Let's cut bits off of babies, yes?

[Kestra]

I would very much like an explanation for this, people - especially if you're American or Jewish.

Is torturing baby boys as a pre-emptive punishment for natural sexuality somehow acceptable? Why has there not been a concerted effort to stamp out this practice?

I want to add a few things. You're not going to educated people or enlighten them by starting off with this attitude. By demanding an explanation you're putting people on the defensive from the start, even those who may agree with you. As for a concerted effort? It's something that's still accepted by the majority and there aren't enough people who feel strongly. Or maybe there are, I don't know. Why don't you get more involved? Why don't you try educating people or finding out what the reasoning is? Right now you're going about it all wrong.

 

[Trekker4747]

Awww sheessh.

For what it's worth myself, along with probably around 100 million other American men, was circumcised at birth. I've no memory whatsoever of it, any pain or damage it may have caused me hasn't affected my life in the least, everything works like it should in this state, sex is pleasurable, I've no need nor desire to masturbate and the only thing I regret with my parents is them getting me tube-socks for Christmas for like the fifth one in a row.

I specifically said I prefer the socks with an ANKLE IN THEM! And NO STRIPES!

Seriously, something that happened to me for like 10 seconds 32 years ago isn't any big deal on my -or anyone's- life and certainly cannot be likened to people who awaken during major surgery due to problems with the anesthetic. Considering, you know, removing foreskin is nothing at all like having your innards cut open to treat damaged organs.

I have severely cut myself with a knife many times, pretty much was part of my job. It hurts a bit but then there's also muscle that's been cut into, bones that've been nicked, nerves that've been damaged and my blood gushing forth like a melted cherry freeze-pop.

Oh! I also had surgery done on my testicles as a child for undescended testes and, I believe, something to do with a hernia. Can't say I regret my parents do wither of those to me either. Nope. They're my parents and they do what they think is best for me. And what's best for me? A circumcision and goddamn tube socks!!!

 

[B.J.]

I thought it was strictly a Jewish custom. I don't think anyone in my family is circumcised, and I don't remember anyone asking us if we wanted it done to our sons.

 

[Roshi]

I'm surprised there's no Muslim bashing in this thread...

 

[Roger Wilco]

There was a huge thread about this in TNZ a little while ago, that went pretty similar to this one - fierce opinions on both sides and some people in the middle stumped how much people care about little boys' penises.

 

[Miss Chicken]

^^^ It is not the penises I am concerned about - it is the fact that people inflict unnecessary pain on a baby for very dubious reasons. If people decided to remove the little toe of little boys I would have just as much to say.

It is also similar to the opinion I have of cat declawing and the docking of dog's tails.

If males want to be circumcised once they reach an age when informed consent is possible I would support them in their right to have it done.

 

[BolianAuthor]

*Scotty's voice* My bairns... my wee bairns..."

 

[Roger Wilco]

^^^ It is not the penises I am concerned about - it is the fact that people inflict unnecessary pain on a baby for very dubious reasons. If people decided to remove the little toe of little boys I would have just as much to say.

It is also similar to the opinion I have of cat declawing and the docking of dog's tails.

If males want to be circumcised once they reach an age when informed consent is possible I would support them in their right to have it done.

Yeah, I agree that it's irresponsible to expose a child to the risk of unneccesary surgery anyway, but I just can't get worked up about it when both the risk and the damage are so small (as opposed to for example female circumcision).

 

[Nardpuncher]

As to the merits of the procedure itself - I've no strong opinion; as an American male born in hospital in the 1950s mine was done at a time that I do not recall, presumably shortly after birth. It's not and never has been an issue for me, go figure.

Goes for me too...but I'm also glad that it happened.

 

[Miss Chicken]

^^^ It is not the penises I am concerned about - it is the fact that people inflict unnecessary pain on a baby for very dubious reasons. If people decided to remove the little toe of little boys I would have just as much to say.

It is also similar to the opinion I have of cat declawing and the docking of dog's tails.

If males want to be circumcised once they reach an age when informed consent is possible I would support them in their right to have it done.

Yeah, I agree that it's irresponsible to expose a child to the risk of unneccesary surgery anyway, but I just can't get worked up about it when both the risk and the damage are so small (as opposed to for example female circumcision).

I think that everyone on the Trekbbs disapproves of Female Genital Mutilation so there is very little need to debate that topic here. if someone came to the board and said that they approved of FGM I think that you would see far greater disapproval and anger than you would ever see in a thread about male circumcision.

The cat declawing threads get more heated than the male circumcision threads.

 

[Roger Wilco]

The cat declawing threads get more heated than the male circumcision threads.

This is the first time I hear of anybody doing that, I'm not a cat person, but how can anybody be in favour of doing such a thing?

Sorry for the offtopic though, I don't mean to derail this thread.

 

[SmoothieX]

I thought the snip trip was customary and standard procedure for boys. Didn't know there was such a vocal group against it out there. Seeing as I generally don't have cock talk with my friends, I have no idea how many are not circumcised. Just kinda figured everyone was these days unless the parents object to it at the time.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Male circumcision should be illegal (when not medically necessary), just as female circumcision is. I'm surprised the percentage is still so high; I worked in Maternity for 23 years and, while it's not something we kept stats on, it didn't seem that high. Certainly the hygienic justifications were discounted decades ago. The only reason now to have it done is cultural inertia, which is a bad reason to inflict physical damage on a newborn.

Of course, this doesn't apply to adults, male or female, who should have the right to do most anything to themselves.

 

[Miss Chicken]

When I had my first son in 1977 I was asked by the doctors if I wanted to have my son circumcised. During the pregnancy my mother had told me I should have it done, my mother-in-law old me not to have it done. Though her three sons were born in the early to mid-thirties she had refused to allow it to be done to them.

I decided to listen to my mother-in-law and not have my son circumcised.

By the time I had my third son in 1982 parents were no longer routinely asked if they wanted to have sons circumcised. Parents had to be ask and their request was met with disapproval. Myself, and some other mothers, were asked for our opinions on circumcision by one of the young mothers. She said she had heard that boys often had problems when they were not circumcised. I told them I had had no problems with my first two boys. Others mothers said the same thing. In the end the young mother did not have her son circumcised.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Forgetting every other reason out there for a second, that bit they cut off has feeling. I'm glad I can still enjoy it.

 

[Trekker4747]

^^^ It is not the penises I am concerned about - it is the fact that people inflict unnecessary pain on a baby for very dubious reasons. If people decided to remove the little toe of little boys I would have just as much to say.

It is also similar to the opinion I have of cat declawing and the docking of dog's tails.

If males want to be circumcised once they reach an age when informed consent is possible I would support them in their right to have it done.

But we're not talking about removing a minor body extremity with bone in it are we? In fact in some Eastern cultures it did use to be common place to remove the two smallest toes of girls feet and pretty much reshape and force the foot to fit in tiny shoes. Japanese Foot Binding

That's mutilation and terrible and a practice that shouldn't be supported. (It's however, much like circumcision is today, cosmetic.)

But we're not talking about messing with entire body parts, bones, muscles or real tissue here. We're talking about removing a (mostly) useless flap of skin, the removal of which doesn't hamper life in any way and the "pain" is hardly severe enough to cause the child any meaningful discomfort. If it does it's hardly going to affect the child or it's life in anyway whatsoever. I think considering that there 10s of millions of men out there in America right now who've no problem with their circumcision, live normal lives, and don't even remember the damn thing speaks to that.

A parent has to make the best choices for their child until the child is able to do so for himself more than a decade later. If a parent thinks the best thing for their child is to get a circumcision then so be it. Some people grow up and think that vaccinations are an evil thing and cause autism (which no credible evidence shows that it does). Should parents not vaccinate their child until the child is old enough to decide if he/she wants to be vaccinated? I mean shots are plenty painful too, right? And there are some risks with vaccinations (again, just not autism) so why should parents force that idea on the child?

(Granting that circumcision is mostly a cosmetic procedure that doesn't likely have any medical benefit where as the medical benefits vs. any side-effects with vaccination are huge. Just an example of a choice-based medical procedure being forced on a child who may likely later in life had opted not to have done.)

 

[Nardpuncher]

Forgetting every other reason out there for a second, that bit they cut off has feeling. I'm glad I can still enjoy it.

Huh? Maybe I'm missing something, but it sounds like you can still feel the part that was cut off and thrown away???


That reminds me of a joke.

What's the useless part of skin called that they throw away after circumcision?

The man.

 

[Miss Chicken]

^^^ It is not the penises I am concerned about - it is the fact that people inflict unnecessary pain on a baby for very dubious reasons. If people decided to remove the little toe of little boys I would have just as much to say.

It is also similar to the opinion I have of cat declawing and the docking of dog's tails.

If males want to be circumcised once they reach an age when informed consent is possible I would support them in their right to have it done.

But we're not talking about removing a minor body extremity with bone in it are we? In fact in some Eastern cultures it did use to be common place to remove the two smallest toes of girls feet and pretty much reshape and force the foot to fit in tiny shoes. Japanese Foot Binding

That's mutilation and terrible and a practice that shouldn't be supported. (It's however, much like circumcision is today, cosmetic.)

But we're not talking about messing with entire body parts, bones, muscles or real tissue here. We're talking about removing a (mostly) useless flap of skin, the removal of which doesn't hamper life in any way and the "pain" is hardly severe enough to cause the child any meaningful discomfort. If it does it's hardly going to affect the child or it's life in anyway whatsoever. I think considering that there 10s of millions of men out there in America right now who've no problem with their circumcision, live normal lives, and don't even remember the damn thing speaks to that.

if it is such a mild procedure let men get it done when they are adults or even as teenagers if they want it.

As I said I have nothing against any male having it done once they reach an age when they are old enough to make an informed decision. Before that age it is an unnecessary procedure unless there is a therapeutic reason for it being done.

 

[HighteeHeller]

I knew a guy in his 20's who chose to be circumcised..for his girlfriend. She didnt like the way it looked. Dumbass.

I read up on the subject before my son was born and decided not to have it done on him. What really sealed the deal was sitting in the maternity ward watching little boys be placed on a molded frame that looked like a little torture device, be snipped without anesthetic, and bawl their little newborn eyes out. Holy crap, i cried every single time i saw it happen.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Forgetting every other reason out there for a second, that bit they cut off has feeling. I'm glad I can still enjoy it.

Huh? Maybe I'm missing something, but it sounds like you can still feel the part that was cut off and thrown away???

Err... no. It means I'm uncut.

That reminds me of a joke.

What's the useless part of skin called that they throw away after circumcision?

The man.