She's 17? That'll Be One Cow Please, Your Majesty
November 12, 2001 8:58 AM Subscribe
She's 17? That'll Be One Cow Please, Your Majesty The king of Swaziland imposed a ban on having sex with any female under the age of 18, in hopes of curbing the nation's growing rate of HIV infections. But he just married a 17 year old girl. (His 9th wife.) His penalty? One cow, as per the rules of the sex ban. The cow was roasted and eaten by a group of 300 young women who marched to the palace to protest the marriage. My question is - how does a cow make up for possibly infecting a young woman with HIV? (I'm not suggesting that the king is infected, but if he were, what good would the cow do?)
i think your questioning the use of the cow in this situation highlights a typically blinkered outlook on the outside world and the varying cultures and communities that we share this planet with.
i don't know either.
posted by Frasermoo at 9:25 AM on November 12, 2001
i don't know either.
posted by Frasermoo at 9:25 AM on November 12, 2001
If I run a red light, hit a car and get fined, what good does the fine do? How does a fine make up for the damage to the other car?
posted by rodii at 9:25 AM on November 12, 2001
posted by rodii at 9:25 AM on November 12, 2001
Mmmmmmm, nubile virgins and barbecued beef. There's something to this Swazi culture. Throw in a football and you've got Plano, Texas.
posted by sacre_bleu at 9:31 AM on November 12, 2001
posted by sacre_bleu at 9:31 AM on November 12, 2001
I know that in some African cultures a cow is pretty valuable, not by being imbued with qualities it doesn't have but just because it can provide a lot of resources that grow and walk. In a place where subsistence is the name of the game, a cow is damn expensive.
posted by holycola at 9:37 AM on November 12, 2001
posted by holycola at 9:37 AM on November 12, 2001
Them thar Afrikens is all bass-ackwards, ain't they?
posted by jpoulos at 9:39 AM on November 12, 2001
posted by jpoulos at 9:39 AM on November 12, 2001
In a place where subsistence is the name of the game, a cow is damn expensive.
which would mean the practical implication of this tax is, if you're rich and sleep with a <18 year-old, you just pay a fine and go on your way; if you're not rich, you probably go to jail.
posted by mattpfeff at 9:43 AM on November 12, 2001
which would mean the practical implication of this tax is, if you're rich and sleep with a <18 year-old, you just pay a fine and go on your way; if you're not rich, you probably go to jail.
posted by mattpfeff at 9:43 AM on November 12, 2001
there was a follow up, which the search isn't finding at the moment, regarding the 17 year old.
posted by asok at 9:44 AM on November 12, 2001
posted by asok at 9:44 AM on November 12, 2001
The cow was roasted and eaten by a group of 300 young women who marched to the palace to protest the marriage.
Hmmm.....what do I get if I scoot on over to the palace to protest eating meat?
posted by crunchburger at 9:45 AM on November 12, 2001
Hmmm.....what do I get if I scoot on over to the palace to protest eating meat?
posted by crunchburger at 9:45 AM on November 12, 2001
mattpfeff - yeah, that's pretty much how it works in a lot of African countries.
*blink*
Wait, that's how it works here, too.
posted by starvingartist at 9:46 AM on November 12, 2001
*blink*
Wait, that's how it works here, too.
posted by starvingartist at 9:46 AM on November 12, 2001
It's "30 days or 300 dollars" sentencing, Zambian style: "The king declared that any man who dares to touch a young woman wearing these tassels will have the tassels thrown at him and will be forced by the traditional courts to pay a fine of 1300 emalangeni (R1300) or one cow."
posted by Carol Anne at 9:48 AM on November 12, 2001
posted by Carol Anne at 9:48 AM on November 12, 2001
What happened the previous 8 wives?
They all graduated and moved to college.
posted by jpoulos at 10:17 AM on November 12, 2001
They all graduated and moved to college.
posted by jpoulos at 10:17 AM on November 12, 2001
Please, King Mswati, don't throw those tassels at me! Anything but the tassels!
posted by kindall at 11:08 AM on November 12, 2001
posted by kindall at 11:08 AM on November 12, 2001
*throws tassels at everyone*
posted by iceberg273 at 11:13 AM on November 12, 2001
posted by iceberg273 at 11:13 AM on November 12, 2001
which would mean the practical implication of this tax is, if you're rich and sleep with a <1 8 year-old, you just pay a fine and go your way; if you're not rich, you probably go to jail./i>
Sounds pretty much like the U.S. system of justice. Or at least how it applies to professional athletes, Hollywood stars, congressmen, and other rich folks.
posted by terrapin at 12:21 PM on November 12, 2001
Sounds pretty much like the U.S. system of justice. Or at least how it applies to professional athletes, Hollywood stars, congressmen, and other rich folks.
posted by terrapin at 12:21 PM on November 12, 2001
how does a cow make up for possibly infecting a young woman...
you've all missed the point. he doesn't pay the cow, he is punished with the cow. i saw those tarzan movies.
posted by quonsar at 4:46 PM on November 12, 2001
you've all missed the point. he doesn't pay the cow, he is punished with the cow. i saw those tarzan movies.
posted by quonsar at 4:46 PM on November 12, 2001
Wow. When I heard this guy on NPR way back he didn't sound as ass-backwards as this threads news story and this one make him seem.
posted by redleaf at 10:24 PM on November 12, 2001
posted by redleaf at 10:24 PM on November 12, 2001
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posted by iain at 9:13 AM on November 12, 2001