Well, more on female genital mutilation. Not a lot of comments on the last one, either no one is reading me or my readers are too uncomfortable to comment. I understand.
Female genital mutilation. Say it to yourself and see just how awful it sounds. I continued my research because after pondering what I had written, and why I had written it, a question had emerged; when did this start and who started it?
If you read the page I pointed to in my last blog you may have noticed a reference to the Koran and the least damaging form of female circumcision. The Koran seems to be referring to what degree this procedure should be performed, but that would mean – in my mind – that it already existed and was in widespread practice. The question remains where and when did female genital mutilation begin and who began doing it?
There’s no answer, at least by “experts”. Anthropologically speaking there is no clue as to where and when the mutilation of young women began. One thing is clear in my mind however; female anatomy is pretty – well – intimate. It’s internal as opposed to external. Any male walking around naked in primordial times pretty much gives away the secrets to male sexual anatomy but the same is not true with women.
See what I'm getting at here? No? Let me spell it out then. Female genital mutilation was probably begun by women. Female violence perpetrated by women against women and later capitalized by men. It’s clear that throughout those countries still practicing this form of sexual violence the majority of practitioners are women.
In this page yet another subject is discussed, male circumcision. Violence against male infants is standard practice in America under the guise of “medically necessary”.
Bullshit
This page claims that circumcision was begun in 19th century England as a cure to masturbation. Funny, infant boys are still being circumcised today though England stopped routine circumcision long ago. The harsh reality is that circumcision in capitolist America is big business.
Go figure. We are a self-loathing species. I wonder if, as a race and as a species, we are on a global path of painful self-discovery.
Evolve or perish,
Rev. Greg, Shidoshi
Hello People,
Male circumcision does not occur 100% of the time in the United States. About 50% of male infants are circumcised in the US. There is a lot of regional variation.
If you want to do "serious research" on a medical subject, I strongly suggest reviewing the MEDICAL LITERATURE. The Internet is not peer reviewed. That means anyone can post anything without validation, correlation. There is a lot of sloppy stuff out there.
I'm not sure what has made you so UPSET about this situation. Attacking my professional and personal decisions about a medical practice that is safe and legal may make you feel better. Do you think insulting me and calling me ignorant because I do not subscribe to your point of view makes your stance any more rational?
Posted by: Dr. Mimi at August 14, 2004 08:00 AMMale circumcision is coming to an end, gradually. Unfortunately MD's who think it's ok to perform this mutilation "at the family's request" will perpetuate it long after the medical establishment has declared it unnecessary. Why? Because they're too lazy to make the right, albeit difficult decision that someone in a leadership role (someone with a medical license) should, or at least could make.
My latest blog has links that will elaborate on this... Thanks for responding.
Rev. Greg
Posted by: Rev. Greg at August 13, 2004 11:00 PMI noted that Dr Mimi has mentioned that FGM is not a "religious" practice and that is correct it is a cultural, tribal practice.
Frankly I have to confess to thinking that male circumcision is also a barbaric practice.
Now that is clearly religous coming out of the Judeo/Islamic scriptures, yet is also practiced outside of those religions. What horrific minds could come up with such things as FGM and male circumcision?
What I want to know is what could possibly be the real motivation for male circumcison's virtual 100% occurence in the U.S.? I don't buy the alleged health benefits, they are not in any sense warranting this operation. So why? Cui bono?
Dr. Mimi,
With all the benefits of male circumcision it's a wonder we survived this far.
They're unproven. That whole "penile cancer" study was done in Countries where personal hygiene was highly suspect.
While it's been years since I did serious research on the subject, be confident DOCTOR that surgically mutilating young male infants is not medically advantageous. This is why England, the birthplace of routine infant male circumcision, stopped doing it. America is the last refuge of routine male alteration. We don;t even try and use the "religion" card, we call it "medicine",
Hit the web, if you dare, and see what the various sides of the argument have to say. And btw, piercing and tatooing are activities done by consenting adults, not male infants who don't have a voice.
*** unfair comment regarding Drmimi as a mother has been deleted***
Rev. Greg
Posted by: Rev. Greg at August 13, 2004 09:57 PMDefinitely news of the weird.
I would like to add that Africa is a CONTINENT not a Country. A continent with many countries and many language and ethnic groups. I'd be a tad careful making generalizations of what is practiced in an entire continent.
Female Genital Mutilation (as well as male circumcision) is practiced in other parts of the world outside of Africa (think also Middle East and Central Asia). These practices predate the Koran and are not solely limited to Muslims.
Come to think of it we have some mighty strange practices in the United States. Tongue and other body part piercings are quite the rage with our young.Tatooing is also quite the rage. However both piercing and tatooing create a such a greater risk of Hepatitis B and C transmission that one cannot donate blood in the US if either procedure has been done. Some of our people think that AIDS is "God's punishment" of wayward people. Some groups here think there is no need to practice safer sex as AIDS is now a "controllable chronic disease" (for those with great prescription coverage and access to specialty care). Other people think it is perfectly reasonable to spend hours covered in body paint shouting at people throwing small balls back and forth.
Oh well, back to making my "megabucks" practicing male circumcision on infants (perhaps I do 1-2 a week at the most). It is SUCH a profitable procedure that many insurance companies don't even cover it or fold it into capitation. There is a lot of controversy in the medical community about the benefits of circumcision. It provides a small protective effect from kidney disease secondary to urinary tract infection, reduced risk of penile cancer (a very rare cancer) and in a few studies in Eastern Africa reduced risk of AIDS transmission). So there is a lot a waffling back and forth about the practice. I do provide male circumsion to families that request it (done under local anesthesia by the way) but spend a considerable amount of time discussing with the families about the risks vs the benefits of the procedure.
Evolving and devolving can be a very relative thing.
Dr. Mimi
Well Greg... sorry Rev. Greg (I can't get used to that Rev. thing)
Those were some gross sites.... I believe those are just people acting on stupidity not a rite of passage. And where in the world do you find these WEIRD sites?
TTYL - Danna
Posted by: Danna at August 13, 2004 01:17 PMThanks for commenting Danna! Great thoughts. Yeah, "A Man Called Horse" was an extreme movie. Good thing ancient peircing rituals are a thing of the past...
http://www.bmezine.com/ritual/asc001.html
http://www.bmezine.com/ritual/chest001.html
And the best...
http://www.ritesofpassage.piercings.net/
Thanks and keep reading! Rev. Greg
Rev. Greg,
Before I start just let me state for the record that female circumcision is a sick practice, Oprah did a show on it last year. Now you need to realize that every culture has sick practices and many tribes keep the traditions of their people. Africa is very naive when it comes to the body and any sort of medicine. This is a country where men are, on this very day, raping very young girls (babies) because some tribal leader told them that if they have sex with a virgin it will cure aids. Female circumcision probably started the same way... some tribal leader probably told the men that women needed to have this done for some bazar reason maybe it was to keep the women from getting some sickness and they have never learned different.
Even our own Indians had some pretty sick rituals... I remember watching "A Man Called Horse" years ago and the scene where they stuck hawk claws through his chest and hung him up and spun him around. This was to prove that he was a brave man. Our native Americans have evolved though and they no longer do such things. The Africans need to be educated in order to evolve, which is hard to do in a country where there isn't a school on every corner and 3 TV's in every home. They believe what the elders or tribal leaders have to say.
I don't disagree with what you are saying, I'm just stating it's a big job to change the way a country DEEP in tradition and rituals think. But with people like Oprah and her $$$ trying to educate the people of Africa maybe in our life time we will see an end to female circumsicion and the raping of young girls to cure aids.
Keep up the great..thought provoking blogs.
Your Friend,
Danna