I am not a fan of routine infant circumcision. Not at all. Mine pretty well fucked me up, and though my situation is rare, I wouldn't wish even a chance of my fate on any other person... Ever.

I still have nightmares of the time I accidentally stabbed my dad in his hand when he asked me to pass him an open utility knife. The thought that I scarred another person, even by accident doesn't sit well in my mind. My father will take that scar with him the rest of his days. To intentionally scar another person, especially a baby... Well, I mean this in all seriousness, if I had that on my conscience I would kill myself.

I know my parents love me, and wanted the best for me. I know parents who choose circumcision for their children aren't evil people. It isn't the parent or even the doctor who wields the knife who is evil, it is the culture that instills the belief in otherwise well meaning individuals that scarrification of the penis is justified or even necessary.

It doesn't look "better". A circumcised penis looks scarred and incomplete. I feel like I am looking at an amputee when I see a circumcised penis.

There is an exception to my rule of course. That is when an adult chooses it for himself. Then, like choosing castration, piercings, tattoos or whatever else you desire, the act is freeing, and comes with a level of self expression that I find beautiful and powerful.

I might read, write and enjoy stories where children are castrated, but if such were a reality I would be disgusted. I would be very happy if childhood circumcisions were just a fantasy posted to the Fiction Archive. Sadly, I live in a world where somewhere between 20 and 30 percent of all male children in the world really are sexually mutilated. But it is okay because our culture says it is. ( yeah right.)

I often wonder what the percentage of EA membership has been circumcised. I sometimes think our castration fetish comes from a very real place. As babies we were strapped down, and a masked man brutally ripped, crushed, and sliced away a portion of our natural sex organs. More than likely it was done with no attempt at pain prevention whatsoever. Current research shows behavioral changes in infants post circumcision that intact babies do not present. Greater sensitivity to pain, lesser emotional attachment, more difficulty in expressing emotions and signs of PTSD. These signs actually get greater as the circumcised male ages. So, though it isn't exactly a memory, there are still changes to the brain, and changes to behavior that intact men don't suffer from.

Could it be somehow we have a half formed memory of being cut, and it has translated to a sort of fetish as we struggle to understand ourselves and our emotions?

I really don't know, but I do wonder.

I know this is a contentious issue. I know this is a zombie thread. I just needed to get this out there, and this was a good opportunity to do so.

I'm done. You may all go about your business. Nothing to see here. Carry on.

On the lighter side: Back in the early 80s I worked at a metal stamping company in Chicago. One of my co-workers was Jewish, I'm of Irish descent. We were both department heads and had to work together. We got along very well, both had mischievous senses of humor and were constantly ribbing each other. One of his favorites went: Do you know what we do with the little pieces of skin when a Jewish baby is circumcised? We ship them to Ireland where they are planted. When they grow up we ship the little pricks to Chicago and they go to work for the city.

2002? Really?

How long did it take to dig this one up?

Both of this were from 2002 REALLY?????

Start a new thread.

Closed