Re: female circumcision

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In article <3be0u1$7q9@crl2.crl.com>, L. William Franke <franke@crl.com> wrote:
>Bryant (mycol1@unm.edu) wrote:
>
>It's amazing what you can read into just a few lines, Bryant. You might
>consider a career in literary criticism or semiotics.

Thanks. Perhaps I misunderstood, though. You weren't defending the
practice of cutting off little girls' clitori against the dark forces of
moral imperialism?

>
>I guess you're right, though. "Torture" *is* what YOU say it is. Can
>you provide a full bibliographical citation so that I may have the
>opportunity to read the rest of the absolute (as opposed to the relative)
>truth?
>

Jeesh, Bill, give it a rest. "Torture"'s in the dictionary. I didn't
say anything about absolute truths. I said that I sympathize with the
little girl being cut, that objecting to that sympathy as myopic
intercultural intolorance is silly, and that your reasoning
leads rather quickly to an acceptance of genocide (so long as it's within
culture).

My objection to torture is subjective and personal. Just like any moral
stance. It is no less valid than your moral decision to ignore her
screams and sit contemplating navels on the lofty ivory tower of cultural
relativism.

Bryant
>Bill Franke

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