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Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable. -- Sidney J. Harris
This is why I am skeptical of those who talk about this being a small world and how we are just one big family of man. We cannot begin to understand the reasoning and rituals of cultures that differ from our own and things that we do on a daily basis would be totally foreign to many other cultures.
__________________ In Fitness & Friendship, MAHLER
______________________________ __________________________ There is no light at the end of the tunnel. You carry the light with you.
Hey, once you get bigger you can't fall fifty feet onto a sheet and survive. You have to do it when you're small.
They said there's "no recorded evidence of any physical disability to the infant". And they haven't had any fatalities. What's the problem?
On a side note.. how much pressure is there on the guy doing the throwing? Honestly. You have to have some pretty good aim.
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And major action will certainly make you feel a bit uncomfortable, which is absolutely fine. You've gotta get excited about feeling uncomfortable, you've gotta love feeling slightly uncomfortable, because you know that you're stepping outside the boundaries that you used to create.
Zach Even-Esh
I've made some huge mistakes, but they were necessary, because without them I wouldn't have learned anything.
-Dave Tate
I can think of a whole handful of American rituals that are harmful and repulsive. As much as this video shocked the hell out of me, the anthropologist in me has to avoid judging these people as stupid or savage.
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Why do we still allow McDonalds to spend billions upon billions of dollars mass marketing really shitty food to our already obese children with no curtailing in sight?
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Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity.
I can think of a whole handful of American rituals that are harmful and repulsive.
Like what, Shark?
*genuine interest*
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And major action will certainly make you feel a bit uncomfortable, which is absolutely fine. You've gotta get excited about feeling uncomfortable, you've gotta love feeling slightly uncomfortable, because you know that you're stepping outside the boundaries that you used to create.
Zach Even-Esh
I've made some huge mistakes, but they were necessary, because without them I wouldn't have learned anything.
-Dave Tate
the idea of circumcision is pretty gross and disgusting. Of course, it does have to do with cleanliness and stuff too.
Nailed that one right on the head (pun intended). And the cleanliness aspect is pretty much null and void now.
Binge drinking just because its your 21st birthday (or spring break) to the point that you do absolutely retarded stuff is another one. I can't tell you how many people have made comments like "and of course i HAD to get wasted cus it was my 21st birthday."
Reality TV? haha
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Why do we still allow McDonalds to spend billions upon billions of dollars mass marketing really shitty food to our already obese children with no curtailing in sight?
the idea of circumcision is pretty gross and disgusting. Of course, it does have to do with cleanliness and stuff too.
I didn't realize that circumcision was an exclusively American ritual. And, Shark, after visiting Norway, binge drinking at 21 is not an exclusive American ritual either. Ask Karky about what happens after their high school graduation. Puts us to shame.
Agreed. It is their culture and it's not our place to tell them they are wrong, even if we feel that way.
I think it's foolish since a miscalculation in the drop can kill the baby, but it's their price to pay.
of course, that does bring up another interesting point or two.
Though it's their culture, the baby has no choice in the matter, and they are put at severe risk (potentially) by this choice. I feel the same way about what's often mis-referred to as "female circumcision" (clitoradectomy). It takes many forms, from cutting off the outer labia (mild) to removing the clitoris entirely (extreme). This is done when the girls reach puberty at around 12 or 13. I think that's absolutely awful, and despite it being "their culture," they're mutilating children who have no say in the matter.
I guess the same could be said about the children being thrown from the building. And the same could be said for the thousands of uninsured children here. Not really the same as it's not a ritual, but we culturally do not ensure that these kids are cared for to the best that they can be. That's a fucking shame, given all of the resources this country has.
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I can think of a whole handful of American rituals that are harmful and repulsive. As much as this video shocked the hell out of me, the anthropologist in me has to avoid judging these people as stupid or savage.
As someone else said, circumcision is not exclusively an "American" ritual, nor is the female genital mutilation an American ritual. The binge drinking example doesn't make sense because the person has a choice in the matter. What other rituals can you point to that are as risky as throwing a baby down 5 stories? You said you can think of a handful - that implies 5 - what are the others that the participant doesn't have a choice in participating or not?
Hunter - I would strongly encourage you to read the entirety of my response and not cherry pick which points you'd like to respond to. You'll notice I spoke very much in the gray, and while I might not have accommodated for the fact that binge drinking is not purely American, it is a ritual none-the-less. America circumcises a greater percentage of our babies than most European countries. I also never said that female circumcision was an American ritual.
So again, please take the entirety of my response in context, and don't avoid this blatant statement:
Quote:
Originally Posted by me
Though it's their culture, the baby has no choice in the matter, and they are put at severe risk (potentially) by this choice. I feel the same way about what's often mis-referred to as "female circumcision" (clitoradectomy). It takes many forms, from cutting off the outer labia (mild) to removing the clitoris entirely (extreme). This is done when the girls reach puberty at around 12 or 13. I think that's absolutely awful, and despite it being "their culture," they're mutilating children who have no say in the matter.
I guess the same could be said about the children being thrown from the building. And the same could be said for the thousands of uninsured children here. Not really the same as it's not a ritual, but we culturally do not ensure that these kids are cared for to the best that they can be. That's a fucking shame, given all of the resources this country has.
__________________
Renegade HR: Recruit great people. Inspire them to do amazing things. | http://renegadehr.net
Hunter - I would strongly encourage you to read the entirety of my response and not cherry pick which points you'd like to respond to. You'll notice I spoke very much in the gray, and while I might not have accommodated for the fact that binge drinking is not purely American, it is a ritual none-the-less. America circumcises a greater percentage of our babies than most European countries. I also never said that female circumcision was an American ritual.
So again, please take the entirety of my response in context, and don't avoid this blatant statement:
Fair enough, but you're cherry-picking my statement as well. The questions I really want answered are my last two:
Quote:
What other rituals can you point to that are as risky as throwing a baby down 5 stories? You said you can think of a handful - that implies 5 - what are the others that the participant doesn't have a choice in participating or not?
Not to go too far off-topic, but the girl and I were having a discussion yesterday about one of her nursing instructors who, after practically staring down a fellow driver (who subsequently rolled down his window and asked if he could help her), voiced her displeasure in a matter-of-fact tone that holding his (grand?)child in his lap while driving was seriously dangerous and that the child would be safer in a child seat. The other driver replied that the child was just fine.
The girl contended that her instructor was justified in saying something because of her creed as a nurse, and while I agree that it was probably a stupid move on the other driver's part, it was ultimately his decision, and the instructor had no place voicing her opinion. People do stupid things all the time, even (especially?) when it comes to their children, but as long as there's a perceived "right" to bear children, these same people have the same "right" to put their children in harm's way. If the child dies, it's their problem. Tragic? In a way. Unfortunate? Sure, if you believe in (mis)fortune. However, it is no one else's place to say, "you're doing a bad job of parenting and therefore must let me/us deprive you of your 'rights' by telling you how to properly raise your child" etc etc etc.
Same thing here. Observe all you want, *tsk* *tsk* all you want, mull the situation over with yourself, but neither you nor I have the "one right way" to live, much less the prerogative to push your/my/our lifestyle on others. No one does, yet 99% of people in the "civilized" world thinks it does. I dunno about you, but IMHO, humans did just find for three million years using vastly divergent lifestyles and let nature do its thing; however, the last 10,000 years has seen unprecedented clear-cutting of culture and diversity because a very few cultures decided their way was the "one right way" to live--
/mini-rant
Bottom line: is this practice weird? I dunno about that, but it's certainly not "normal" in my worldview, but that doesn't mean I charge in there, confiscate all the children, break up families, etc etc. They aren't bothering me, so why should I bother them? (FLDS, anyone?) If something is naturally "bad" about it, it'll weed itself out of existence. Too bad that doesn't happen with a lot of other things, too.
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