While I am adamantly opposed to female circumcision no matter what the cultural standards, I am not on that particular mission. I will verbally oppose it at any opportunity I can. I understand fully what you are saying about aboriginal practices wrongly being considered wrong, as opposed to the white right way. I am an American Indian sympathizer myself, and appreciate the tragic results you are referring to. For the most part, I also object to "benevolent interference," but this, along with forced child labor and prostitution, is something I see as a universal wrong. But, that said, I wholly agree with you on your concerns for children in our schools, and for the American Indians. I am especially glad to see that on some reservations, children are being taught in a culturally appropriate way, including learning their native language. I participate in a chat line based in Pine Ridge S.Dak., and am aware of what they are trying to do about liquor sales over the border in Nebraska. And yes, I find it appalling that Indian children were shipped off to boarding school until as recently as the 50's, and Native religious practices were outlawed until the mid-70's. I work with low SES clients, and have seen children that get placed with relatives or taken into the foster care system because their parents' lives are a mess. My mission, of several, is to get people to learn how to stabilize their own lives so that their children do not inherit the same chaos. Part of this ties in with the thread earlier about sex education and learning how to say no so that you can wait until it's the right time for yourself. I'm not trying to pass my moral values on to other people, but I think alot of people don't think it out fully before putting themselves, intentionally or not, in a position of bringing children into the world. I think we as a society cannot afford to have so many children without a stable home life, or loving parents. I find it scary that in Detroit, 70% of children are born to unwed mothers. Granted, a portion of those mothers are educated and have steady jobs and a stable home life, but what percentage of those don't have the education, support or maturity to raise a child? BTW, where do you work, and with what tribe(s)?
Replies:
|
| Behavior OnLine Home Page | Disclaimer |
Copyright © 1996-2004 Behavior OnLine, Inc. All rights reserved.