Female Genital Mutilation
By: Quigley
on Friday, January 20th 2006 at 10:13am
As a side note - and you'll find out why, don't worry - I think I'm more angry about abortion than I ever have been. But that's not what this article is about, so I'm going to stay away from it.
As a secondary side note, these are really top notes, when you think about it.
Alright, so Deanna is having this conversation online on a message board for her philosophy peeps last night... and the topic of femal genital mutilation comes up. Various debates ensue. Same old stuff that I have heard millions of times before.
And then something hit me. For the most part this practice is exacted upon infants or children, rather than grown women with the ability to properly consent to it. And the procedure's detractors will vehemently argue the *side effects*: pain during childburth, pain during intercourse, random pains at various times... yet nobody discusses the actual event.
Females, you can try to relate to what's going on here. If you're not sure; go look it up. Dudes, if you need a comparison, just imagine someone is hacking away at the tip of your penis with some non-sterile, rusty piece of stuff they found in a junkyard. So, basically we're talking about something so horrible that it makes the torture of imprisoned Chinese look tame and manageable. Now answer me this: when Falun Gong members have their hands smashed up in prison, are the human rights activists most concerned with the fact that these individuals might suffer from arthritis later in life? Of course not! They're being tortured, for the love of god! *That* is the major issue. So why is it not the same when four year old girls get their genitals hacked apart?
And then it hit me: empathy! There isn't any. Maybe it's an evolutionary safeguard, designed to stop grieving parents from ruining their reproductive capability with suicide or depression after the death of a child. Maybe it's because all humans are inherently disgusting and deserve to die. Who knows? But any way you look at it, it would seem that there is a severe lack of empathy toward anyone young enough to be unable to express themselves. You can disagree, attack my points, etc., as you see fit. I'm going to bugger off now.
In closing: is cultural tolerance sufficient to legitimize child abuse and torture? Not bloody likely. Anyone involved should be imprisoned for life, or summarily shot between the eyes.
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Comments for Female Genital Mutilation
Claytanic Wrote...
Saturday, January 21st 2006 at 1:30pm
it is sadding to read things...
education is reducing smoking; maybe it can do the same for the perpetuators and perpetrators of this practice
Quigley Wrote...
Sunday, January 22nd 2006 at 8:37pm
Thunder: I think you made a good choice with your sons. Not that my opinion would ever be relevant, but hey... ;)
The thing that makes me so upset is that at least there *are* some supposed benefits to male circumcision. The practice to which I was referring with this article is literally designed to stop women from being capable of cheating on their husbands, or from desiring it, by making sex difficult, painful, or without pleasure. That's the reason it's done. No health benefits, no cleanliness... just lazy, jealous men who don't want to wonder what their wives are doing, so far as I know.
Asrai Wrote...
Sunday, January 22nd 2006 at 11:20pm
It's all so very nasty. I agree about the whole lack of empathy thing. That's why if a guy hits his girlfriend across the face, it's abuse, but if he smacks his kid just as hard on the ass, it's discipline.
mike Wrote...
Monday, January 23rd 2006 at 9:23am
All I have to say is... *shudder* I typed that into google and got more information than I will ever need.
thunderchicken Wrote...
Monday, January 23rd 2006 at 3:32pm
Thank you Quigley it's nice to hear that someone thinks I made a right choice. Your opinion is relevant if not because your a smart young man but because you agree with me :P haha.
Furthermore lacking desire to have sex and or enjoying it is still not enough to stop someone from falling in love with someone else. I wonder sometimes whats going on in the world and if I'm missing the memo's, cause I just don't get how peoples logic gets them from point a to point b about things.
mike Wrote...
Monday, January 23rd 2006 at 7:39pm
you should have had them cut and watched them bleed like stuck little piggies! mua ha ha ha ha. (I r so bad)
Quigley Wrote...
Monday, January 23rd 2006 at 8:51pm
oh man... dude, you are going directly to hell. :)
deanna Wrote...
Monday, January 23rd 2006 at 9:04pm
Thunderchicken, I completely agree with you. Some 'words of wisdom' I posted on the philosophy message board that I feel apply here quite well: "Not your genitals, not your decision; that's always been my motto." If your sons want to be circumcized when they're older, that's perfectly fine, and if educated adult women want to have their genitals mutilated, that's fine with me, too. My problem with the issue is that people seem to think it's the parents' decision, when it so obviously is not.
It's refreshing to have people agree with me about this when I've spent the last week practically screaming at one of my classmates who thinks that all of these horrible things can be justified by differences in culture. Oi vey.
thunderchicken Wrote...
Monday, January 23rd 2006 at 11:02pm
Aww Mike. Alright well I'll take you in first and hold your little hand so you don't cry, and then we'll do my kids next. And if your already done....well we can just take it right off, I don't know that you should have kids anyhow :P I don't know if the world can take that much sarcasm without spontaneous combustion! You are funny though, I'll give you that.
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thunderchicken Wrote...
Friday, January 20th 2006 at 7:49pm
In a similiar idea, I was under a lot of pressure when my sons were born to get them cut. The thought of the whole thing made me sick to my stomach. I just couldn't imagine having to hold them while they have their body hacked at and for them to be in pain for several days in such a sensitive area. I understand the reasons that are presented which is cleaniness and all that crap, but I think they will be quite capable of looking after this issue just the same as they will brush their teeth. Furthermore and most importantly - It's not my body part. I might be their parent but somehow I don't feel that it's my place to make that decision. If they want to get circumsized let them decide that when they are old enough.
I confess I don't know much about female mutilation, though I am aware that it is a reality. Certainly not something that I would entertain as a good idea for a moment. I lack the comprehension of what the benefits to that are supposed to be. The side effects though sound like things that seriously take away from the quality of life. I can't like it.