Jezebel 
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New York, 9:31 PM
Wed Dec 16
63 posts in the last 24 hours
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12/15/09
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Non sequitur...and kinda not that funny. Photoshop fail.
12/15/09
12/15/09
How? Is there a "punch in face" timer on this blanket? Does the excess fabric ball up and launch itself at my face while I'm watching TV?
12/15/09
Oh look. Now there is.
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12/12/09
How about we admit that they're both bad?
I mean it should be up to the person whether or not they want their genitals mutilated or not, not society or their parents.
12/13/09
12/12/09
Most of my experience is related to Tanzania and Kenya, so I can't speak as clearly about other countries, but it's been illegal both of those places for a while but is still extremely common among the Maasai, for example, though there are some really interesting programs trying to address it and get villages to shift away from the physical part of the initiation ritual.
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I dunno. Violence is violence.
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12/12/09
I have so many friends who have commented that their son needs to look just like daddy, so break out the scissors. As if that is a big enough reason to cut off a piece of his penis! But it is so acceptable that no one questions it or even thinks about it. Which makes me think its possible that there are places in the world that FGM isn't necessarily done with a lot of thought and instead is kind of the status quo.
So....I guess you could argue cultural reasons for FGM in some African countries and for circumcision in the USA, but both just seem like a violent act against a baby to me.
(I'd like to be clear though, that I think the effects of FGM are probably worse than the that of circumcision and there are clear issues of sexism at play for FGM in ways that aren't for circumcision. I'm not saying that they are the same issue, but there are some similarities and both leave me with a bad feeling.)
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Plus, I don't think it has much to do with actual sex...other than trying to make sure women don't want to have any, so they are less likely to "stray". That's the justification I've always read, and it's line with lots of practices in many cultures to control women's sexuality.
12/12/09
I don't want this to turn into a debate about the two because I don't want to belittle FMG and I fear it could easily turn to that (as it is, and I apologize). I only mentioned that because I really have a difficult time completely judging another culture with my own culture's biases (and meant to use that as example of that in response to what that professor said because I am sure that there are those that argue that FGM is a positive thing and they sincerely believe that and how do you begin to respond to that in a way that both respects different cultures and also seeks justice for all?). And, that isn't to say that we shouldn't make any judgment at all about FGM, because we should do everything we can to make sure that these women are not abused in this way. FGM is truly horrific any way you look at it.
That's why I think it is really powerful that the Ugandan government is banning this act because they are realizing themselves that this a terrible practice. I am sure Western pressures helped this, but I hope it is something they take ownership of as well. But, at the same time, it is really easy for us to look over our own abuses of others and just point fingers at other cultures that we don't even understand. It just makes me feel uncertain how to even begin to respond to things such as these. There aren't any easy answers, but I hope we can at least listen to the positions that come out of other cultures so that we understand the complexity of those issues. At the same time, I hope we also have the courage to stand up against injustices irregardless of what culture they come from.
12/12/09
When women seek refugee status because they don't want this done to them, there's something seriously, seriously fucked up. And I don't think there's anything "probably worse," medically or culturally about it. It is.
12/12/09
"Hot and dry sex" by the way refers to certain practices where women sometimes sit in tubs of caustic agents like diluted bleach, which strips the vagina of lubrication and leaves it vulnerable to tearing, as well as, reportedly, feeling a certain way to the man who demands that the women do this. It makes the vagina prone to severe tearing, which in turns makes the spread of various diseases easier.
12/13/09
It is bullshit. She was highly problematic in a lot of issues. I think she was very afraid of being categorized as one of those white feminists who wants to go save all of "those" people. Not a great excuse, but she worked around the world. Over-compensation, maybe?
I think anybody can look at clitoral severing and vaginal bleaching and make the conclusion that something's not right here.