Ms Hussein scared over reactions to female genital mutilation

[Kraenen]

Who made your culture "better"?

Swooping in and making over other cultures in your image because it's "right" is absolutely heinous.

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The sad thing is, we kinda did let them. Main reason we intervened was because they invaded other countries.

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Your morality is subjective to your culture.

I'm a firm believer in Star Trek's "Prime Directive" where you cannot interfere with the natural evolution of other cultures.

my culture does not negate or nullify moral arguments. furthermore you cannot possibly follow the prime directive if you give it any thought beyond "culture" being some kind of invisible god that controls the universe.

[Underverse]

Your morality is subjective to your culture.

I'm a firm believer in Star Trek's "Prime Directive" where you cannot interfere with the natural evolution of other cultures.

Total bullshit. If a culture is the outcome of some sort of scarcity, and that scarcity goes away, you're suddenly doing things that are completely unnecessary and possibly detrimental to everyone in that culture. Eskimos, for example. They killed their infants that they couldn't take care of during the winter so the rest of the tribe would survive. A valid reason. Now let's say that the earth warms a bit, and they no longer need to kill their infants. But they still do, because it's become ingrained in their culture. Why is this okay?

The brain's malleability is its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. We can use its malleability, its strength, to overcome its weakness. Why shouldn't we?

[durrtygoodz]

Why is females getting their vaginas snipped so terrible but young boys getting cut is fine?

[Rukentuts]

Why is females getting their vaginas snipped so terrible but young boys getting cut is fine?

Level of invasiveness.

[Underverse]

Can I declare superiority on the basis of an adherence to reason to all of the people who declare superiority on a basis of because I said so?

Yes.

/10char

[Deleted]

Only because people Z feel that way.

Same thing happened with the Native Americans, one of the largest genocides in history.

Ok, let's cut off woman's outer genitals so that she will only feel horrible pain when she tries to have sex. That isn't messed up, not at all. But wait, those evil naziracistsecondreincarnationsofhitler want to try to stop it? Owwww, that's messed up, how can they even be so racist???

[Imbs]

Why is females getting their vaginas snipped so terrible but young boys getting cut is fine?

They are both bad. FGM is worse. Google will tell you why.

[DockyWocky]

I've never really bought into the moral relativism argument. Sure, there are things that people do that with different societal norms might be uncomfortable/unfavorable. On the other hand, some things are just intrinsically wrong. But you're going to have to come up with a completely new level of argument to persuade me that asking people kindly to stop hacking vaginas to bits is a bad thing.

[Masark]

Not as messed up as telling other cultures in other countries what they can and can not do.

Yeah, who are we to tell Rwandans how to manage their internal affairs. It's so messed up telling people that some things are not acceptable to the global community.

[Rukentuts]

I've never really bought into the moral relativism argument. Sure, there are things that people do that with different societal norms might be uncomfortable/unfavorable. But you're going to have to come up with a completely new level of argument to persuade me that asking people kindly to stop hacking vaginas to bits is a bad thing.

Asking them is one thing, but what do you do when they refuse?

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Why is females getting their vaginas snipped so terrible but young boys getting cut is fine?

Because it's actually different. I would like it to be a choice(The boy part) but you can't compare the two because of biological differences.

[Chrysia]

Why is females getting their vaginas snipped so terrible but young boys getting cut is fine?

Male circumcision has negligible effect on the ability of the male to experience sexual pleasure.

Female genital mutilation, which is typically forcable removal of all or part of the clitoris, severely reduces, and in some cases almost completely removes, all feelings of sexual pleasure.

[Rukentuts]

Yeah, who are we to tell Rwandans how to manage their internal affairs. It's so messed up telling people that some things are not acceptable to the global community.

Yeah, and we did sooo much to stop it. We learned our lesson in Somalia.

[Imbs]

I've never really bought into the moral relativism argument. Sure, there are things that people do that with different societal norms might be uncomfortable/unfavorable. On the other hand, some things are just intrinsically wrong. But you're going to have to come up with a completely new level of argument to persuade me that asking people kindly to stop hacking vaginas to bits is a bad thing.

It's actually condescending to think that way anyway. 'Oh they just don't know any better' is what that line of argument amounts to.

[DockyWocky]

Asking them is one thing, but what do you do when they refuse?

Outlaw it and criminalize the practice. Much like we don't pass around small pox infested blankets and toss corpses over walls to spread disease, FGM is a barbaric practice that's only place in the modern world is either by choice, or in a history book.

[Rukentuts]

It's actually condescending to think that way anyway. 'Oh they just don't know any better' is what that line of argument amounts to.

No, it's not. You are thinking the way as per your culture. They are thinking the way as per theirs.

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Outlaw it and criminalize the practice. Much like we don't pass around small pox infested blankets and toss corpses over walls to spread disease, FGM is a barbaric practice that's only place in the modern world is either by choice, or in a history book.

Yeah, and we can outlaw it in our domain. But theirs? No.

[Balazzar]

If those countries want to do it, they can do it without Western financial backing IMHO. Embargoes on those countries, hefty tariffs, etc. If they want to do it in Western countries, they can be hauled off to prison or deported.

There, a nice balance between the relativists and moralists.

[tankbug]

Most of the people in the world think that no culture has the right to deny people basic rights.

[Rukentuts]

It's illegal in much of Africa. Now what do we do?

Liberate them obviously.

Worked in Somalia, worked in Iraq.

[Chrysia]

No, it's not. You are thinking the way as per your culture. They are thinking the way as per theirs.

No, sorry. Cultural relativism has it's place, but it's backwards and stupid and horseshit. There are things that are wrong, period. Every culture has them, has had them, and some have moved past many of them. Any steps we can take to stamp out barbaric, unnecessary practices is an A+ move in my book.