More on the Cutting Thing

I guess it's not even that I think the cutting body modification would hurt all that much (although I'm sure it would definitely hurt a little bit more than the everyday nick simply because it's being done slowly and deliberately, with the intention of scarring). I'm just not sure it is something that should be glorified.

BMEzine has pages devoted to ritual cutting. I'll agree that some of these cuttings were indeed performed as a form of body modification. Others, however, look to me like cuttings as a result of depression.

As someone who has been there, I believe glorifying these cuttings as artistic expressions is a gross misunderstanding of what is really going on. I still have scars on my arms and legs. Some of these form patterns or words, but I definitely don't think of them as trophies worthy of showing off. Rather, I am ashamed of every mark I ever put on my body. To me, these marks are reminders of what I used to be, what I never again want to be.

Sorry for the gravity.