Bride Price-Getting a Reasonable Price

by teenyuck 24 Replies latest jw friends

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  2SYN

  And I was born here, too, in Johannesburg, HenryP. I know a million times more about Zulu/Xhosa/Pedi/Sotho/Sepedi (go on, look them up in an Encyclopaedia) culture than you do, and I also know how incredibly degraded the women in those cultures are from first hand experience, not some book. I've lived here my whole life, and believe you me, you have no clue as to what it's like to see a woman sold to her husband on her wedding day.

  The earlier in the forenoon you take the sun bath, the greater will be the beneficial effect, because you get more of the ultra-violet rays, which are healing. - The Golden Age
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  LDH

  Since when the FUCK has the Society given one hoot about customs?

  WTF?!?!?

  Why, of all things, isn't this an article about putting an end to such a hideous terrible practice?

  I'll tell you why, because the BORG is losing members out the wazoo in educated countries, so they will placate the African nations and allow them to *keep* one of their *cutsie-tootsie* little customs.

  I wonder what would happen to a JW in THIS country if they kept customs like Christmas, birthdays, etc.

  Lisa
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  HenryP

  SYN:

  Oops, excuse my error. I did not know that you lived in South Africa. Once again, you are making too much of my post. I am not defending the practice. I also do not approve of a woman having to cover her face in some Muslim countries. Would I tell one of them to uncover it because it is degrading and because us Westerners know that this is wrong? What if she then gets jailed or even stoned to death because she does what I suggested? So, the brothers also have to be careful of what counsel they give, according to each custom.

  As for your question, my answer is no. Some brothers might me, but not as an organization.
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  Hmmm

  In HenryP's defense (and the society's, yikes) I don't think either said it was a good practice. But the truth remains that it is a cultural reality for a LARGE part of the world.

  Many western countries (though not so much today) give a dowry. Even in the US, it was tradition for ages for the parents of the bride to pay for the wedding. Could that be a substitution for or modernization of a dowry? How many here had a wedding where the bride's parents payed for much/all of the expenses?

  Since the practice is still very much alive today, it is rather ethno-centric, I think, to ask the society to pretend it doesnt exist in a magazine that is ostensibly printed for the entire world.

  The article was about bride price, a practice that has more of a connotation of "exchange", as in "if you're going to take my precious daughter from me, you must compensate me for my loss. Yes, I understand that in the anglo-saxon traditions that birthed(?) the bride price, women were still treated as property, and marriages were often set up, but it happened to the boys exactly as often as it happened to the girls.

  The only quote from the article is concerning bride price, but this topic quickly changed gears to the opposite--and much more negatively connotated--dowry. Dowry carries with it the thought "if I'm going to take this girl off your hands, you must compensate me." India today still has an active (and embarrassing) dowry tradition, which stems from its caste system.

  I think both of these traditions are archaic and barbaric. But to be fair, the society was not championing them, merely acknowledging their existence, and even calling for moderation in them. To connect the JW chauvinism with bride price and come up with the society endorsing slavery seems to be a bit of a stretch to me.

  Hmmm
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  2SYN

  OK, I know, I overreacted...probably the WTBTS doesn't give a flying **** about the dowry in India and the bride-price in Africa.

  But my main point still remains - it is a BOrganization founded on chauvinism, and always will be. Argue with me about that rather , as that was the main point I was trying to get across.

  Just because something is a cultural reality doesn't make it a good thing. In Egypt 90% of women are circumcised (yes ladies, CIRCUMCISED), at about age 7. This practice(sp?) usually involves the removal of all or part of the female clitoral region. And all of this in the name of religion, in fact, a Koran gets held in front of the screaming girl's face while the procedure is done (without any anaesthetic normally) so that she will remember it for the rest of her life. Most of the time it gets done by a barber using unsanitized instruments, and the folds of the vagina are sewn together so well that sometimes the woman has to have further surgery before she can have intercourse later on in life.

  Imagine that, guys. Just ****ing imagine how bad that must be. Kinda makes arguing about dowries a bit...stupid, eh?

  Chew on that one, cultural advocates. Note that a less cruel version of the above circumcision also often takes place in my country, too. Usually the clitoris isn't removed, but often the folds of skin are sewn together. In fact a lot of African men won't take a wife (note the use of the word TAKE) unless she is "clean", ie. circumcised.

  The earlier in the forenoon you take the sun bath, the greater will be the beneficial effect, because you get more of the ultra-violet rays, which are healing. - The Golden Age