Forums > Living in Kunming > Circumcision Then maybe it shouldn't be done to infants unless medically necessary either? And I'd suggest that, if you're worried about HIV, it might be more important for adolescents and young adults to get the operation than to do it on infants, whose physical sex life is pretty much nonexistent.
As for religious reasons, seems obvious that it's about parents making choices for infants, who don't know enough about those choices to make them. Why not leave the operation until the person makes his own, supposedly informed, choice at, say, age 12 (common age for confirmation among Christians and for Bar Mitzvahs among Jews, I think - I think there's something more or less equivalent in Islam, but I can't think of it at the moment)?
I bet if this postponement were to become common practice, circumcision would be a lot less common than it is at present, despite these Shang rings (above link), which seem to be a good invention.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Advice on working as a tour guide for Spanish ppl I don't understand if you are complaining about the agency you worked with or about Spanish people.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Circumcision Good points, Dazzer, but there is also the question of whether one wants to perpetuate the particular customs of one's community, which have changed and will change and are always changing to some extent, and which can be changed by the way one interacts with the community - as well as saddling a kid with a particular irreversible aspect of/relationship to the community. Footbinding used to be popular in China, and a girl without bound feet could have a hard time getting married.
Lots of questions, and many of them are not so simple when looked at closely - blanket answers don't necessarily fit particular situations of others, and I don't pretend to have them. Sometimes perhaps we need better & more insightful questions.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Circumcision @ Liumingke: You are right, infants are not in a position to decide about this and parents have responsibilities. However, what percentage of males who did NOT have it done as a child choose to have it done after they are old enough to decide for themselves? And why is that?
My guess would be that the majority of those who choose to have it done when of age to decide for themselves would be dong so for reasons of religious conversion, probably to Islam, and even there I'm not sure how many choose the procedure (I don't know the score with conversion to Judaism, but there isn't much conversion to Judaism anyway).
And even on that score, plenty of Pushtoon (Pathan, Pukhtoon) Muslim men in the frontier areas along the Afghan-Pakistani border go about uncircumcized. For the most part, these are 'tribally'-organized people, not what are usually referred to as 'modern'.
As for female circumcision among Muslims, it persists, unfortunately, but only among certain groups, not among the majority of Muslims (though I don't know what ISIS and their ilk prescribe).
Parental responsibilities, yes, unavoidable - should be considered rather carefully, I think, especially for things that are irreversible.
By the way, I was circumcised as an infant, have never worried about it and don't have any resentments - but I think my questions are worth considering.
@ Goldie: Please don't take what I've said as some effort to come down hard on you personally, that's not my intention.
Forums > Living in Kunming > UK Citizens Brexit referendum vote I seriously doubt whether global economic, social, political problems can be dealt with effectively on a national basis. Or, for that matter, on an EU basis.
The Help Out — Philippines Fundraiser
发布者Hcamez, I get your point, I'm just saying that it is important to watch this sort of thing carefully, that's all. I know from experience that on SOME levels (perhaps not international aid on the scale required for the Philippines at present) it is entirely possible just to get together with friends and DO IT, no overhead (after all, what's stopping you?) - massive administrative organization guarantees neither efficiency nor waste, it all depends on the situation. On this score, I'd like to know the practical results of the efforts of both maeflor and jan-jan - may not be possible to know this, but the point is, after all, to make sure the job gets done, and nothing else.
And my best wishes to the present effort.
Kunming to monetize street vendor chaos
发布者For God's sake and all that is holy may they very soon do something similar on Wenhuaxiang! Ideally they'd get rid of all the cars too, but that's a problem because people with money, rather than ordinary people, are living in the apartments there, and many of them, at least, own cars.
Getting Away: Jianchuan Old Town
发布者Modern & postmodern culture, including modern & postmodern portrayals of the past, is often merely a matter of producing something to sell to people - 'success' and 'truth' tend to mean: 'whatever makes money', and/or maintains and/or legitimizes the power of those who already have it. There is a lot of past, and it is worthwhile to figure out who is selecting the items for its present incarnations, and why they are doing so as they are.
Think of any museum - ANY museum.
The Help Out — Philippines Fundraiser
发布者Hey, I didn't mean to put a damper on this, just a suggestion. And I've bought my book of tickets.
The Help Out — Philippines Fundraiser
发布者Excellent idea, but is the Hong Kong Red Cross the best way to make contributions? I have no criticism to make of them but it is the case that a lot of charitable organizations spend more than perhaps they should on admin, staff salaries, etc. I really think those who are organizing this important effort should perhaps check out different possible routes for assisting those in need. My general impression is that, in the Haiti relief effort, Medicins sans frontiers (Doctors without Borders) and the Cuban medical relief effort produced particularly good results with less cash going to overhead etc.