Tribal Wives
is a show that takes English women of varying degrees of poshness and catapults
them into a village where vaccination is witchcraft and the technology behind
bras is borderline magic. I’ve watched only one and I was disgusted, but
probably not for the reasons that you would expect me to be. (I’m fine with people
volunteering to be put in embarrassing or potentially dangerous situations for
my entertainment.) This was something else.
One of the Posh
Girls was getting to know her local matriarchy when she came upon their
practice of female circumcision. The elder proudly stated that she had
circumcised hundreds, maybe thousands of girls in her community. Our Posh Girl,
remaining open minded and culturally sensitive, asked why. The main reason for
a total clitorectomy on all of the girls in this “society”, is so they can get
pregnant.
Let’s be
clear - They believe that if they don’t get circumcised, they can’t get
pregnant. Obviously, no one in this group has put that to the test, but there’s
their reasoning.
Posh Girl
remains politely interested and asks questions of the girls who have had it
done and we learn a little more about female sexuality, but nothing more about
the hideous injuries that must have been inflicted. Posh Girl finishes the show
with a new found respect for her sisterhood and we’re all heart-warmed as she
disappears back to Blighty to resume her life with running water and antibiotics.
But, really,
after the cameras stopped rolling, Interpol should have swept in. Why isn’t
this elder up in front of the Hague for crimes against humanity? She is a self
confessed butcher of children and her rationale is an easily disproved belief. We’re
happy to try Milosevic for his stupid beliefs. No doubt Anders Breivik is going
be dealt with as harshly as possible for his ridiculous beliefs, why does this
mutilator in a mud hut get away with it? We’re now too embarrassed to intercede
with the noble savages after centuries of our rape and pillage?
Priorities
and perspective please, people.
