Actually, while earrings can be taken out, piercings that are more than a few years old will likely never close and may be quite visible for the rest of the person's life. And there is such a thing as foreskin restoration surgery, so the permanence of male circumcision isn't black-and-white either. I think it's an…

You don't want to "detract" from discussions of FGM by.....detracting from them? 1 in 500 boys experiences some dysfunction? 1 in 1 girls subjected to FGM experiences amputation. Do you even listen to yourself? More importantly, do you EVER bring this up anywhere but where FGM is discussed?

No, not "just" a women's issue, but perhaps an issue where those whoa re not female, familiar with the subject personally or willing to Listen to those who are... should shut up?

A former coworker is a Sikh who wears a turban. He was at an anti-poverty protest once, when a woman with a Central European accent came up to him and after chatting a bit started asking about his turban. After he explained that he was Sikh, she said "No offense, but you look like a terrorist."

Without missing a beat…

Any article about the deplorable treatment of women in the third world quickly gets hijacked by a combination of apologists for worthless cultures shouting UR RACIST FOR TALKING ABOUT FACTS!!!! and narcissists who take, e.g., a story about gang-rape in India as an opportunity to talk about how one time they saw a man…

But this is a classic, predictable male objection to women talking about women's issues; "hey! You're not talking about me right now, so let's derail the conversation!"

It's a shame there's no such thing as hell.

If I know anything about hate filled assholes, he'll hold on FOREVER. For some reason it always seems like dictators, war criminals, etc. just live on the brink of death in poor health for years and years when it seems like they'll drop dead any moment.

Because it's like comparing having the tip of your finger removed to having the whole fucking hand chopped off, that's why.

The death rate for girls with FGM is significantly higher than that for circumsized boys in first world countries. As JennaB84 mentions above, the most severe forms of FGM remove all of the external genetalia and sew up the opening almost completely. The female equivalent to the typical male circumcision is the…

Of course we need to be aware of cultural power structures in place. I see complicated discussion going on here about just that. No one's talking about barging into Egypt, guns blazing, screaming that Egyptian women should be treated just like American women (with all the flaws and complications therein). People are…

Ugh. This isn't about male circumcision. Saying that FGM is unacceptable, or saying that it is much more damaging and dangerous doesn't mean that we approve of male circumcision. Please don't hijack the conversation to make it about a different subject, because this is important.

A. Circumcision did not start as a societal attempt to diminish sexual pleasure! Circumcision started- as far as people can tell- as a hygienic measure (not much soap & water in the desert), a religious ritual/ test of bravery, and in Judaism, a prerequisite for being READY for sex. I mean, I don't think any of these…

Fuck cultural sensitivities. The only reason foot binding was so quickly and effectively banned in china is that Mao not only banned it, it was swiftly and vigorously enforced without any regard to cultural sensitivities. Harmful cultural practices have to be eradicated and the only way to do it is to remove tha taboo…

*Scrolls down* Wow, that was quick.

And thus proving my point...

Seriously, how can we in the US somehow think we're superior to someone who excises a baby's genitals with a sharpened can lid when I might have been able to blow my load in eight seconds instead of fourteen?

Or the people hijacking the thread to discuss male circumcision.

Then I'll go ahead and say a great big "Fuck You!" to them in advance.

Cue the cultural relativists showing up swinging out of the woodwork. :)