other than the abortion issue, I guess I assume these are just a given. Though I could make an argument for circumcision, and it's done almost as a matter of policy in the U.S. For some of the more conservative jewish sects, they do it the old fashioned way... as it wait for the bar mitzfa (phonetic spelling, I can't spell hebrew) around the age of 13. Futhermore, some circumcision is regularlly conducted in some regions of the world with sharpened bamboo or broken glass. Oh, and about 65% of boys born in the US have it done today...where a generation ago, it was 85%. Some psychologists have reasoned and concluded that the psychological damage actually is life long, regardless of the age it was done... but, here I sit, totally circumsized, and actually rather indifferent towards it.
Here's an article for ya if you care to read at least one internet published author on the subject - seemed pretty real to me, though I just don't see the problem with it that the writer does. But, hey, it definatley falls under the "forced genital mutilation" catagory:
http://sikhism.about.com/od/questionsaboutsikhism/f/Do-Sikhs-Believe-In-Circumcision.htm
As for the abortion issue, I don't believe I can say I have much of an opinion. It is such an extremely volitile issue from any angle, at any point. Science is yet to come up with even a universally agreed on definition for "life", and religion (dispite what some fundamentalists would argue) has provided no better answer for it either. Regarding this issue, I'm not sure about any other religion than the christian/catholic faith, but I know for fact Jesus said nothing about abortion, although it did exist as a concept, and had some means of being practiced (as well as other forms of birth control) during his time. Even the quotes borrowed from the bible are questionably used by the pro life advocates.... but on the other hand, the bible is pretty clear on murder, and few would argue that.
So, at what stage does a fetus become a viable life? at 9 days past conception? well, hmm.. it's argueable.
but what about 9 months past conception. I know late term abortions are mostly illegal and very rarely used... but, still... i think most would have a hard time not seeing this as some form of murder or otherwise abuse or disregard for life.
Of course, I don't want a woman who is a victim of incest or rape being forced to carry a child... but, if it's an adult women, who carries to 9 months... but was raped... i mean... yea. this is exactly the problem. It comes down to defining what qualifies as sentient human life, and what should be protected as human free choice, and it's just too complex an issue for me personally to have an opinion.
I suppose I lean pro choice myself, but I just think it's possibly one of the very few issues that I don't think there is really any way to logically determine what is "correct" from a moral and ethical point of view. From an economic point of view... YEA! Gooooooo ABORTIONS!!! So, that's why I lean pro choice...but... I just don't have an opinion on this, because I don't believe I can, other than at the most extreme edges of the issue... (abortions 9 months into pregnancy should be illegal, and 13 year olds who are raped by their uncles should always be able to abort a pregnancy) Other than the most extreme edges of the debate though... I just don't know.
That's not really fair. Men DO have actual issues... and a lot of them circle around male culture and pressures to not discuss sensitive issues, but the incidence of men reporting cases of molestation, gang rape and other acts of sexual violence in prison systems is grossly underrepresented, yet surely contributes to many dysfunctional traits, including raping and otherwise persecuting women. Or, what about the increasing incidents of depression and suicide relating to being more displaced in the modern pop-american culture, or falling rates of attaining a "higher education" on a per capita basis? Or what about the U.S. judicial system having on the books as a matter of LAW that in a divorce proceeding, the judge is expected to give custody by default to the biological mother if the child is under the age of 5. So... this means unless the father can prove his ex wife is UNFIT to be a parent, she gets all the rights. Furthermore, although it's not "the law"...judges in divorce proceedings have historically favored women over the past 200 years, and this bias still continues today. But, that issue is actually rarely raised compared to the womens rights issue.
And as for the counterpart to the rape axe condom... how about the incidence of PTSD that the men who are forced to be apart of such military operations suffer from... you know, not the ones committing the rape, but the ones who are forced to fight alongside them, and stand by silently while these atrocities are being committed. Ok... I suppose they could try to stop it and run the risk of get hacked or shot to death themselves... or they could have their own family get hunted down and killed as punishment for a "disloyal act"... As a consequence, if they do not have a higher military authority than the rapists... they usually feel they are "forced" to not act. And they have to live with that... and some... well, lets just say some end up not living with it. Believe it or not, these types of things are some of the issues that men deal with, and they are equally as real as the ones you list. Would you rather be raped? or would you rather stand in the same room as someone beat and rapes a women, knowing that if you try to act out or run away, you'll likely be killed, and your family might also. Hmmm.. lets see... they both sound like charming situations to be in. I just don't know which one I should pick first.
And of course I could always tell you I feel sorry for you that your dad was domineering and as a result you have a complex about it right now... and it would probably be as accurate and insightful as your comment. I agree that one can start a thread on mens issues, I wouldn't identify with them myself...but I do recognize that they are very real. Another thread would be more appropriate of course, since this one is supposed to be on misogyny and it's close cousin sexism in the United States... but other than the separate thread point, none of what you've stated demonstrates that "the system" debases and otherwise violates the women of the world any more than "the system" does it to men as well.
And, if we're REALLY staying on topic, this is supposed to be about how this all plays out in the U.S. If that's the case, about 75% of every male born here has his penis sliced up, and usually as a matter of policy. How many girls have any such proceedure, sanctioned or otherwise, in the U.S.? And I know female genital mutilation tends to be a more involved, and physically damaging act, but that's kinda like saying "well, when you were raped, he only put his penis in for 10 minutes, and I was raped for an hour straight, so it's WAAAY worse for me". And as a man who has been "mutilated" myself... I'm just kinda indifferent to it. I don't even know why. Maybe it should bother me. Maybe i'm just SUPERTUFF. Probably not. But it's real, and it is an order of magnitude more pervasive than the female counterpart to it. Now on a serious and personal note, I had a brother who spent time behind bars, and we don't talk about that. Now... I wonder why that is. Honestly, I don't know, and I DON'T WANT TO KNOW. I just leave it at that. Of course, most men arn't attacked on the second date with a roofie and a pervert... but don't for a moment think that men don't have their fair share of issues that are equally real and relevent... and maybe more than ever, at least in this decade, in the united states.
-E
