vanilla latte

Circumcision is a unique practice because of its different forms and meanings to numerous diverse demographics.  In modern times, most people recognize its medical benefits for males and do not consider it more than a hygienic practice. However, being a modern-orthodox Jew, I personally have witnessed the traditional roots and ritualistic significance of it.  On the eighth day after his birth, my younger brother was circumcised in my synagogue with the whole community joined together watching. The removal of the foreskin is celebrated in Judaism, because it symbolizes a male officially joining the Jewish tradition by accepting G-d like the way our ancestor Abraham did. Every Jewish male must be circumcised, even those that convert later on in life.

The importance of circumcision in a religious context is not exclusive to Judaism; many other religions sects, even African tribes, find significance in its practice and symbolism. One major point of difference, however, involves gender because both men and female forms of circumcision exist. While male circumcision—the removal of the foreskin—has been proven to be medically beneficial, female circumcision—the removal of the clitoris and possible appendage of the vagina—has been shown to be an extremely painful experience that actually hurts the woman. Therefore, most educated religions and nations do not practice it but advocate against it, even by renaming it “genital mutilation.” Yet, female circumcision is still practiced in certain places for tradition’s sake and for its results, including  stunting female’s sexual desires. 

cinnamon coffee, again.. yum

THREE PROPOSED TOPICS FOR EXPERIENCE PAPER:

1. Female Circumcision (Genital Mutilation)
In Judaism, when a male turns 8 days old, he must be circumcised. I personally have been to a few circumcision rituals, including that of my brother's. Another aspect widely discussed in Judaism is women's "inferior" status. Experiencing both attending a circumcision and grappling with female equality, I thought it may be interesting to look at other religions takes on such issues, specifically female circumcision. From a religious standpoint, the religions, like African tribes and Muslim sects, that practice this believe they are justified because it prevents a woman from engaging in sexual intercourse before marriage. This makes her more desirable for marriage and keeps her under her father's control. However, from a medical standpoint and human rights position, this practice is very controversial because of the many physical complications it imposes on a woman against her will. If this were my topic, I would hope to explore the issue by tackling the controversy around it, while personally relating my religious experiences and feminine beliefs.

**What is female circumcision and the four different forms of it? What are the medical consequences? Is religion above medicine and unalienable rights? Does female "inferiority" benefit or hurt women? How does Judaism circumcision and belief compare and contrast these religion's beliefs (specifically from my personal life)?  How should America react to such a distant issue?

2. Plastic Surgery
Without even thinking about it, I can name four friends who have gotten nose jobs. I also know people like my Grandmother who have used plastic surgery to reconstruct their bodies after traumatic events, like breast cancer. As seen, in some cases plastic surgery can truly help and change people's lives while in others it simply enhances them. I personally find cosmetic plastic surgery troubling on a medical, religious, and ethical level. But we do live in a country with the freedom to choose to receive it.    

**What are the differences between the cosmetic and medical uses of plastic surgery? How do people who receive cosmetic surgery justify altering their bodies? Is it appropriate for society to have the option to physically change their bodies for superficial purposes? What is beauty? How does society's definition of beauty impact its people? Is this healthy and appropriate? Does freedom of choice cover this right? Would the abolition of it help sway society to focus less on fitting the definition of beauty?

3. Doctor Over-diagnosis
My Grandfather died two years ago after a failed third cardiac surgery. It was sudden and very painful to deal with, primarily because if doctors had left him alone my family would get to enjoy his presence for longer than we did. He seemed fairly healthy before the surgery and was therefore given the surgery in the first place. While we all harbor emotional hurt and frustration against those doctors who over-diagnosised him, we have to wonder whether they are to blame or if they were just following protocol.

**What credentials do doctors have to make the decisions they do? Is always following protocol necessary in statistically unfavorable situations? Do people always adhere to their advice  from the "white coat" syndrome? How do we prevent over-diagnosis?

No coffee today--just some good ol' sweet tea

Feeling guilty about not doing the readings initially, I decided to challenge myself to try to tackle Sontag's "Illness as Metaphor and Aids and its Metaphor." Overall, I was really impressed by her points about illness and how society and the individual perceive it. On the one hand, I agree that society likes to become obsessed with particular things that either arouse extreme fear or excitement in its people. Because people's attitudes and opinions are always evolving, it is easy to see society's focus shift. In the case of scarily stigmatizing illnesses, it shifts from cancer to AIDs. However, unlike the way Sontag depicts this fear, I believe society's ''obsession'' is justifiable due to the mystery and uncertainty that are involved with each illness. While medicine and technology do advance everyday, there is never a guarantee that one may become ill with a statistically curable form of the illness or that there are enough drugs that have been made to control it to a manageable degree. Realistically, it is a multidimensional war where a sick person fights the disease on an individual level with their physical self, and the population fights it on a societal level with medical advancements and biased propaganda. It involves blood, sweat, tears and self interest. I therefore did not appreciate her dumps on capitalism and war.

Whether I agree with all her points on a thematic basis, there are a lot of positive compliments to give to her writing style. Firstly, she incorporates numerous passages from other authors to elaborate her points and provide evidence for her claims. From Kafka to John Donne, I was very pleasantly surprised and excited to see the array of writers she used (even a few of my favorites!) I also appreciate how she admits   she was wrong, to an extent, in her use and understanding of the term "metaphor." In general, its hard to reflect and admit mistake but to admit so in her writing to such a large audience is extremely respectable, in my opinion. Finally, her use of metaphors to explain illness was, of course, intriguing and impressive. I especially enjoyed reading about the advertisements for TB and how the understanding of illness shifted from almost magical to a physical invader like a flee. Sontag did an awesome job in writing these two distinct passages, and I as well applaud her for responding to her illness in this literary fashion.

2: black coffee, naturally infused with cinnamon

I confess that I hate this prompt and find it unchallenging because of the class discussions we already had on it. I know this initial statement may be shocking and some may find it inappropriate, but it is for that reason that I decided to write it. I decided to exemplify my opinions on this prompt by personally relating to it.  I did not care about the etiquette or sensitivity of my written confession; rather, I felt strongly about something to that point that I needed to speak up openly about it in order to get it off of my chest. I feel a cathartic relief because of the release I experienced while writing it.

Now that I have confessed and reflected, however, I suddenly am overcome with a feeling of remorse. I am compelled to apologize. Complaining about a teacher’s assignment in an insulting way makes me feel bad, especially because I appreciate the hard work our teacher puts into the blog. The clear difference between confessions and apologies has to do with feelings and intentions behind it (as I have clearly portrayed.)