"Toddler weds dog to defeat tiger curse"...When superstition gets out of control.

[Thaepheux]

So..
Okay. The kid can re-marry when he is of age. "According to the boy's father Sanrumula Munda, Sangula will still be able to marry properly when older."
But like.. is devorce frowned upon over there?
Is this the same India where they have arranged marriages??
Cause that kid defiantely drew the short straw when it came to choosing who'd partner up with Lassie.

 

[Alex_P]

So..
Okay. The kid can re-marry when he is of age. "According to the boy's father Sanrumula Munda, Sangula will still be able to marry properly when older."
But like.. is devorce frowned upon over there?
Is this the same India where they have arranged marriages??
Cause that kid defiantely drew the short straw when it came to choosing who'd partner up with Lassie.

It's not a real marriage, it's a ritual that represents a spiritual marriage. It's like... okay, I'm struggling to come up with a parallel here... it's like how when you baptize a kid, he gets a set of "god-parents" which aren't like his actual parents in any real way. Except the dog doesn't gain like, y'know, social obligations or anything.

-- Alex

 

[likalaruku]

Found this one on the Wikipedia:

"In traditional Balinese culture, for example, a set of twins of the opposite sex were forced to marry each other, since it was assumed that they had had sex in utero."

 

[Beefcakes]

This may end in the 'absence of better proof' theory, you may recognize something like this from The Simpson's

People think Tiger is going to eat child
Get child to marry dog
Tiger doesn't get eaten by child
Success!

Work the same way that this rock keeps away bears
I'm holding the rock
There are no bears
Success!

 

[Doug]

This may end in the 'absence of better proof' theory, you may recognize something like this from The Simpson's

People think Tiger is going to eat child
Get child to marry dog
Tiger doesn't get eaten by child
Success!

Work the same way that this rock keeps away bears
I'm holding the rock
There are no bears
Success!

There is a sun in the sky.
There is no nuclear war.
Therefore, when it gets cloudy, I should kill myself to avoid the horrors.
Success!..well, sortof.

 

[Fronken]

This may end in the 'absence of better proof' theory, you may recognize something like this from The Simpson's

People think Tiger is going to eat child
Get child to marry dog
Tiger doesn't get eaten by child
Success!

Work the same way that this rock keeps away bears
I'm holding the rock
There are no bears
Success!

That's pretty much the same logic christians use when they want to validate their faith when compared to science, "You cant disprove it, so it's proven".

But yeah, its kinda sad that people still live by that logic in some places of the world, cant imagine that kids life, i mean being legally married to a dog...that's gotta suck

 

[goater24]

It's called religion, and "Logical 21st century thinking" doesn't exist.

Not religion really, just an outdated cultural norm, similar to the sick festivities held to celebrate the defloration of the newly wed in some middle-eastern society(not exactly sure about this - I did read a short story on this). Some toddler are married to each other since birth in India, or even other 3rd world countries, mainly to huh, bridge the gap between two families or w/e it is they expect to achieve with the union etc ...

"Superstition is still a potent force in tribal and remote communities of India."
These people often won't have access to education or a normal lifestyle. Born in some dirty muddy village, dies in the same place scenario.

Superstition is merely a primitive form of religion. Primeval gods that tribes worship are really just the pre'civilized' versions of religion. I tend to agree with necro there.

Indeed I agree with necro and yourself sir!

Westeners can be so narrow minded when it comes to the rest of the world, as we expect every nation to act like we do. We scoff when hearing something of the beaten track and ask what are they doing? Now I'm not saying that this doesn't appear unusual to me but perhaps it wouldn't if I can from India or held their beliefs close to my heart. I can see how the folk in the article reached these conclusions due to their lack of education/science/religious beliefs but you guys have already mentioned that!

 

[lordsandro]

Well, have you ever try to match logic with the real world?
Then you know they do not realy match.
The world can not be expalained only with atoms and electrons. So some people belive in the spiritual part of the world. Well not all such people are smart or make any sence at all, but still they are trying at least.

And what so bad in this marage, it's not like the kid had to cosume the marage. When he grow up he can divorce his wife.

In my contry folclore the same omen means that the kid will never have normal family and will die from violent death.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

Are people that stupid? Seriously, ARE THEY THAT FUCKING STUPID? I fell sorry for the Kid.

 

[Ionami]

Well, it's an Eastern Indian tribe, so I would hazard a guess and say that they have yet to be exposed to modern-world logic. Though if I had to chose between inter-species marriage or Miley Cyrus, I would pick the bride-dog, easily. Modern-world logic has yet to do a whole lot for us.

couldn't of said it better myself

Meh, I think she's kinda cute. Miley that is. And dogs breath is always awful. Usually smells like fish. I'm going to go with Miley.

 

[lordsandro]

Are people that stupid? Seriously, ARE THEY THAT FUCKING STUPID? I fell sorry for the Kid.

Nope, you are the one who is stupid and ignorant. In India the cases of tigers killing people are becoming more and more ofthen. The most usual prey for the beast are small children playing in the edges of the viliges. A dog may not be able to fight a tiger but it can get the smell of the predator before it can strike and by barking to inform the villigers that there is tiger around so they can take their children back in the house to safety. Plus tiger like to hunt from ambush, so usualy when they are found out they simply leave there prey and go find another wich will struggle less.

So actually the kids parents are smarter than the rest of the villigers, by providing their son with personal dog/wife.
Sometimes the reasond behind some absolutely insane tradition have a solid reason for it.

 

[Alex_P]

People think Tiger is going to eat child
Get child to marry dog
Tiger doesn't get eaten by child
Success!

Well, if they actually keep the dog as a family pet rather than just sending it back to wherever they got it (a neighbor, the street, a temple), then the dog will actually serve a practical anti-tiger purpose. Sure, the ritual is pointless fluff, but they wasted all of, what, a whole afternoon on it?

-- Alex

 

[DeusFps]

Don't worry. The moment Aliens land all these nutjobs will just kill themselves.

 

[lordsandro]

People think Tiger is going to eat child
Get child to marry dog
Tiger doesn't get eaten by child
Success!

Well, if they actually keep the dog as a family pet rather than just sending it back to wherever they got it (a neighbor, the street, a temple), then the dog will actually serve a practical anti-tiger purpose. Sure, the ritual is pointless fluff, but they wasted all of, what, a whole afternoon on it?

-- Alex

Well they don't have Internet or cabel TV, so they have to find something fun to do.

 

[Raven's Nest]

I'm entirely familiar with superstition---I used to play baseball. There's not a nuttier tribe in the world than a bunch of ballplayers trying to keep a streak going.

Yes, this is more to my point. As someone born in the UK, although not culturally unaware, (quite the opposite in fact) I would not claim to understand the reasons for implementing practises such as the example given. Such examples can be rationalised and/or passed off as simple traditional ceremonies which aren't-whole heartedly taken seriously.

But some of the lengths people go to, especially sports players, to avoid bad luck is outstanding. Especially in the western world of which I am accustomed to. It all seems to me very...backward.

500 years ago, We as a species agreed the world wasn't flat as previously suggested. Why are we having such a hard time believing that bad luck can be just bad luck and that there is nothing we can do about it.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

Are people that stupid? Seriously, ARE THEY THAT FUCKING STUPID? I fell sorry for the Kid.

Nope, you are the one who is stupid and ignorant. In India the cases of tigers killing people are becoming more and more ofthen. The most usual prey for the beast are small children playing in the edges of the viliges. A dog may not be able to fight a tiger but it can get the smell of the predator before it can strike and by barking to inform the villigers that there is tiger around so they can take their children back in the house to safety. Plus tiger like to hunt from ambush, so usualy when they are found out they simply leave there prey and go find another wich will struggle less.

So actually the kids parents are smarter than the rest of the villigers, by providing their son with personal dog/wife.
Sometimes the reasond behind some absolutely insane tradition have a solid reason for it.

Did you not get my comment? I have nothing in giving the kid a dog to protect him from tigers, it's a brilliant idea. But don't marry the dude to a fucking dog. Just 'cause someone says "omg the kid's teeth are growing, now we must marry him to a dog" does not mean they really had to do that.

Again, brilliant idea to get him a dog to protect the kid from the tigers, shitty idea to Marry the dude to a dog, really what will they say to the kid when he's older "Dude, your married to a dog".

Just the idea of...marring someone to an animal seems very weird to me, that's it.

 

[CapnDork1337]

I love how people are talking about how this isn't normal or that it is stupid or makes no sense. First of all, who says that you get to define normal? What is normal in the first place? Normal is a completely subjective word and therefore very dangerous to use. Sure it may be messed up in our eyes, but stuff we do might make no friggin sense to people from other cultures, so maybe lay off the hate? Even the people who are saying it's not normal but I'm okay with it, you're just coming off as pretentious. And to the guy who made the jab at how Christians argue against science with the "you can't prove it wrong so it must be true" bull, that isn't what we do. That's what the last generation that only believed what their parents told them and didn't bother researching anything did.

 

[nekolux]

Are people that stupid? Seriously, ARE THEY THAT FUCKING STUPID? I fell sorry for the Kid.

Nope, you are the one who is stupid and ignorant. In India the cases of tigers killing people are becoming more and more ofthen. The most usual prey for the beast are small children playing in the edges of the viliges. A dog may not be able to fight a tiger but it can get the smell of the predator before it can strike and by barking to inform the villigers that there is tiger around so they can take their children back in the house to safety. Plus tiger like to hunt from ambush, so usualy when they are found out they simply leave there prey and go find another wich will struggle less.

So actually the kids parents are smarter than the rest of the villigers, by providing their son with personal dog/wife.
Sometimes the reasond behind some absolutely insane tradition have a solid reason for it.

Did you not get my comment? I have nothing in giving the kid a dog to protect him from tigers, it's a brilliant idea. But don't marry the dude to a fucking dog. Just 'cause someone says "omg the kid's teeth are growing, now we must marry him to a dog" does not mean they really had to do that.

Again, brilliant idea to get him a dog to protect the kid from the tigers, shitty idea to Marry the dude to a dog, really what will they say to the kid when he's older "Dude, your married to a dog".

Just the idea of...marring someone to an animal seems very weird to me, that's it.

I believe, my dear sir, what you're trying to say is this. The solution is correct. The reason why they used that solution is wrong. And even though it comes off as nitpicking to some people, this tradition was one of the flukes. Also, without proper understanding these people will continue laying around in their beliefs without actually knowing what's going on.

The train of thought may not necessarily be true by the way. What if the dog were to assault the child him/herself? It's not common to send dogs for proper training in rural areas and to 'wed' a dog i would think means that the child would spend substantial amounts of time around said dog. Also, dogs have tons of bacteria and viruses in their saliva. Their immune system manages it, however ours can't. What if the dog were to give the kid rabies?

Your assumption that the dog will protect the child only fits if the dog is properly trained. Do you seriously think that in an area where they marry kids to dogs there will be places where you can easily train a dog? ( This is at lordsandro )