Talk:Sword swallowing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
It is requested that a photograph or photographs be included in this article to improve its quality. |
| The Free Image Search Tool (FIST) may be able to locate suitable images on Flickr and other web sites. |
 |
This article is within the scope of the WikiProject Circus. If you would like to participate please visit the project page, where you can join the project and see a list of open tasks. |
Contents |
[edit] Citations & Questionable Sources
The introduction currently says there are only about 100 sword swallowers in the world. This does not seem realistic and is directly contradicted by the British Journal of Medicine article which says they contacted 110 sword swallowers from only 16 countries for their study:
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/333/7582/1285
The article also says "many deaths and serious medical complications have arisen from attempting this feat."
While I wouldn't disagree with the theoretical dangers of sword swallowing, the only official reference is the medical journal article, which notes several anecdotal cases of injury revealed by the survey and the following in the introduction:
"As we found only two English language case reports of injury resulting from sword swallowing, we explored the technique and side effects of this unusual practice."
The journal article gives no reference to anyone dying, much less "many deaths" (which seems like a POV phrase anyway). Without references I'm tempted to assume "many deaths" is just a part of sword swallower legend. As it's currently written, the introduction looks like a spiel to make the act more impressive and elite.
-Silasthecat —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.238.139.172 (talk) 00:26, 4 October 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Interesting...needs expanding
Interesting article; my only critique would be that it seems to be a little skewed. While there certainly aren't many sword-swallowers out there, they do exist and I think calling it 'almost a lost art' is a little POV. In addition, there is nothing about the actual act of swallowing...how is it done? What are the effects? What exactly are the dangers? Since I'm not at all knowledgeable on the subject, I'm not even going to think about editing this article and I don't think it warrants a 'needs expanding' header; I'm just posting this as food for thought.
[edit] American Centered/Biased
agree with the above, but the thing that annoys me most is the american centrist view of the author(s), you do not need to be american to stick a knive up your throat, but the article leads you to think it happened last in the US. A related link to fellatio would be good to.
- "A related link to fellatio ..."? Ya gotta be kidding! It would never have occurred to me to relate sword swallowing to any kind of sex. It seems to me that anybody who would relate it to sex is someone who relates everything to sex. Why not a link to nutrition, or iron in the diet? It makes as much sense. 140.147.160.78 15:30, 5 January 2007 (UTC)Stephen Kosciesza
[edit] Comparison
- perhaps one of the oldest forms of still extant performance art, predating by 1500 years the beginning itself of Western scientific thought.
This does not seem very related. A better comparison would be the beginning of theater or some kind of music. --Error 01:52, 30 October 2005 (UTC)
[edit] POV?
I'd like to see some citation for:
- However, from the founding of the Holy Inquisition in 1231, it and other forms of religious persecution slowly spread in their influence throughout Europe. Sword swallowers along with jugglers, magicians, prophets and other performers, found themselves increasingly the target of religious persecution, being condemned and executed as heretics, witches and practitioners of the dark arts.
It sounds like the sort of easy explanation that's true because "everybody knows" it. "Everybody knows" that the Catholic Church has tried to supress everything good and worthwhile in every culture it contacted. 140.147.160.78 15:23, 5 January 2007 (UTC)Stephen Kosciesza
