Pen-Elayne on the Web

Making a Mockery of Self-Mutilation

Susie Madrak (among others) reports on the Georgia legislation outlining punishment for female genital mutiliation, specifically the ban on voluntary piercings. Now, I'm all with them that piercing is absolutely a form of self-mutiliation, I've been saying that for years. But see, to me this is a classic case of not agreeing with a personal preference but defending the right of someone to make whatever choice they want. I have a huge personal hang-up on facial piercings - it took me 30 years to screw up enough courage to pierce my ears, only once in each lobe thank you very much - and don't even get me started on even the idea of doing that to sensitive genitalia. But again, I recognize this as my personal hangup. So you know, if these Georgians are as squeamish as I am about such things, I suggest they do what I do regarding excessive voluntary piercing - if it's a friend or personal acquaintance, ignore it as best you can in the interest of your relationship with the pierce-ee; otherwise, if you see it on TV or if it's a complete stranger and you're sitting in a restaurant watching them pass by and you're busy making fun of the way they dress anyway, feel free to mock the hell out of it sotto voce. After all, one must assume they're doing the same thing to you behind your back, n'est ce pas?