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Abso-f*****g-lutely not. As someone else said, female genital mutilation. You can scream, "That's my culture!" all you want and I will still tell you you're a f*****g misogynist and deserve to rot in prison. There's an Indian practice known as "sati" which is, very rarely practiced today, but more common in the past where widows were expected to join their dead husbands as they were being cremated. I don't respect that because it's "culture." That's wrong.
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Abso-f*****g-lutely not. As someone else said, female genital mutilation. You can scream, "That's my culture!" all you want and I will still tell you you're a f*****g misogynist and deserve to rot in prison. There's an Indian practice known as "sati" which is, very rarely practiced today, but more common in the past where widows were expected to join their dead husbands as they were being cremated. I don't respect that because it's "culture." That's wrong.
Culture doesn't negate cruelty and inhumanity. So many things that are done in the name of culture are breeded from ignorance. Women are mutilated so they would be deterred from having sex, and in turn be more faithful to their future husband. This practice stems from the belief that women are sex-hungry and subservient to men. Don't give me bullshit about your culture--if you think women are subservient to men, you are a bad person.
As for bullfighting--recent statistics show that most Spaniards aren't interested in bullfighting and a large percentage want it forbidden. The majority of people who attend bullfights are tourists. And bullfighting is sick. How someone can purposely manipulate and torture a creature for sport and entertainment--I don't know.
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Just because something has been around for ages or accepted as cultural normalcy, doesn't make it healthy, just or worthy of being adopted by other cultures.
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Just because something has been around for ages or accepted as cultural normalcy, doesn't make it healthy, just or worthy of being adopted by other cultures.
"Culture" is not a stagnant and unchanging portrait of a society. It changes, hopefully to fit the needs of people.
What is important is that one nation does not laud itself as more just than another and "inflict" its justice on other people. Western feminists who work against female genital surgeries are likely to misunderstand this practice, fail to comprehend how it is supported by female relatives or be unsympathetic to a girl who may or may not feel ambivalent about the practice as it relates to her own body.
Whatever the "horrors" or "merits" of a practice may be, there are communities where these are traditions. Yes, many traditions are unsustainable or patriarchal or otherwise problematic. However carelessly removing a person from their community, physically or otherwise can be detrimental-- our systems of support and family, however flawed are important. Well-meaning activists often cannot help but see things through the lens of their own culture and this can lead to damage when they try to "solve the problems of the world."
Grassroots movements will always be more effective. And ultimately change will never happen when it is "sent down" from the holier-than-thou's among us.
If people are Western feminists/activists are so concerned with female genital surgeries in Africa, perhaps they should look inward on their own societies where "vaginal rejuvenation" surgeries are increasing everyday.
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The things I see as bad traditions abound in all cultures
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The things I see as bad traditions abound in all cultures
- and while I try and do a Christopher Hitchens and introduce rational critical thought to prevent the inculcating of harmful traditional ideas in small children - I tend to hang back from judgement of those in cultures of which I have no first hand experience.
I filmed bullfighting in Spain - and gained a whole load of insight into its history, the culture that surrounds it - the class battle it represents - and more -
I left with nothing but respect for the Matadors and their teams - regard for the bulls and their 15 minutes of fame - and nothing but disgust at the audiences and the way it seemed to keep the class structure in place rather than promote equal opportunities and an end to deference...
but my views of it were very different to the ones I held just from stories I had heard before going...
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