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Female genital mutilation is common practice in some countries. Let's analyze and study the reasons for this practice that started centuries ago before we can s

Female genital mutilation is common practice in some countries. Let's analyze and study the reasons for this practice that started centuries ago before we can say anything about it. I mean, hey, they burned people at crosses for a long time, they must have had a valid reason too, right? No, not every reason behind a custom is a valid one in the 21st century. If the parable villagers were nervous and twitchy because they feared demons would send the tiger, and they figured out that by sacrificing a baby would please the demons, nobody today should say that throwing a small child off a cliff is still an ethical custom. Of course, changing the custom is another thing, but we today have something called human values, ethical values, and human rights. They do trump a few ethical values that we have carried from the past. I'm not denying others' humanity because I say this, but when you come to a conclusion that an action is not as ethical as another, you should adopt it, and explain why you did it. There's no shame in stating that slavery is wrong, that genital mutilation is wrong, that child labor is wrong. Why is is wrong and racist for me to say that latin american machismo is wrong, especially and it results in so much suffering?

vintermann 4y ago
I'm as much against slavery and mutilation as you, but I think that in reaching for this easy explanation, conveniently placing ourselves at the pinnacle of civilisation and ethics, we risk overlooking some important things. You name child labour as an evil thing. That's a great example of something that could potentially be made even worse if you just tell people to stop doing that evil thing without doing anything about the reason people do the evil thing. It's true that behaviours can reinforce themselves. "Machismo" could easily be a thing where you are forced to play that game because so many others play that game, and that we could all be better off if we managed to coordinate a break with those practices. I said customs can be sticky. When I said make sure the tigers are gone, I meant just that. Maybe the tigers ARE gone, and this is just our process of unsticking our bad customs. I just don't want us to take the easy way of assuming we are inherently better than earlier generations/other cultures.

vintermann 4y ago

I'm as much against slavery and mutilation as you, but I think that in reaching for this easy explanation, conveniently placing ourselves at the pinnacle of civilisation and ethics, we risk overlooking some important things. You name child labour as an evil thing. That's a great example of something that could potentially be made even worse if you just tell people to stop doing that evil thing without doing anything about the reason people do the evil thing. It's true that behaviours can reinforce themselves. "Machismo" could easily be a thing where you are forced to play that game because so many others play that game, and that we could all be better off if we managed to coordinate a break with those practices. I said customs can be sticky. When I said make sure the tigers are gone, I meant just that. Maybe the tigers ARE gone, and this is just our process of unsticking our bad customs. I just don't want us to take the easy way of assuming we are inherently better than earlier generations/other cultures.