem from my own country's ongoing efforts at becoming a multi-cultural and multi-religious nation.
From my understanding there are bus lines that operate similar routes but do not satisfy the requirements of their faith and so, as a community, have managed to organise a contractor to run a line for their specific requirements. From my point of view, it's basically like a restaurant or fast food joint providing a vegetarian, vegan, halal, low fat, low sugar or gluten free menu. That bus line is run to satisfy a specific demand and you have a choice to use that bus or to use another bus.
Going through the actual article, I've gathered that a private company is paying the city the right to run a bus service that is open to the public. at a 2.50 fare, they're going to need 11,000 passengers a year to break even on the rights fees alone, probably double that in order to break even on the running costs. Considering how niche it is, it's possible that it could be barely breaking even, if not running at a loss. The fact that it is open to the public is that they're inviting other people to use the same services if they so desire.
To diverge on a tangent for a moment, I think that one thing most people forget about multiculturalism is that it's not about having all people adopt the host country's culture, customs and values but an opportunity for the guest and host cultures to engage in conversation, come to understand each other's differences and similarities and then continue to become a better international community. I don't think directly applying your own values onto another culture's practices does anything other than create conflicts and confrontations unless both parties attempt to understand each other.
That said, I am also not American so the only basis I have for reading into the article and its reader's opinions stem from my own country's ongoing efforts at becoming a multi-cultural and multi-religious nation.
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What amuses me most about the whole "parasites coming into our country" argument is that, more often than not, it is the same people defending their values and sense of rights when in other countries. It's not something I particularly care much for but there have been many a time where members of a community would demand others to assimilate but then get outraged and call other cultures backwards when they get penalised for violating cultural laws when in other countries.
I think the greatest examples of this is the rift between Muslim countries and the western world... especially when it comes to around ramadam or when women go driving. Again, it's not like I agree with the all the laws of other countries, or even my own, but that is a different thing from respecting it.
However, Nick does bring up an interesting scenario; I'd assume they'd be the people sitting in the middle? By their cultural laws, they are allowed to and *someone* has to sit between the two sections.
I think the only time this would be offensive is if this was the *only* bus line servicing the area or line. Since you have the choice, with no negative consequences, mind you, to choose another bus service then I don't really see the problem or how it really offends. It's like you're hungry, haven't eaten for days and you decide to pick the glass of water rather than a meal and then complain about how the water isn't filling.