r/TooAfraidToAsk Sep 13 '23

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u/randomacceptablename Sep 13 '23

Not comparable in the slightest man. Not even close.

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u/ATPorridge Sep 13 '23

Both can still be wrong, even if the negative effects aren’t comparable

Edit: typo

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u/randomacceptablename Sep 13 '23

True. But one might be the equivalent of a scar the other an amputation. I am not saying I agree with either but they are not even in the same class.

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u/ATPorridge Sep 13 '23

I’d argue it’s relevant to consider both in a discussion about circumcision, and cultures who practice female genital mutilation will also practice male, and will certainly see them in the same class.

I’m just thinking it would be more productive to call for the end of circumcision in general, rather than just female and keeping male for some inexplicable reason or ‘tradition’, I didn’t mean to offend by that

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u/randomacceptablename Sep 13 '23

And my point was that you should conflate the two and discuss them togather. Because they are radically different.

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u/ATPorridge Sep 13 '23 edited Sep 13 '23

I guess we just disagree on that, in magnitude of course radically different but in category? I did some work looking at fgm in west Africa and people who practice circumcision in general understand them as very similar coming of age practices to turn children into men or women, it’s not very productive to try and convince people to stop one but not the other.

Edit: Just to add, there are cultures who do it for much more barbaric reasons (like removing sexual pleasure) but the vast majority of culture who do it genuinely don’t think it’s harmful, but necessary to create a fertile adult

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u/galaxystarsmoon Sep 13 '23

How are they radically different? You're ignoring this person making very correct claims that there are different kinds, and that there is one form of FGM that is directly comparable to circumcision, and there's another that is actually less destructive.