Culture?

I was discussing this with a certain aquaintance. Do we have a right to go and change another cultures' view of morality and tradition.

For example: In certain parts of Central Africa...There is a tradition amongst the tribe that when a boy comes of age, particularly 12 or 13. He must sleep with the a male member of that tribe...It's a form of pedestary but it is their tradition.

Do you think we have a right to criticise their culture?

It is not so much as homosexuality as it is pedestary or what is now known as Paedophilia.

I am just wondering are we in fear that if we come from that certain culture, we have the right to criticise. I find that really ridiculous.

^^Don't you mean subjective...?

No, we don't have the right to change their traditions. All we can do is educate them of other cultures so that they may make a decision on their own ...

One of my favorite authors wrote a book entitled "Spirits Rebellious" that was said to have been banned in the culture that it threatened. Among other things I believe the book promoted the idea that a woman should be able to decide who she married rather than be betrothed.

A soldier that was in Iraq told me religious fanatics there altered the anatomy of females to discourage sexual pleasure. Has anyone else heard of this?

^^Yes, it's called Genital Mutilation...It's a custom that pre-dates Islamic rituals, in fact it is Eygptian in origin.

This is where they lob off the Clitoris which is the mildest of cases. The worst case is where they completely sew shut the vagina, until the day of marriage.

It's a disgusting and abhorrantly vile way of keeping the daughter chaste...

The soldier I mentioned above said she could not restrain her anger when she witnessed a woman being beat mercilessly by a man that was using her as a pack mule.

The sound of her cocking her weapon and screaming "hey mf back off" prevented her from witnessing more of this oppression than she could tolerate. No one was killed even though a change of underwear may have been necessary

In answer to your question, Noir...
If these people are doing something harmful, then, yes, by all means we should intervene. This particular event seems alright to me, though.
Yeah, it might be rather crude and disturbing to us, but these people obviously don't see it that way. This is life as they know it.
Now, we can send people over there and just, say, ask them why they do it and what they think about it...
That could be interesting.

The thing is, though, while we are thinking of influencing them, shouldn't we be letting ourselves be influenced by them?

I can see your point, yes.
But, you must realize that this ia very different culture than ours.
There are things that I don't agree with... Say, the female circumcision thing.
However, did you know it's mostly women who insist on it?

If these people WANT to do it, and the child, though naturally scared, wishes to go through with it, too, well, I say it's their decision.
If it gets to the point where people are trying to escape it, and getting seriously injured from it-- Well, that's a very different situation.

"Although there is no passage or a hint in the
Qur'an to do something so horrible to a woman"

That may be true...Illumanati, but these "religious fanatics" actually take verses from that Qur'an, to actually justify their own doings. It is cultural, it is an way for the Eygptian men to control their lustful women, and it was done by the Eygptian priests of Hathor... But that practice has been resurructed and since the conversion of the people, the Quran served as a tool to justify their action. And right now places like Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and certain places in Eygpt and Saudi Arabia are practicing this act on that certain child.

It is an abhorrant way of actually removing what makes the person human. And to do this without the consent of that child, woman etc...I truly view it as a disgusting thing to do.

I personally see that it is our way of trying to change one culture's views if we actually live in it. And I believe that what each society view as tradition will eventually change in the future, so nothing is predestined.

I think that we shouldn't critizise any culture unless they force everyone to do things - or have things done to them - that they are opposed to. thats why I like things like the amish culture, where everyone has a choice, and ours (the general USA one), where no one really forces us to do anything, including stay where we are. some cultures do awful things like sell people or force stuff on girls, and i think that is wrong. personally, when a person is harmed against their will, anyone has a right to stop it in a peaceful way.

Couldn't agree w/ diana more. as long as we don't critizise blindly or judge people as barbarians or uncivilized just because they are different than us. if someone's going to critizise what is different from themselves and their surroundings, they should do so with and open mind.