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May 13, 2005
Pravda Lives!
The New York Times does not object to rape.
On Wednesday May 11, the NY Times ran this story: "AIDS Now Compels Africa to Challenge Widows' Cleansing."
The story, dateline Malawi, a hellhole in central Africa, details the vile practice, widespread in several African nations, of Widow Cleansing. This evil custom compels the male relatives of a recently widowed woman into forcing her to have sex with them in order to exorcise her dead husband's spirit.
The village headmasters claim that it's an old and respected tradition. Sure it is, handed down from one generation of horny old men to the next.
The author of the article, Sharon LaFraniere, details this vile tradition, but is excruciatingly careful not to condemn it on moral grounds. Nope, her only objection to this example of culturally sanctioned rape is that it spreads AIDS. The whole thrust of the article is geared towards health. Is she so timid because the rapists are black? Or is it because she was taught, in her no doubt elite college, that all cultures are created equal? In other words, to La Franiere and presumably those other brilliant minds at the NY Times, there would be no difference between, say, a mitzvah in the Torah, and the so-called "traditions" of these superstitious and ignorant Africans.
Not one word in this article objects to Widow Cleansing on ethical grounds. Nowhere does LaFraniere suggest that it is, gasp, wrong.
What a shock.
Look, when you embrace moral relatavism, when you bow to the false gods of multri-culturalism, it becomes impossible to judge another culture. If, say, Arab society accepts and even glorifies honor killings and homicide bombings, well, who are we to say they're wrong. God forbid you should suggest that one culture is more advanced than another, that all religions are not created equal. Nope, you're left with, well, health issues. In the confused minds of the liberal elite smokers remain the only true evil in the universe, thus the obsession with second hand smoke. For the record: I'm not a smoker. I get raging migraines just sniffing smoke, but guess what, I walk away. It's my problem to deal with.
Now, there's no doubt that AIDS in Africa is serious. It's a plague. But the multi-culturalists at the NY Times and our elite universities have not done so well combating AIDS on a platform of health, now have they? It seems self-evident that if these Africans had some grounding in ethics, religion, in Judeao-Christian values, AIDS would probably be eradicated in one generation. In fact, AIDS is an easily controllable disease. Instead, it's raging across Africa and will, in a few years, begin to resemble the Black Death that ravaged Europe in the Middle Ages, wiping out one third of the total population.
Another interesting angle to this whole issue is: where are all the American feminists when a truly important women's issue arises? Here's an authentic case of female oppression and feminists are, well, invisible. Is it because most feminists are radical leftists who embrace multi-culturalism? Is it because the men are black and, well, feminists are "sensitive" to race issues? I know, maybe it's because they're too busy suing men for "creating a hostile work environment" by bringing an issue of Playboy to the office. Or maybe the sisters are too busy organizing "Take Back the Night" marches on our college campuses. Note to co-eds: You want to be safe? Don't drink yourself into a disgusting stupor and then go back to some drunken boys' apartment. Chances are he's not really all that interested in discussing Kantian dialectics.
The masthead of the NY Times famously proclaims: All the News That's Fit to Print." The truth is, this newspaper is the Pravda of the radical left. It has long ceased reporting news in favor of endorsing the politically correct positions of the morally confused. Thank God that the blogosphere is here to give free people a choice in their news outlets.
I wish you all and lovely and meaningful Shabbos.
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at May 13, 2005 07:20 AM
Comments
Seraphic Secret is private property, that's right, it's an extension of our home, and as such, Karen and I have instituted two Seraphic Rules and we ask commentors to act respectfully.
1. No profanity.2. No Israel bashing. We debate, we discuss, we are respectful. You know what Israel bashing is. The world is full of it. Seraphic Secret is one of the few places in the world that will not tolerate this form of anti-Semitism. That's it. Break either of these rules and you will be banned.
How pathetic. I propose these 'honor rapists' get a nasty case of broken legs. I'll mail the Louisville Slugger myself.
Posted by: Rachel at May 14, 2005 11:16 PM
One more thing-
I do believe these reporters/cretins in the Western world have a warped sense of guilt that since they come from a privileged society with money/freedom/women's rights, that they cannot dare form an opinion on counties that do not. I'm sure that if this same behavior went on in an Ivy League frat house (which I don't doubt it has), these reporters would trample over their fellow journalist to protest it (in their best monotone BBC narrative, of course!).
Posted by: Rachel at May 15, 2005 02:31 PM
Mr. Avrech-I have been reading your blogs for a while now and have thought of writing many times. I may not always agree on your political views but I am usually brought to tears when reading you talk about Ariel and your family and often, when I need chizuk, I turn to your website for some inspiration.
However, one thing you said in your discussing the NY times article really bothered me. You said: "Note to co-eds: You want to be safe? Don't drink yourself into a disgusting stupor and then go back to some drunken boys' apartment. Chances are he's not really all that interested in discussing Kantian dialectics." I re-read this many times, hoping I misread-are you really saying that when a college student gets assaulted, it is her own fault because she had too much to drink?
Posted by: S at May 16, 2005 10:51 AM
Dear S:
Thanks so much for your comment. God forbid that I am blaming rape victims for the crime. What I am saying however is that young women should act sensibly and not put themselves in compromising positions where drunken boys might misread signals and try to take advantage of a woman. You might reply that this is not fair. Girls should have the right to act like drunken louts withhout fear of assault. Well, it's not fair, but since when has life been fair? Afterall, would you take a stroll in a crime ridden neighborhood with your pockets filled with cash? Of couse not. Young women should act with common sense and recognize that male nature is different than that of the female. Very different.
I hope this makes clears what I wrote. Thanks for reading my blog and please do stay in touch.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at May 16, 2005 11:02 AM
Robert - In the moral relativism sphere, how about writing something on Yibbum? Not entirely the same thing, but not all that different. My mother's aunt had a heck of a time bribing her brother in law to grant her a halitza, the Israeli rabbinate was not very helpful...
Posted by: Hava at May 17, 2005 03:18 PM
Hava:
I have not written about this problem because I just don't all that much about it. I have heard scattered stories about the problems in Israel, but it's not enough for me to write with authority. If I do learn more about this, and I will try, I will blog about it.
Posted by: Robert at May 17, 2005 03:22 PM
After years of casual research on womens issues I've learned alot about the world. And things are now beginning to make sense. People, time and again, refuse to take responsibility. The people crying for financial aid to help stop the spread of AIDS in Africa just don't seem to get it. This is their problem, they are doing the very least to help themselves. European women and American women both at one time were in the same position, the bottom. But they stuck together and fought hard, they stopped listening to the nonsense they were being told. They came up out of it. That is the only thing that is going to save this continent. I agree with Robert, maybe if they had some Christian/Judeo values, they would not be ravaged by this simple disease. These people just don't get it, and this mind bending nightmare just can't be blamed on anyone but them. It is frustrating though, I have deep compassion but patience has left me. How can they not see?
Posted by: jenn at March 19, 2006 09:18 PM
Jenn:
Thanks so much for your articulate and comprehensive comment. I have littel to add except to say that since I wrote this blog the problem of AIDS in Africa has grown even worse and the solutions proposed in some African nations have ranged from men infected with AIDS sleeping with virgins to Voodoo medicine.
So, while academics in our universities drone on about post colonialism, Africa is committing suicide and our elites could care less.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at March 19, 2006 11:14 PM