Interesting standards

This whole female circumcision thing is a fascinating example of double standards.

I am not advocating female circumcision by any means, just observing the double standard.

Our society still engages in male genital mutilation with only a small amount of criticism.

We have no problem with abortion.

We actively encourage female mammary mutilation, face lifts and stomach tucking, in the interests of 'beauty' but we become moralistic and self righteous when it comes to female circumcision.

Am I the only one who thinks there is a degree of hypocrisy happening?

in reference to: Pru Goward blasts female circumcision by doctors (view on Google Sidewiki)

Scientists playing God?

In many ways, this is no different from any other technological advance in the history of the world.

Germ warfare, dynamite, the atomic bomb, and so on. There is always the potential for technology to be used for good or bad.

Where the problem seems to be at the moment is that the potential size of the impact of a bad use of technology is enormous.

It may be difficult for society to come up with ethical principles for the use of these technologies until after they have been used for evil.

There will always be scientists and entrepreneurs looking to use new technologies for their own benefit.

Our strongest defence against this is for people to make the effort to understand the issues as best they can, and to develop a strong ethical framework. The more intelligent, rational discussion we have about these issues, rather than narrow and uninformed proclamations, the better.

in reference to: Making life is easy: now for debate on whether it is right (view on Google Sidewiki)

Homophobia alive and kicking.

Would this really have played out this way, if the sex club was a heterosexual one? I doubt it.

Clearly, behind all the political correctness, there is still a veneer of homophobia that runs deep in the public consciousness.

When Kevin Rudd visited a Strip Club, he was given a pat on the back by the media and considered a good bloke.

I doubt if the scandal is just that he used his government car to do it. I would bet that every minister uses their government car for personal purposes at times (and that seems reasonable).

No, seems like homophobia to me.

in reference to: Sex scandal rocks Labor (view on Google Sidewiki)