And catching up with the modern times is NOT what needs to be done in these cultures.  Just because you disagree with a practice doesn’t mean it is wrong. We need the opinions of the people within the cultures, not your irrelevant, western, ethnocentric opinion.

No, unless they DID manipulate you. And yes, changing to be more like another culture is being manipulated by them because it is social comparison. The people who practice the traditions you disagree with continue to practice them for a reason, plain and simple. It America we have PLEANTY of harmful traditions; wearing high heels (which can also damage a woman’s feet forever), wearing corsets, bras, getting holes drilled in our teeth, getting waxed…

If I decide to become a better student by studying harder, does that mean the nerds in my math class manipulated me? Please learn the meanings behind words before you make assumptions. I stand my ground when I say traditions that harm human beings should die, as injustice done to a human being should not be tolerated. I do agree that nations should retain their culture but aspects of it that do NOT harm humans. Food and music are usually good aspects for ex. Foot binding and stoning are NOT!

ACTUALLY the Maya tradition of human sacrifice was mutually accepted throughout Maya societies. You’re being ethnocentric. The Maya initiated mock captures where they would wage (mutual) wars against neighbors, collecting captives for sacrifice. It was highly ritualized and extremely important to that society. The reason YOU think it is wrong is because YOU did not live in the ancient Maya society- how do you know how people felt about sacrifice? Obviously you’ve never read a Maya stela…

Really? So every tradition that inflicts pain is wrong? What about western traditions- having our eyebrows waxed, drilling holes in our teeth, wearing high heels and bras- are all of those things wrong? Because let me tell you, they are painful and many times cause bleeding. You need to try to see through the eyes of other people. Is male circumcision in on babies in western societies wrong? It’s widely accepted and yet causes much discomfort, obviously. Try to take off your cultural blinders.

who are we to say it is wrong? its a no brainer question….if the religion induces pain on another person, then it is WRONG..there’s no debate..its as simple as that..

Backwards traditions? Modern time? Seriously, that is extremely ethnocentric! Every culture is manipulated and changed by other cultures, AND you basically just contradicted yourself- if they shouldn’t be “prone to manipulation by advanced cultures” they shouldn’t try to “catch up with modern times”- they should try to remain unique and retain their culture.

Yeah, but “survival” at what cost? Many of these backwards traditions are observed in nations who haven’t been able to catch up with modern times. Survival at the cost of being backward and becoming prone to manipulation by advanced cultures and nations is NOT survival. It’s trying to keep a diseased nation alive as long as possible, that’s what it is.

Regardless of opinion I think we can both agree on one thing; arguing over the web is like participating in the Special Olympics. Even if you win you’re still retarded. Congratulations, you get the gold.

I have taken off my cultural binders. I’ve traveled to 30 countries and love diversity. I can still be for diversity and believe some traditions (not cultures) deserve to die out. With your kind of attitude, we would simply turn a blind eye to some cultures keeping girls out of school or marrying girls as young as 8 to men 5 times their age, because it’s “their culture”. This is unquestionably bad for the girls and these societies at large. This ONE example. Nothing wrong with educating them.

shut up you f*ckin retard!!!

Many people think that male circumcision is a form of genital mutilation and yet it occurs every day. Try taking away your cultural blinders and attempt to gain a more emic perspective. The traditions have lasted for a reason, and ethnographic research shows that the individuals afflicted by genital mutilation continue the tradition for a reason

So that’s the only thing that you could pick out that is “wrong” with my previous comment? You’re being a dumb ass. Being an adult DOESN’T have anything to do with genital mutilation, because adults go through the mutilation as children and therefor know more than you do about what the experience is like!!!

This disrespect in your comment is all what I am talking about when I speak about arrogant and feeling superior to give lessons to others on what they have to do.

lol stop being a smart ass, yes all belief canT be taking seriously, but i was talking of mutilating young girls genitals there. Maybe u should get ur dick or clit (idk you) cut off to understand the “absolute” in saying that mutilating some1 against its will for religion is wrong. “Dont do to others what you dont want to endure your self”.. or something like that.. just to take a religious quote ;p

The only ugly human culture is the one that thinks it can give lessons to the world, the one that thinks it can say to everybody what is good and what is bad, that thinks that its vision of goodness and badness is absolute, that thinks it can colonize some countries and even eradicate others because they are just animal or phenomena to study.

Sad but true….but it need not exist….then again, the balance of the universe rules that for every suffering, there is a relief somewhere else. In a way, suffering is a permanent part of life. It may die, but will end up somewhere else.

How are you to say one tradition is wrong.it is absolutely arrogant to have that mentality. People have followed these traditions and rituals for years. Do you not get how hard it is change that kind of living? Its their beliefs. As long as they dont hurt others that dont believe in their own, its fine. Yes some beliefs are extreme but they have to see it with their own eyes, how else will you learn. It is not our duty to stop ppl from doing what they have grown up doing. Let them have thechoice

Suffering is the history of humanity. The very fact of being counscious is suffering. Tat’s not an argument.

What you call Barbaric is barbaric on the limit of your ideological reference. If these people thought that what they are doing is barbaric they would have abolished it by themselves. Imagine some random people wake up one day and says that the way you live is Barbaric (from his ideological reference), so what? do we have to take him seriously? yes? no? why not? you will find, in this world, that there is at least one person that thinks that an X traditions has to die. Who is he to say so?

Again, if something deserves to die, it will die by itself. YOU believe that some traditions has to be abolished, another person believes that some of yours has to be abolished, another X person thinks that the traditions of the Y person deserves to die. So if we take seriously what everyone thinks f the others, everything will end up dying. Get out from your box, and you will see that you are not alone in this world.

Its not arrogant. Some traditions are just barbaric and cause much suffering on selective parts of the population. They SHOULD die. Disappear. Bye bye . Make way for new, less barbaric tradition. Its called EVOLVING

If it deserves to die, it will die by itself. Your belief is not an absolute one. If everyone’s belief has to be taken seriously, everything would have died centuries ago…

people are crazy. And some traditions SHOULD die. Because they cause suffering.

That’s the point, if a tradition deserves to die, it will die by itself. As far as it is existing, we can’t judge if it is a good one or a bad one. That’s the definition of cultural relativism.