lunes, 25 de mayo de 2009
Reaction on Culture and Violence towards Women
Comment on the topic discussed last Thursday. Take into consideration all the aspects of our discussion, the readings we did in class, the presentation on FGM, and the video. What do these misogynist practices have in common? Did you know about them? How can you relate them to your own culture?
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I first read about FGM through the book The Vagina Monologues, but I had heard about it prior to that. About the reading, I think that it's worth admiring how women still have no choice but to fight for the freedom of their bodies. But it's even more amazing that some of them don't even know about their rights. That's why I think that it's important that people get together with the purpose of informing, persuading, and, thus, changing this horrible practice.
ResponderEliminarAs to our culture, I think that no alteration of the genitalia -cutting, circumcision, piercing, incising- of a human being should be allowed without the person's consent. In the same way, no doctor should decide what sex best fits the baby, as we learnt it's common in Costa Rica and, I'm sure, in some other countries.
The FMG practice should be erased from the face of the earth. I understand that the change should come essentially from the people who inflicted it and the ones have it inflicted upon them. However, I strongly believe that laws that condemn this practice are NECESSARY in order to reinforce the idea that this practice is inhuman and should not be allowed to continue. Cultural relativism CANNOT be applied in this context because the physical and psychological integrity of these women is been violated to an extent that no words would ever be enough to describe. The article exposes the important roles that both education and information play in communities where FGM is practiced. Nevertheless, being FGM a form of torture, it must be prohibited in all its forms and this regulation must be supported by international organizations as well as local governments. The involvement and concern of the local authorities is a fundamental part in the response to this HORRIBLE practice.
ResponderEliminarAlthough I missed the information shared in class, I have to agree with Cinthya about the destructiveness of FGM, but I believe we should go beyond disagreeing and start to do something. How can we, university students in Costa Rica, help this women? I think our contribution starts with telling others about this type of torture. How many of us did not know about it before? Someone had to tell us. We can make a difference in our context by raising awareness, reminding people that there are other degrees of suffering beyond the boundaries of our "pobrecito/a third-world country".
ResponderEliminarThinking that many women around the world have been mutilated just to maintain a cultural tradition is awful. Women who have been circumcised had no chance to say no to this way of aggression and they just have to follow and accept what their culture tells them to do. Many females have been damage not only physically (what is a very important point to stop FGM) but also philologically. It is true that when we think about cultural practices there is no right or wrong, but it is also true that this kind of practices are a transgression of human rights, and even more important a transgression of life itself. The fact that this circumcision is practiced on 6 years old girls who do not have the power to defend themselves and fight back against this form of sadism is a scary image that has to be eliminated from the world. I think that all people (especially the ones who have power) around the world must opposed to these practice and start doing something to help these women that are practically cut into pieces without knowing that they can die jus for following a foolish irrational ritual . Even though we are not supposed to condemn cultures, I think that a practice like FGM must be prohibited in all the countries that perform this brutal form of oppression.
ResponderEliminarFGM is the most terrible practice invented against women. It is just another way to diminish women over men and to have controll over them. The excuse that we should understand it because it is another culture with different belifs, must be rejected because it is cruel and painful. FGM violates women's rights but worse than that, it violates children's rights which are unable to defend themselves from this brutal act. It is true that this practice is very ancient and that it is difficult to stop it, but there is nothing impossible. The first step, as the reading says, is to change young men's mind and make them comprehend that FGM is unfair for women that have to sufer for the rest of their lives. Also they have to realize that sexuality is something private and that people, no matter their gender, have the right to decide what they really want to do with their lives but not FGM!
ResponderEliminarWE DON'T HAVE TO INTERVENE THE TRADITIONS OF OTHER CULTURES! That's what I thought about traditions always; HOWEVER,I've learned that Human Rights have to be UNIVERSAL. Therefore, I'm against this practice. I felt overwhelmed by the will and work of the people who were against this tradition, who were also raised in these cultures. This is for me enough reason to be supportive in their efforts and I strongly agree with what these people are trying to change. Women have the power, the problem is that many of them don't even know what they can do... Go Women! you can change everything in this world! I'm sure that this struggle will resolve in favor of women and The Universal Human Rights.
ResponderEliminarI had heard of FGM before, but I never knew exactly what it was or how truly intense, violent, and ultimately devastating it is. Just reading about it and seeing short video clips of it was difficult; I can't even imagine what it must be like to have to go through it. The fact taht this type of misogynistic practice still exists today is just devastating. I think it's really sad that I am only just now learning about FGM and Indian suitee, for example, and it's likely that most people probably still do not know about these awful practices. However, the article about the celebrity visiting Africa to help stop FGM is extremely interesting and inspiring. It is a great example of what activism and education can do to help put an end to these types of practices. By presenting another ritual through which girls can learn their 'cultural responsibilities as women' without FGM, they are demonstrating that there is another option (or rather, the only option) which is so much more effective than just presenting the horrific facts about FGM and leaving it at that. I think more programs like this one, as well as educating the public abroad, would be great steps to ending these practices.
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ResponderEliminarFGM is horrible, disgusting, inhumane, just plain wrong! I have learned of this practice in several different courses and everytime I cringe because I empathize by imagining a Pap Smear gone wrong. Although it is important not to impose on other cultures and beliefs, this I feel is against human rights and female livelihood. I feel that it is necessary to provide education and resources in order to provide these young women with alternatives, education, and empowerment. Misogyny is a disease!
ResponderEliminarTo be honest, I covered my eyes during the really graphic scenes of the video we watched in class because, well, let's just say that I deal poorly with blood. However, I got the idea. What kept repeating in my mind was, "I can't IMAGINE doing this to my future daughter. They can't imagine NOT doing this to theirs." It's absolutely true that cultural relativism does not excuse the practice, but in order to effectively spread our message, we have to bear in mind that the ritual is very important to those who practice it. For this reason, I love the concept of creating a new ritual that helps the participants find their voices and take a stand, while also providing them with a concrete transition to womanhood.
ResponderEliminarWell, it seems like we've actually found something upon which we all agree: the practice of FGM is an inexcusable revocation of basic human rights. Silvia makes an important point by saying that change requires more than just ranting about how sadistic and abhorrent FGM is. Our knowlege of the situation demands that we take the next step and be voices for the voiceless. This is certainly easier said than done; after all, I can't say that I have booked a flight to Africa. However, we have the power to educate others. Awareness alone won't solve the problem, but perhaps it will fuel a solution. I propose, at the very least, that everyone in our class commits to telling just one currently unaware person about FGM by Saturday, June 6 (February 6 is the actual International Day Against Female Genital Mutilation, but waiting that long is ridiculous). It's not much, but it's a start. It only takes one voice to begin a revolution, right?
I'd heard about FGM for the first time when I was studying abroad; I really did not pay much attention to this practice at that time until I came back to Costa Rica because I felt that this was not my problem. I'd always thougth that this ancient ritual was only superficial, the tip as many would say. Again, a total ignorant was present at that time. This is the issue, people tend to not care about this kind of brutality because they are not aware or informed properly and constantly about it, so they eventually will forget it.
ResponderEliminarINFORMATION, EDUCATION, and AWARENESS are keys for stopping this "rite of passage" that goes against human rigths; that only functions as a way of oppression toward women.There is not any valid excuse for such brutal act.
I had heard about FGM before, but in a very superficial way; I didn't knew how VIOLENT and Inhumane it was. I began to understand the magnitude of the problem when I read the Vagina Monologues. The professor told us that the least thing we should do was to watch the video.... but the truth is that it was so hard to watch it and try to imagine the physical and psychological suffering these women have to go through. It is very sad that this practice is so engraved in the traditions of these cultures; therefore, I consider it is a very important task what these women are doing for their communities to EDUCATE them about these issues and also to raise awareness in the rest of the world to eliminate the practice of FGM...
ResponderEliminarI had not heard about FGM before this class and I think that's something absolutly cruel, degradating and barbaric. I was shocked with the scenes in the movie; however, I think that it was a good experience to understand just a bit the pain of those poor women. The reading was very good but the movie was powerful (not in a positive way) and very visual on the performance of this ritual. There only positive thing I would like to recall is the great work of the organization that is fighting againts this act and are educating and opposing this barbaric ritual.
ResponderEliminarThere are no words for describing such traditions... I agree certainly with most of the comments below but there is only one who talks about respecting someone else traditions or culture... And I guess you did not read the material nor watched the graphic scenes in the class because such practices are not human actually they are barbaric! In my opinion no one could respect such practices or atrocities... I'm glad to see that many women in those countries are now fighting against FGM!!! It must be erased from the earth bye
ResponderEliminarI’m honestly amazed by the strength of the women who have undergone FGM... I cannot even begin to imagine what it is like to feel such pain and still have the willingness to unselfishly begin fight against that practice. They could have just walked away from the situation once they were “done” (at least) with the process itself, but they are staying though it implies re-living the circumcision every second of their lives (not that they were going to be able to forget it, but you know what I mean). I started thinking what would I choose if I had to face FGM or the Indian suttee because though suttee (and being buried alive or being burned to death are fears of Western society too) is one of the worst ways to die, and it must be also unimaginable…it ends and it’s over for that person… but living with all the consequences of FGM is not living at all. Each of those practices equals death. I knew little about FGM and I had definitely NO IDEA that practices such as Indian suttee still took place in our world… but I’m also sure that there is so much more to it than we know… And this only makes me angrier to women in our society! I don’t think that there is a point of comparison between women who get chopped up and retrenched against their will and by force and have no one to turn to AND women (as it is very common in Costa Rican society) who get chopped up by their partners, go to the police (if so), get a restraining order, and 2 minutes latter let them in (so that they can be around their children too) because poor husband cried and cried and swore he would change and that it would be different this time…IT HAPPENS A LOT!!! And women here have greater access to education and information, and many have Ministerio de la Mujer, and have a family and neighbors who worry about them and try to do something, and they reject help and keep being portrayed as victims…and they seem to love it because the media are always repeating it with the (I don’t know how similar it is in Finland that is a very educated country that has a high rate of aggression towards women). Instead, these women who having experienced FGM started the campaign against it are not only role-models to their own people, but to all other cultures where women don’t seem to exercise the rights they’re given and don’t seem to care about it. I take their work (women in who have undergone FGM and fight it) as an eye-opening labor that shouts out that women (I mean this at least in places like the Costa Rican case I explained before) are victims as long as they allow themselves to be, that the have as much power over themselves as they recognize, and if women here would care to exercise those rights they’re given over themselves, the rest will start to come latter (in terms of equality of job opportunities, gender roles… ), but not before they care about themselves with their brains. In my very own opinion, trying to compare what we as women go through (and, sometimes, put themselves through) in our society to what women in other countries have to live just for being women would be a little… unfair.
ResponderEliminarI’m honestly amazed by the strength of the women who have undergone FGM... I cannot even begin to imagine what it is like to feel such pain and still have the willingness to unselfishly begin fight against that practice. They could have just walked away from the situation once they were “done” (at least) with the process itself, but they are staying though it implies re-living the circumcision every second of their lives (not that they were going to be able to forget it, but you know what I mean). I started thinking what would I choose if I had to face FGM or the Indian suttee because though suttee (and being buried alive or being burned to death are fears of Western society too) is one of the worst ways to die, and it must be also unimaginable…it ends and it’s over for that person… but living with all the consequences of FGM is not living at all. Each of those practices equals death. I knew little about FGM and I had definitely NO IDEA that practices such as Indian suttee still took place in our world… but I’m also sure that there is so much more to it than we know… And this only makes me angrier to women in our society! I don’t think that there is a point of comparison between women who get chopped up and retrenched against their will and by force and have no one to turn to AND women (as it is very common in Costa Rican society) who get chopped up by their partners, go to the police (if so), get a restraining order, and 2 minutes latter let them in (so that they can be around their children too) because poor husband cried and cried and swore he would change and that it would be different this time…IT HAPPENS A LOT!!! And women here have greater access to education and information, and many have Ministerio de la Mujer, and have a family and neighbors who worry about them and try to do something, and they reject help and keep being portrayed as victims…and they seem to love it because the media are always repeating it with the (I don’t know how similar it is in Finland that is a very educated country that has a high rate of aggression towards women). Instead, these women who having experienced FGM started the campaign against it are not only role-models to their own people, but to all other cultures where women don’t seem to exercise the rights they’re given and don’t seem to care about it. I take their work (women in who have undergone FGM and fight it) as an eye-opening labor that shouts out that women (I mean this at least in places like the Costa Rican case I explained before) are victims as long as they allow themselves to be, that the have as much power over themselves as they recognize, and if women here would care to exercise those rights they’re given over themselves, the rest will start to come latter (in terms of equality of job opportunities, gender roles… ), but not before they care about themselves with their brains. In my very own opinion, trying to compare what we as women go through (and, sometimes, put themselves through) in our society to what women in other countries have to live just for being women would be a little… unfair.
ResponderEliminarFGM-Someone has to stop it!
ResponderEliminarIt is extremely painful, shocking, amazing, and much more to know that so many women had/have suffered from FGM. Unfortunately, FGM is more than a physical abuse; it has terrible, unforgettable, and serious psychological consequences. Personally, I feel that FGM is "matar en vida"; it takes away part of a woman's identity, part of herself. Someone has to stop it. Women around the world need to be educated(specially in these countries where patriarchal society is still imposing itself)to start changing the patriarchal close-minded culture. I feel proud of Calista, the world needs more women like her; she is not only an example and an inspiration to others, but also, a woman who makes other to realize/understand they have the right to say NO. Violence towards women stops when culture starts to change. This is applicable to our country. Women/we need to start defending ourselves and changing culture.