Summary Of Sick Societies By Robert B. Edgerton

In reading Sick Societies I learned that many different cultures have different ways of attempting to make themselves look better by inflicting pain on themselves. In this reading created by Robert B. Edgerton he spoke about how the Chinese men would have their wife’s feet binded because as the text says: “ the tottering style of walking it produced and created more beautiful buttocks and tightened the vagina” (115). In adding this Edgerton is giving the reader an understanding to why the Chinese practice this painful practice. Also, to show how the males like to be dominate over the women. Edgerton later goes on to talk about how some people may be dissatisfied with their culture, and the things they do to not be frowned upon in their culture. I feel that that is the only reason some of the terrible things in any culture continue to happen. For example, as the text says: “putting a
As the text says: “Originally practiced by the wives of kings and great warriors, sati spread first to Brahmins, then to members of lower castes” (116). The sati was basically a practice where a widow burned herself alive on her husband’s pyre, in front of a crowed who expected her to do such a thing. If she did not want to do such a thing she would be beating or manhandled into the fire so this was no choice. This act was thankfully stopped, because the times and culture changed. Finally, Edgerton talked about the practices of Africans and how they mutilate their private areas. As the text says “In parts of the Sudan, for example, the genitalia of young Nubian girls are still almost completely cut away, and the vaginal opening is sutured closed except for an opening the size of a matchstick for the passage of urine and menstrual blood” (118). In saying this Edgerton is simply letting the reader get an understanding of the practice of the Africans culture to better display what the practices