Dancing Boys and masculinity

The expressions of contempt after the show of the documentary film The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan are many, on the Internet and in regular news media, also in Sweden where the film has not even been announced yet. War Lords' sexual abuse of young boys who have been sold by parents or are street children is the theme of the film. At the same time, the global scale of accusations of sexual abuse by priests within the Catholic Church (which has been discussed for some years) has forced us to start reflecting and debating men, sexuality and religious practices in a more honest manner than before. At least we will do so for some time.

Which are the linkages between the dancing boys in Afghanistan, the boys (and girls) abused within the Catholic Church, the boy lovers of the male Athenian elite or the male sex cult among the Marind-anim? And what is the line we may draw between our husbands/boy friends, Afghan War Lords, the Athenian male elite and the Marind-anim men? Why was it that Aristophanes bold suggestion of a female sex-strike against war did not, and will not work? If we want to stop sexual abuse of children, is it enough just to get all adults to understand how wrong it is (which in itself is a huge task) as suggested by some? Or is the problem quite a different one?

One might throw out the idea that the linkage is (in these particular cases masculine) power, i.e. the subtle power of discourse, practice and tradition, as well as the outright power to force ones will upon others. A power, which is legitimated by symbolic violence, to quote Pierre Bourdieau, involved in acceptance of a situation by the one being subjected as well as the feeling of having the right to subjugate. Our cultures—the Afghan, European, American, Athenian and Marind-animian—are all deeply rooted patriarchies, they are each others brothers and cousins. All, but the Marind-animian have the same origins in time and place. As subtle (as well as overt) power is embodied by all members of society, through discourse, practices and traditions sexuality becomes just one among many arenas through which to express it, whether in relation to other men, in relation to women, or in relation to children. As such the former Swedish parliamentarian Gudrun Schyman was right when she argued that there is not much of a difference between Swedish men and the Taliban.

Power leads to the abuse of children and other collectivities defined as 'weaker', 'lower' or 'less worthy'. In other words it will not help to get women into the picture in Afghanistan, or into the Catholic Church—neither will the abolishment of celibacy which might actually fill quite an important function to some—or the Athenian elites or ending the male sex cult among the Marind-anim. The add-women-and-stir strategy has not worked yet, despite having been tried for quite some time. Had our societies been the opposite, a similar add-men-and-stir strategy would not have worked either. We need to re-organise our societies around the central values of respect of other if we want to get rid of child abuse, or any other kind of abuse. In other words we must root out the Taliban among and within ourselves.