Rape laws are pretty much tied into philosophies of ownership rights (and violation thereof). In most of the modern western world, we recognize that women own ourselves, and have the right to self-determination.

The history of the world is a different story. For most of what we know about it, wives, daughters, and sisters—that is, women—have not enjoyed any sort of meaningful right of self-determination. It's their male relatives (including spouses) who have the right of consent. When rape occurs in a society like that, it's the male "owner" of the woman who has been wronged.

And yeah, pfffft in many cases, cultural relativism can bite me.

The Roombas have a secret: [link]

but, also, this is not new

No, but I think the Times coverage is relatively new. Back in the 90s the only person I remember talking about this stuff was William Vollman.

Whatever traces of cultural relativism I've had are now fully erased and I'm back to inalienable human rights enforced at the point of a gun (if necessary).

Yikes.

Yikes.

Starting with Rush fans!

No, I just mean that the intervention in Kosovo was motivated in part by humanitarian concerns and I think that was the proper application of military force. Situations like that.

I'm not talking about sending everybody in West Africa to forced re-education camps to stop the practice of clitorectomies.

Starting with Rush fans!

Geddy Lee died for your sins!!!

This is SO not a joking matter, but that's where my mind went when I saw "Rush". Whatever you think of their music, I'd rather think about them than that hopped-up, bloviating windbag.

I'm decidedly not a fan of the band, and I'd still rather think of them than the talk show host.

What does it say about me that I went with the Geddy Lee image immediately?

Possibly I am too fixated on Canadian music...

I just mean that the intervention in Kosovo was motivated in part by humanitarian concerns and I think that was the proper application of military force.

It was pretty appalling, being 16, 17, and seeing on the news about the Chetnik antics in Bosnia. You know, you grow up reading history, you think, "Well, World War II was bad, but we're all grownups now and that sort of thing doesn't happen any more." And then you get forcibly re-educated as to the currency of wanton cruelty, to say nothing of the sorts of things that go on in peacetime.

hi all. Africa is fun, if overwhelming.