mutilation or alteration?

[maxwella_demon]

I'm currently writing an (overdue) essay on female genital circumcision in regards to whether it is a cultural or barbaric practice... and the only scholarly work I can find on it says its all cultural. Apparently its not as bad for the health as everyone says it is and amnesty had it all wrong, but I'm not convinced...

Comments

[cassie_lee]

when done against will and with horrible rusty objects... I'd have to say barbaric. Was the author a guy? Possibly Jewish? :p

so is it 'female genital circumcision' when it's cultural and 'female genital mutilation' when it's barbaric? Or are those two officially separate things?

[maxwella_demon]

yeah the article was written by a guy although i doubt jewish, he was totally against jewish male circumcision as it is done without consent as a child with spurious 'health benefits'. big plus apparently in africa, you do get to give consent after choosing a) get circumcised with risk of death due to serverity of circumcision/rusty implements because msf just aren't prioritising this over say aids or b) be unclean and never get married/face possible ostracision.

this guy is like, 'listen people, i'm a relativist i don't believe in universal truths, declaration of human rights big swiss conspiracy, no way its relevant to anyone who isn't white and eats fondue so there...'

i could be twisting his words just a little :P you can probably see why i'm not pursuing a career as an academic

[maxwella_demon]

and by ostracision i mean ostracism...

kinda cool concept though, get kicked and SLICED out of the group...

[cassie_lee]

cos it needs to be worse for them...

[tree_jersey]

i still don't see how, being cut up down there and having parts removed is still excatly fun or remoltly sane, even if it was sterile

[lady_lust]

there is a line of criticism that says anyone outside a culture cannot does not have the right to form an opinion about practices within that culture and my notes use female circumcision as an example. I hate communication studies, they are so retarded

[tree_jersey]

screw that everyone has a right to opinion, they don't have to agree to it, just like i don't have to agree to theres

[maxwella_demon]

that was my line of argument, cultural relativism is a two way street and its unfair to have double standards about how the west can't judge everyone, yet everyone else can judge the west...

a very complex issue