Section 3: A Variety of Discriminatory Cultural Practices

Cultural Oddities --  or Atrocities?

Section Three contains poems of culturally unique and atrociously sexist practices, especially when viewed by most modern, Western eyes. Some harmful practices are now viewed by most of the world as barbaric, like Chinese foot-binding; torture that lasted a thousand years and created physical, emotional and mental debilities for millions of children. For what purpose?

The origins of these practices are lost in the mists of time, or credited as sacred practices of one religion or another, like extreme veiling. Some, such as Female Genital Mutilation, are openly or secretly practiced, though outlawed. I include poems about these practices to provide historical context for the lives of women forced to experience them.

Some of the most extreme practices have been banished from the cultures that created them (foot-binding, for example, existed in China for a thousand years, but was outlawed around 1949, see Gold Lotus Feet).  Too many discriminating, painful and life-debilitating practices still exist in several countries on the planet:  Female Genital Mutilation occurs every day (see Tales from the Lands of Sewn Women and heroine Agnes Preyiao, who is fighting to end this practice).  Women are still stoned to death after accusations – true or false – of infidelity and forced in some countries to wear extreme veiling, when not in their homes (see Vision of Veils).

The practice of burning wives alive on the pyres of their dead husbands (see Chaste Wife: for Sati Roop Kanwar) still exists, if clandestinely in India.  In many countries tiny girls are married in travesties of love (see Child Bride); and of course women the world over are raped (see Golems: Imitation Men Who Rape), kidnapped, and turned into sexual slaves. A practice I recently learned is being perpetuated in Afghanistan is that of Bacha Posh (see Pretend You’re Not You) where families seeking status or income in their village or town pretend girl infants are boys, and dress them accordingly! The practice of chhapaudi in western Nepal – forcing girls into freezing snowy rock and mud holes when menstruating, is still believed by some ignorant men to be necessary to avoid bad luck!

Can a culture claim to be civilized, and reach its highest spiritual level, if it perpetuates any practice harming at least half its population? It is my fervent hope that one day these atrocities inflicted only on females will be viewed criminally insane as ancient virgin sacrifices to appease volcanoes!

Meanwhile, these poems are to remember those who live with -- or have died because of -- these brutal forms of “civilized” misogyny.