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May 31, 2005
Drinking blood, and other natural family values
Speaking of kids and childish things, it turns out that blood drinking is natural. At least, so elementary school kids are being taught in Philadelphia: "Why," asked one third grader from the Independence Charter School, "do they drink blood?"(The same teacher elsewhere extols the value of juju healers in helping rape victims. Former slaves are believed to be among the best healers, and popcorn and coffee aromas are said to excite the spirits.) I don't have a problem with kids being taught that Masai warriors and other East Africans drink blood. It's a fact, and there are reasons why they do it. But I'm a little concerned about the science behind teaching third-graders (or anyone, for that matter) that blood drinking is "natural" simply because "the food you eat is transformed into blood." While it's true enough, isn't food also transformed into every type of cell and tissue in the body -- including human waste? Or is critical thinking something to be discouraged? I'm no expert on the Masai or other blood drinkers, but I'm hardly the first to question whether "natural" foods like blood have really helped them achieve what we in the West might condescendingly call quality of life: If calcium were in fact an overriding factor in determining health, freedom from disease, and longevity, the Masai tribe in Africa would have some very elderly elders. Interestingly, while they consume exhorbitant amounts of calcium (the mainstay of their diets is a mix of cow blood and milk), they have a life expectancy of only 45 years.Not that I'm into judging anyone's quality of life, mind you. But are all things "natural" necessarily desirable? Aren't disease and death at least as "natural" as drinking blood? Never mind that. Let's continue, with a lesson about family values: "Africans know everything there is to know about community and family," he told the children. "That's what holds it all together... . They've mastered their environment by keeping their eyes open and taking care of their goats and sheep and camels."While the kids might have just as immediately crawled into a pup tent, I'm curious about the logic of a statement that any group of people knows "everything there is to know about community and family." Does this mean that everything they claim to know is necessarily right? For example, there's no question that Somalians know a lot about how to perform female genital mutilation: The most extreme form of female circumcision entails the female genitals being mutilated, whereby the clitoris and sometimes the labia are removed. Thereafter, the vagina is also more or less sewn up. The mutilation of girls is often carried out by inexperienced people, who use dirty instruments such as pieces of glass, razors or sharp stones which are often re-used without being sterilised first. This increases the chance of HIV infections.[NOTE: The lowest estimate of the percentage of Somalian women who have been mutilated is the U.N.'s figure of 90%.] Holy cow! That's even more gross than drinking blood! And as young as six? Is my unenlightened cultural bias showing? Perhaps I should recognize that children should be taught to get over these Western cultural hangups, and learn to be, er, daring! Should I, like, get with the program? OK, just for today I'll stick with the lesson in culture: "This is very stimulating," he said. "Some children are very daring. Some hesitate. They are so honest. Their attitude is 'Let's find out more!' It isn't 'Oh, that smells funny' or 'That smells different' or 'I don't want to have anything to do with it.' "I have no problem with the "just keep asking!" part. Well, as long as they don't ask about what happens to third-grade schoolgirls in Somalia. Actually, considering that only seven percent of Somalian girls receive primary education, it must truthfully be acknowledged that very few schoolgirls are sexually mutilated. 90% of 7% would be only 6.3% of the total elementary school-aged population. (Another example of how right wing, culturally bigoted bloggers exaggerate?) Enhance the status of women? Obviously such lessons on advancement of the status of women should be taught at an early age. (So should the notion that the West is inferior to cultures of blood drinkers who circumcise eight year old girls.....) posted by Eric on 05.31.05 at 04:16 PM
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» The Carnival Of Education: Week 18 from The Education Wonks
Welcome to the eighteenth edition of The Carnival Of Education. Here we have assembled a variety of interesting and informative posts from around the EduSphere that have been submitted by various authors and readers. As with other editions, those ent... [Read More] Tracked on June 8, 2005 05:55 AM
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You have hit a new low in idiotic posts. What the hell difference does any of this make? Your focus on irrelevant minutae at the expense of real news and current events (Bush lied) is very transparent. David Howe · June 1, 2005 12:06 PM This blog isn't about news and current events. This blog is about eternal Classical Values. Anyway, here's the news: The election is over. Kerry lost. Bush won and is still President of the United States. I support him. I support Vice President Cheney even more. And I support the War 100%. I am proud to be a loyal, patriotic American. I am proud to be a Western Imperialist Warmonger. I am proud to be Politically Incorrect. I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America [the freest, mightiest, greatest nation of our Western high culture], and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God*, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. (*God, i.e., the Godhead, the G-d of Israel, the Holy Trinity of historic Christianity, the Gods and Goddesses of my ancient Polytheistic ancestors) I pledge allegiance to the Egypto-Greco-Roman, Judao-Christian, Celtic-Nordic-Gothic, Catholic, Faustian High Culture of the West. Mark is absolutely right. Cultures are not equal. Our Western culture is superior to any other culture on this planet, if for no other reason than that we don't mutilate the genitals of our women and girls. From cathedrals to skyscrapers, from Viking ships to space ships, the leitmotif, the Prime Symbol, of the West has always been our eternal striving for the infinite. I pledge allegiance above all to the Holy Clitoris. Conservative Lesbian Individualist Theology. Polytheistic Godliness, Selfishness, Sexiness. The Ego in the Infinite. Steven Malcolm Anderson the Lesbian-worshipping man's-man-admiring myth-based egoist · June 1, 2005 01:17 PM Umm.. what exactly makes you politically incorrect? That you're a loud mouth ass-hole right-winger? That's par for the course these days. In fact, Fox news and the entire AM band are devoted to chest thumpers like you who cheer war from the safety of their living rooms. So you see, you're not politically incorrect at all. Brian · June 7, 2005 02:12 PM Steven, the hatred you have engendered seems to be a barometer of your success. :) Eric Scheie · June 8, 2005 09:58 AM |
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Well said! It angers me when our children are taught that all cultures are equal. African cultures are among the most primitive and superstitious on earth. That doesn't mean we need to ridicule or condemn them, but it sure as hell doesn't mean we need to praise them or treat them as our equals. Pretending that all cultures are equal devalues our own, and honestly, no culture has achieved more or contributed more to human potential and happiness than ours. If our children aren't taught to value our culture, we're in big trouble. And yes, Virginia, to value our culture we have to recognize how it is better than other cultures. That which is valuable is valuable because it is better than the alternatives. And evaluating "better" means being willing to make value judgments.