Cultural sensitivity (story)

[Cc J. as FYI]

D.,

You will find this story amusing. It's embedded in an interesting Greg Cochran blog post about trying to understand the real root causes of homosexuality but I think it stands on its own as well.

-M.

P.S. The comments are worth reading too, for the debate/discussion. 

[Greg Cochran writes] Let me tell you a story.  In certain parts of west Africa,  boys are expected to start menstruating around age 14.  And they do,  sort of:  you  start seeing blood in their urine.  When that happens, there's a big ceremony, everyone says 'today you are a man'.  Whatever.  The thing is, that's about the time they put the boys into the flooded rice fields, where they're exposed to schistosoma haematobium, which causes urinary schistosomiasis.  It's bad for you: it can impair growth and cognitive development in  children, reduces productivity,  and is a potent cause of bladder cancer over the long term.

Our explanation of male menstruation as urinary schistosomiasis must undermine these people's traditional culture. Eliminating schistosomiasis would undermine it even further,  just as the rubella vaccine dealt a heavy blow to deaf culture by cutting the number of congenitally deaf children in half. .

Isn't that just too **** bad.

--

Hahahahaaaa!!! That is ME laughing at YOU, cruel world.

    -Jordan Rixon

I could not love thee, dear, so much,

Loved I not Honour more.