(I really shouldn't have to say this, but this is not what I actually believe.)
FGM: How can we apply private moral code to the public?
Female genital mutilation (FGM) affects an estimated 100 million girls and women worldwide and is thought to be a flagrant human rights violation and form of discrimination by most of the Western world. In the cultures where it is practiced, however, it is seen as a necessary cultural or religious rite.1 How, if at all, can these two viewpoints be reconciled? Is rule by majority justified in the international arena? All legitimate power, as Rousseau would say, is based on prior convention. Since there is no viable international social contract that everyone can be held accountable to, the international community does not have the right to try to stop FGM.
1 Boyle, Tara. Growing Number of African Communities Focus on Women’s Rights. http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SNC0854-0-584&artno=0000189709&key=&type=ART&shfilter=U&sound=no
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2 comments:
mad-
for some reason i didnt even know you chose this topic... but i am fascinated with the strong position you took in this first paragraph. and i applaud you for having the guts to develop an argument you completely disagree with for a good four-ish pages. i just wanted to let you know that this looks so captivating and leave the first blog comment while doing it!
xo,
siobhan
Madeline, This is a very well written first paragraph and clear argument. It is an interesting thought -- that we don't have an international social contract -- I wonder what the repercussions of this might be for international codes of ethics and human rights? Are there things that all human beings must agree to in order to live within a society? Can any things be standardized and guaranteed across societies? Is it really fair to think that due to the luck of birth (or unluck in some cases) that people in this country don't have to even think of being subjected to FGM while others in different places do? Should no international standards exist? Isn't this the point of the UN, etc...? I do think that this paragraph does a great job establishing a clear thesis along the lines of the public and private. Good work.
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