Poll: What do you think about circumcision?

[Guardian of Nekops]

Might as well do it young, when they're already crying all the time anyway.

Let's be honest. No kid is ever going to decide that it would be a GOOD idea to let some guy take a knife to him, once they reach the age to decide. At least, the number that did would be very small outside of religious households that require such... that sounds like it would hurt. From what I hear, it does.

I'm circumsized, I don't remember it happening, and I've had no problems... it's really not a big issue. My parent's take on it was that circumsision or not should depend on the dad's situation... that way when you're teaching the kid to pee and taking showers with him at a young age and the like, and he catches a glimpse of his dad's tackle, he doesn't feel weird. Seems as good a rationale as any.

Mercifully, I don't remember my dad's tackle, either.

What are the medical benefits?

It is apparently easier to keep clean, cutting down on infections... though there are studies either way on that. A lot of minor medical things are like that... which way up you should put your baby to bed to reduce chance of death, whether a glass of wine a day is beneficial... these things tend to switch back and forth every time someone looks at them. Having taken care of the obvious stuff (you should probably sterilize your tools before surgery, etc) a lot of the other statistical stuff is harder to determine for sure.

All told, not a big deal, so you might as well let the parents decide. Not really necessary one way or the other, unless you're Jewish, and it's not harmful. Fine as is.

Edit:

Id like a choice in what happens to my dong even if it can potentially preduce syphalis rates. I dont even sleep around! Maybe i deserve a choice in who cuts/does not cut my penis? Maybe? Doesnt that shound a bit like a right to you?

Oh please. I suppose you wanted to weigh in on whether the doctor closed up your belly button as an inny or an outie, or what you ate, or whether you held Daddy's hand or ran across the street on your own.

Kids don't get a right to choose, about anything, until they're old enough to stop eating sand, and for good reason. Yeah, there are and should be laws on the books to keep kids from being abused and mutilated, but never forget that your parents/other caregivers made literally MILLIONS of decisions for you, by force, the net result of which is you living long enough to sit at your computer and work the keys. So give them a little credit for knowing what's best for you, and for trying to take the best care of you they could. Again, if they hadn't, you wouldn't be here.

If the biggest thing you have to complain about during those early years is that you're missing an unneeded flap of skin that nobody ever sees, well... talk to your folks. I bet they've got enough horror stories about that time to drown out that little concern of yours. Easily.

 

[Samus Aran but a man]

Absolutely the baby's choice - because if the only medical reason for circumcision is to prevent AIDS (if that is true...), well I think it can wait until the child is older.

I don't get why people do it for non-medical reasons; why would you cause so much pain to a beautiful baby boy, just as he has entered this world?!! Makes me sad... I need a happy meal.

 

[Naeras]

Letting adults do it if they want? Absolutely, that's their choice. Doing it for medical reasons? Well duh.
Cutting off part of the penis of a little kid? No. No no no no. It's not quite as bad as female circumcision, but it's painful for the kid, it's fucking unnecessary and it shows a complete lack of respect for the kid.

It is apparently easier to keep clean, cutting down on infections...

It's not hard to clean in the first place, and studies show that more circumcised men(and their partners) more often have problems with their sex life, including problems with getting orgasms and having intercourse be painful.

 

[Sholtz]

see, the thing is, i'm glad my parents had me circumcised. Uncircumcised penises look horrible and too much like an animals penis. I know we're animals, but that doesn't mean we need to look like them just because it's natural.

I'm glad they had it done early mainly because it's riskier and a lot more painful later in life not to mention you don't remember it when it's done at birth.

also, to Wushu..."circumcision is bullshit, Penn and Teller say so." seriously? ....seriously? You lost all credibility with that line with me. Not because it's Penn and Teller ,I watch them all the time, but; because you apparently have to have someones "say so" to validate your beliefs.

Well Sholtz(tough to figure out which religion you belong to LAWL), it only looks like a animal dong to you because you(I assume you live in the US) are used to seeing circumcised dicks. Most elsewhere outside of the jewish and muslim world, you would be the weirdo for CUTTING YOUR DICK. Oh, and almost all mammals have foreskins. I can't imagine why.

If you believe that God made you in his image, he made you with a foreskin. Why would God want part of your dick to be chopped off?

I can maybe understand the way primitive desert people thought about the body when they decided to cut up their kids dicks but in civilized modern societies the practice is outdated and barbaric. And the reason they are done isn't because of aesthetics or supposed medical advantages(most debunked ages go), but because of RELIGIOUS reasons(read:irrational). Medieval Europeans observed that mostly jews and turks practiced circumcision(which was considered barbaric by medieval standards) and even today, only 30% or so of males around the world are circumcised, 70% of those being muslims.

If we are doing pros and cons for circumcision the cons list is very long while the pro(supposed) is quite short. Luckily since medical associations in most countries don't favor circumcision and most people already don't get circumcised, this practice will fall out of favor more and more or at least be left up to the kid when he grows up.

I get why some of you are defensive(you are cut) but we aren't attacking you(it's not like you had a say in the matter), just the stupid practice. I myself am cut but due to phimosis and medical conditions are the only legitimate requisite to be cut in the first place.

It's somewhat funny that a developed country like the US(world power even) still considers this barbaric practices as normal. You are in the same league as backwards countries from Africa and the Middle East and don't even know it. Before the 19th century and the puritanical surge to prevent masturbation, no one in the western world even considered getting rid of their "animal dongs".

It's tough to figure out what religion i am, because I'm atheist. I merely dislike the way the natural penis looks as i stated. You jump to trying to debunk all this stuff. I don't have any of that as a reasoning for it. I just dislike the way it looks, and I for one am glad i was circumcised early because I would be undergoing a surgery that would leave me in pain for months if it was not done early in life, and yes i would undergo it.

It's ugly, you can stop attacking my country now by being a bigot btw. Just so you know. Every single country out there is evil in someway no need playing holier then thou.

 

[Jak23]

Just googled uncircumcised penis and threw up, everyone circumcise your babies!

American spotted.

You geniuses, that's the way you're supposed to look and that's the way you looked as well(I'll assume you're a guy) before your parents decided that cutting up your dick would be a-ok.

An uncut dick(aka the natural kind) wouldn't raise an eyebrow in two thirds of the world.

It is a barbaric and primitive ritual and surprise surprise, 70% of all circumcisions occur in the muslim world. And if we are talking about regions it occurs mainly in Africa, parts of SE Asia, South Korea, Phillipines. Real select group you got there America.

And guess what, even countries that did dabble in circumcision at times like Canada,Australia,UK,New Zeeland are seeing a clear decline in male circumcision while the only demand seems to be in... Southern Africa.

You are probably gonna see a lot more uncircumcised dicks in the future. OH THE HORROR!!!

Dude. You need to learn how to recognize a joke...

 

[trollnystan]

Unless for religious or medical reasons I don't think you should circumcise babies. ESPECIALLY not for aesthetic reasons.

 

[Sholtz]

As for his quirk about Penn and Teller, he's specifically alluding to an episode of Penn and Teller's Bullshit, where they debunked the myths surrounding the alleged benefits of circumcision (most of which are hygenic and just as easily accomplished by washing your dick (or are you morally objected to touching yourself?). He wasn't letting Penn and Teller dictate his beliefs; he was making a cute allusion to a well-done expose on a fairly important issue.

As for all this, I'm aware of what it's about. Again none of the reasons they debunked are my reasons for backing circumcision. My view is that I hate the way uncircumcised looks, I am glad it was done early in life. If it wasn't i would undergo it as an adult, but the fact it was saves me from the months of raw tenderness and pain it would cause. Whereas i can't remember it, it doesn't hurt me at all, and I have a penis i'm not disgusted of. I don't care whether you prefer yours to be uncircumcised. I don't have to look at yours or anyone elses but mine.

 

[Phototoxin]

I think its wrong to chop bits off people unnecesssarily. Failing that, how come male circumcision is ok but female circumcision is 'genital mutilation'

 

[Guardian of Nekops]

I think its wrong to chop bits off people unnecesssarily. Failing that, how come male circumcision is ok but female circumcision is 'genital mutilation'

Female circumcision is done with the express purpose of removing any possible pleasure from sex. Ever. It also tends to cause horrific tearing during pregnancy.

It tends to be done by men to women, as well, as opposed to as a joint decision in the household. Female circumsion is a symbol of the woman's servile role in the societies where it is practiced, whereas male circumcision has no such stigma.

This is comparing trimming a fingernail and removing the finger, it really is. A circumsized male is fully functional sexually, while a circumcized female has lost the capacity to have an orgasm and has some added, pretty major, health risks.

Big difference.

 

[Sholtz]

As for his quirk about Penn and Teller, he's specifically alluding to an episode of Penn and Teller's Bullshit, where they debunked the myths surrounding the alleged benefits of circumcision (most of which are hygenic and just as easily accomplished by washing your dick (or are you morally objected to touching yourself?). He wasn't letting Penn and Teller dictate his beliefs; he was making a cute allusion to a well-done expose on a fairly important issue.

As for all this, I'm aware of what it's about. Again none of the reasons they debunked are my reasons for backing circumcision. My view is that I hate the way uncircumcised looks, I am glad it was done early in life. If it wasn't i would undergo it as an adult, but the fact it was saves me from the months of raw tenderness and pain it would cause. Whereas i can't remember it, it doesn't hurt me at all, and I have a penis i'm not disgusted of. I don't care whether you prefer yours to be uncircumcised. I don't have to look at yours or anyone elses but mine.

You like the way it looks because you've been with it since you were a baby. Period.

And that would be a poor reason to cut a baby with no choice in the matter.

No, actually again like i said earlier, this would only be the case if people walked around naked all day and i got use to everyone looking a certain way. I dislike the way it looks because it's ugly...period

 

[bakan]

The only logical reason for it is if you have something like phimosis, which needs to be corrected, otherwise the parents should leave the children alone and they can decide it for themselves, if they want to be circumcised, or not.

 

[ThePinkAcidSmurf]

No religion should give you the right to mutilate your child.

 

[thenumberthirteen]

I think that it should be up to the individual when they're old enough to choose (say 16 or 18). I remember watching a clip of a debate online where one of the supporters of circumcision, when asked about the idea of leaving it up to the person at age 18, said "That's silly how many 18 year olds are going to volunteer to have their foreskin removed?" Which I found hilarious because that's exactly the point.

I'm uncircumcised and don't wish to be so. There are no real benefits to do so; just risks.

There is a proven sensory benefit, the foreskin has a lot of nerves that I wish I had. The risks involved with being uncircumcised are actually quite low. Infectious diseases can be eliminated with, and this is a bit shocking, soap! I think people who use this argument don't realize that the only thing necessary to prevent germs is proper hygiene. If your worried about uncleanliness, just remember when your showering to fold the skin back like your using fisstech and do a little scrubbing.

Mt statement was, in retrospect, ambiguous. I don't wish to be circumcised. There is no benefit to being so besides cosmetic preference. That is, as far as I can see, the only argument you can reliably make. That, however, is a personal preference, and so it shouldn't be forced on the young.

Like you said hygiene plays a very small role, and as long as you clean yourself you'll be fine. There is also an argument I hear that it reduces the risk of AIDS, and it's recommended by the World Health Organisation so maybe there's something to that. On the other hand I know the AIDS rate in the USA is quite a bit higher than in Europe where circumcised males make up a tiny minority of the population instead of close to the majority. So... maybe that's BS.

Would I get circumcised if the love of my life couldn't stand to look at my Chap? Maybe, but she'd have to get a Boob Job or something too. A MASSIVE one.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Circumcision? Well, let me give you a little tip...

 

[scw55]

Circumcision though 'reduces the chance of infection in that area', reduces the sensitivity of the tip. Thus sexual intercourse is less stimulating for the male. Without the foreskin the end some-what toughens up because it's not protected. Like how if you walk around with no shoes your soles toughen up.

A lot of strange religious guidelines somehow are grounded in logic (don't eat pork because pigs used to eat shit and thus the meat was made from shit). But sadly as science and understanding improves around the world of health and hygiene some of these guidelines are unneeded because people can remedy health risk.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

I voted the parent's choice, but what I really mean, is religious reasons. I really think you shouldn't circumcise, barring medical reasons, unless it's a religious reason. I just don't see a point to cutting off part of the dick for any non-religious reasons. Seems kinda weird.

"(10 points says poll gets eaten)" You, my friend, are out 10 points. I think I will use the points to buy a vineyard, out in the countryside.

What if the religion says you have to cut off the ears, would you be alright with that too?
What about the nostrils?
Or how about simple ritual scarring?

Keep knives away from infants if there's no medical reason to cut them.

Ears≠pointless piece of skin on your penis. Just saying.

The penis contains 24,000 nerve endings uncircumcised. The procedure takes away 20,000 nerve endings alone. The female clitoris has 8,000. Medical fact.

Where exactly is it "useless?" because you can live without it? That makes most of your body useless flesh.

How does that make most of your body useless? Your hair, that would be useless (as far as I can tell), but even eyebrows serve a purpose for your body. They keep seat out of your eyes. To me, the foreskin is like an appendix, I have both but do they serve a purpose I can see right now? No. If I had to live life without a foreskin, I would see a difference. But the fact that you can get along just as fine with/without a foreskin, pretty much makes it useless.

Forgot to include this in my post up there so, the nerve thing? It does suck that you would get less pleasure, however you'd be trading pleasure to last longer (basically) sooooo no bad

If you want to go back to page 3 first post I put a lot of links to stuff refuting basically all of the benefits of circumcision. You last the same either way circumcised people do last longer in sex just because you feel less stimulation does not mean you aren't being actually being stimulated as much. Well that's basically how they say as long as that isn't the broken or crap link.

Actually yes foreskin does provide a purpose as it naturally lubricates the head of the penis which stops some of the sensitivity damage and allows the foreskin to slide back easier. The foreskin sliding back even aids in penetration in sex. I think the only link that is broken is the American cancer society one but there is one for for cancer rates which shows that penile cancer is just as common in US as other developed countries. So if did have an affect which it should according to some studies the already low penile cancer rate would or should be lower in America. I understand that isn't the best logic but I can't find that study again.

 

[elcamino41383]

Eh, to be honest if you never had a foreskin then you never really care that you never had it. I mean, I don't really see the point except for medical or religious reasons, but it's not really the end of the world.

Meh. I'm circumcised, and I don't really care. "BUT YOU HAVE BETTER SEX IF YOU'RE UNCUT!" So? I can't miss what I never had. "BUT IT'S ABUSIVE AND SCARRING!" Please. I remember getting my dessert taken away with more fury and trauma than my circumcision.

Also, it's pretty easy to spot who's circumcised and who's not in this thread.

These sum up my feelings exactly. There is also the fact that, since circumcised is what I'm used to seeing, I personally feel that an circumcised penis looks a little odd. Not that a penis doesn't look odd anyway.

 

[ChaoticKraus]

Living in europe i'm still confused as to why you would want to do it. It just sounds retarded to hurt a baby because of traditional/religious reasons.