FREEDOM OF CHOICE

More and more I get the impression that we are living in a mad, mad, mad world. Hence the thinking, that there are people who have been diagnosed as mentally disturbed then there are the rest with their facade of normalcy until they say or do something crazy.

Freedom, including free speech allowed in democracies is the reason why many people are allowed to air their views — no matter how offensive they may be like the group of paedophiles in the Netherlands getting together to form their own political party. For those who are unaware, paedophiles can be adult males, females, heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, married or single.

“The Charity, Freedom and Diversity Party” announced last week that they will be campaigning for the lowering of the age of consent in the Netherlands from 16 years old to 12 years old.

According to party President Martijn Uittenbogaard, “forbidding children from sex only makes them more curious.” He disclosed to the Associated Press that the party had supporters from “all corners of the world” although not many turned up for the media briefing. I wonder why?

Reading this made me realise that I must be delusional since a delusion is a false personal belief that is held regardless of what others may say. I firmly believe that sex and sexual activity should not involve children, but since Mr Uittenbogaard was able to get publicity without censure then his perspective must be in sync with reality?

A university professor of mine used to say “civilisation is based on repression” or words along those lines. Anything can happen if you do not have boundaries.

The German cannibal, 44-year-old Armin Meiwes became notorious for eating a man he had met in an Internet chat room using the name “Franky.” What made the story mind-boggling was that the victim, 43-year-old computer engineer Bernd Brandes (at least Meiwes said) was apparently willing to give up his flesh for consumption. According to reports which came out Meiwes met the victim in 2001 and they went to Meiwes’ room in Rotenburg and had sex before Meiwes cut off Brandes’ penis which they cooked and tried to eat. Brandes was later stabbed, cut up and his body parts stored in the freezer.

The act was premeditated because Meiwes put an ad on the Internet seeking a “young man for slaughter and consumption.” As if the whole scenario was not bizarre even his lawyers tried to get him off on the lesser act of “killing on demand” and was following his victim’s wishes.

Meiwes in his defence said, “I wanted to eat him — I didn’t want to kill him” he told the court in 2002.

Science can put the stamp of normalcy and legitimacy on a particular action. Abortion is legal in several countries and while limits are put on when it can be done, you can count on people exercising their freedom of choice and control over their body to push the boundary. A recent report coming out of London said that more than 20 babies have been aborted in advanced pregnancy between 1996-2004. You may be thinking this was due to medical reasons? Yes, but listen to the rationale. The information from the UK Office of National Statistics indicated that the abortions were due to club feet — which can be corrected with surgery and physiotherapy.

Four other babies were aborted because they had webbed fingers or extra digits — which can also be surgically corrected. There apparently was a furore in England in 2002 when news emerged that a baby had been aborted at 28 weeks because scans found it had a cleft palate. Another condition which can be corrected with surgery. The terminations have caused renewed debate about people using scanning and gene technology to have “designer babies.”

I was reminded of Nazi leader Adolph Hitler who tried to impose his idea of perfection. While the brutal lengths he went through to achieve his goal qualify him for a mental institution what about those parents?

TT people often look at those homeless, mentally disturbed people on the streets as mad. I think suicide bombers, child killers, serial killers, rapists, people who commit incest, and carry out honour killings are mad, because that is the way we rationalise their actions. But what about the crazy things so-called normal people do as they exercise their freedom of choice?