To The People Freaking Out Over Male Circumcision: Get Over It

225 Comments

1. Curious how the truest statement is answered as simply “no just no”, because you have no way to actually refute it. But yes, circumcision is rape. Plus torture, plus mayhem, plus endangerment, plus medical fraud, plus organ theft.

2. This article is downright disgusting. Telling me I should get over my circumcision because I can’t change it is like telling me to get over losing a family member because resurrection is impossible. Denying the FACT that circumcision is sexual assault means you either don’t know what circumcision is or you don’t know what sexual assault is. Forcibly restraining someone and not only touching, but cutting off part of their sexual organ is sexual assault in every way.

   Why don’t you tell rape victims to get over rape? Why aren’t you telling victims of homophobia or racism to get over it? Why aren’t you telling victims of domestic abuse to get over it? Why aren’t you telling victims of female circumcision to get over it?

   To the ignorant retard who wrote this garbage, shame on you. People like you who tell amputees to get over ti are exactly why we NEED to campaign against this human rights atrocity.

   1. Perfectly said.

3. There’s a name for this kind of article – gaslighting.

   Start with the foreskin, because every male starts with one. I won’t say how many nerves it has or how many functions (because someone’s sure to argue about those), but it has enough of both to be very much worth keeping. And to keep it, what do parents and doctors have to do? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

   So there’s a strong case for ending infant male genital cutting before you even start thinking about it. What this article embodies is the extraordinary cultural bias, confined, in the developed world, to the US, that cutting (male) genitals is normal, and that a penis with its sensory organ cut off is prettier, cleaner, offers better sex, and in short embodies every virtue. The rest of the developed world knows first- or second-hand that this is a lie.

   And that’s even before you consider that infant male genital cutting entails inevitable violation of the individual owner’s rights, and significant risks of unintended harm (of “something happen[ing] to your peep during the procedure” as you so delicately put it), going all the way to death.

   (Everything you say about the operation itself is, unsurprisingly, wrong. The foreskin is not a “flap of skin”. Cutting it off was never needed in the USA, and its claim to value in reducing HIV in Africa is fast evaporating.)

   The one consolation we can take from this article is that it’s so much on the defensive. Clearly, the Intactivist movement is making an impact. We can hope that the decline and fall of infant male genital cutting will snowball, and it will reach residual levels in less than a generation.

   No thanks to you.

4. “TO THE PEOPLE FREAKING OUT OVER MALE CIRCUMCISION: GET OVER IT”

   Says the person with intact, legally protected genitalia.

5. I was going to make a typical rant on how this is just another textbook case of insensitive feminist garbage and condescending apologetics with more than its share of inaccuracies. But considering how old this article is as well as reading a lot of the comments below and in the knowledge that the author is more than likely not reading any of them, I’d say anything that needs to be said has been said.
   Look, at the end of the day, circumcision is just like the atomic bomb, lobotomy, electroshock therapy, mustard gas or foot-binding, among other things; it should never have been invented. All it does is divide boys and continues to exploit the ignorance of of a divided and poorly educated public – particularly new parents – and it’s only these past two decades or so that Western civilization has realized that it’s medically unnecessary. Just look up it’s history.
   If it’s any consolation, they’re already well into research into foreskin reconstruction surgery using stem cells and foreskins from cadavers. So, maybe those like me – the “I Want My Foreskin Back” guys, as she so tenderly describes us – can get some reconciliation in the near future.

6. someone should strap the author down and cut off parts of her genitalia.
   Naturally she’d get over it.

7. Dear Freaker-Outers:

   Honestly, I’m not sure if I should even go on talking to y’all, because you’ve already decided to hate what I have to say and you’re planning ways to tell me I’m evil. So for you – move on. Seriously. Just go read another article or something. Here’s a picture of a rollerblading penis just for stopping by…

   Well, I was going to try to read the article with an open mind. But if you feel the need to insult people for disagreeing with you before you even start your article, so be it.

   Here’s the thing: male circumcision is still a thing…and apparently it’s a hotly debated thing.

   10/10, very eloquent rhetoric. Apparently? If you just realized this, then you’re probably not qualified to talk about the issue.

   Years ago we thought that it was something that little boys needed and so pretty much every boy in the US was circumcised. After we figured out it wasn’t (as) needed, we (as a society trying to protect our precious boys) kept doing it because we didn’t want boys to stand out as different with their peers. Bullying, yo. That time is over, though. Truth is, it isn’t necessarily necessary in the US (in parts of Africa it can cut down on female-to-male AIDS transmission by 60% so yeah, super duper needed there)…lots of boys aren’t…and we live in a new world where it’s okay for kids to be different.

   Claim about AIDS transmission is, of course, unsourced. Yeah, exactly, it’s unnecessary, and it’s mutilation.

   That being said, if you’re reading this there’s a chance you didn’t even know there was a debate going on. Here are the five people freaking out about male circumcision and why we (they) need to c-a-l-m down.

   What was it you Feminists call this again? Tone policing? Yeah, I think that’s the nicest term for what you’re doing right now.

   Also, I read this in the obnoxious valley girl accident of a middle-aged mom trying to be hip with the Millenials by adopting their internet lingo. Not particularly relevant, but just so you know. Oh, and this article didn’t need to be in list form. Fuck clickbait.

   1: The “I Want My Foreskin Back” guy – To you…it’s gone, man. Let it go. No amount of sending angry messages to moms who circumcised their boys is going to bring your flap of skin back. If something happened to your peep during the procedure, I feel for you. I do. But again, yelling at moms isn’t going to fix what happened to you. Go see a therapist. Find a significant other. Get off the internet. You’re only going to get angrier, so just…move on.

   Ahh… shaming men for their supposed lack of sexual prowess. The classic. Yes… News Flash you fucking idiot: we KNOW activism won’t bring our foreskins back… that’s why we don’t want the next generation of baby boys to suffer the same fate. And the best way to do that is, in fact, to yell at moms, because until circumcision is made illegal they are the ones who are ultimately making the decision on what happens to their sons’ penises the vast majority of the time. Don’t like that? Then go tell rape victims, or family members who lost loved ones to illness, violence, or war to stop engaging in activism to stop other innocent people from being affected by whatever affected them or their families.

   [photo of a fat guy holding a sausage.]

   Oh, yeah. Body-shaming now. Yes, you clearly care about us so much. I’m glad to hear you think of this as a fucking joke.

   2: The “My Husband Was Intact And My Kids Are Too” mom – Good for you that everyone in your family matches when they stand up to pee, but that doesn’t mean everyone in the world is exactly the same as you. Stop bullying other moms and trying to make them feel badly about something that’s already been done.

   This is not a matter of conformism or bullying. It is a matter of fundamental human rights. A parent who chooses to circumcise his or her son for cosmetic reasons is no different from a parent who, say, forcibly prevents their child from getting an abortion, or gives a baby a cigarette burn. Permanently disfiguring your child against his will is ABUSE. You don’t get to play the “Oh well we’re all different, it’s my right to do what I want!” card. Your son is not your property. And again with the “it’s already been done” thing. Those moms aren’t all done having children. And at the very least, admitting to their sons that circumcision was a mistake (when they’re old enough to understand obviously) will help end the vicious cycle of abuse by preventing the “If it’s good enough for my penis, it’s good enough for my son’s!” mindset.

   3: The “Circumcision Is Male Rape” folks – No. Just, no.

   You’re right. Rape generally doesn’t cause permanent physical damage. Mutilation, whether it’s with a scalpel or with thrown acid, is on the same level as rape, though. Also note that some “traditional” circumcision rituals do actually involve giving oral sex to an infant, and pro-cutters often refuse to criticize even that. Sucking a baby’s dick and giving him herpes is rape.

   4: The “It’s A Religious Thing And I’m Not” peeps – Again, no. Just, no.

   10/10 argument. You’re right. Parents have the right to choose their children’s religion for them, as well as permanently, irreversibly branding their bodies with a mark of religious identity. It’s not like the kids can decide they don’t want to be practicing Jews or Muslims or anything. That would be silly! /s

   What a stupid vat of festering drivel.

8. Now write exactly the same article, but changing the focus to female genital mutilation. There is no qualitative difference between the arguments; both are damaging, painful, risky and unnecessary procedures carried out without the consent of the subject.

9. Lol some people are unbelievably stupid.

   This lady is beyond those people

10. So, I guess you have no problem if someone cuts off parts of your genitalia against your will. Good to know.

11. Circumcision is a major cause of infant death.

    That is the only reason we need to stop doing it.

    (Obviously we also need to stop FGM too. But can we please stop killing children through botched surgeries?)

12. Are you going to “just get over” female circumcision?

    Then shut up.

13. Female circumcision. Get over it.

    Fucking hypocrite.

    1. Exactly. You lose the gendered nature of the term FGM (the F), and male circumcision would very much slot into a moderate to severe form of GM.

       In fact, there are forms of FGM that are commonly practiced in the Islamic world that “only” remove skin.

       Just this year the first charges under the federal FGM law were brought against certain individuals from Michigan. Let me share with you an excerpt from the FBI’s complaint against Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, who is accused of performing female genital mutilation (FMG) on underage girls:

       “MN-V-1’s labia minora has been altered or removed, and her clitoral hood is also abnormal in appearance. Finally, the doctor observed some scar tissue and small healing lacerations.”

       “MN-V-2’s clitoral hood has a small incision, and there is a small tear to her labia minora.”

       “The parents of MN-V-2 confirmed that they took MN-V-2 to Detroit to see Nagarwala for a ‘cleansing’ of extra skin.”

       What happened to these girls is horrific.

       But it must be pointed out that “only” so-called “extra” skin was removed and their glans clitorises were intact, just like in male circumcision “only” so-called “extra” skin is removed and the glans penis is left intact.

       That sounds pretty comparable, does it not?

       And yet this is a federal crime while cutting boys’ foreskins happens to thousands of boys everyday legally.

       I’m not sure if MN-V-1 and MN-V-2 have brothers, but what would have been done to their genitalia under Islamic religious tradition — the entire excision of their prepuce — would have been just as excruciating, if not more so, than what happened to these girls. And yet there would be no legal repercussions for such a painful act committed against their bodies.

       The United States has to ask itself the difficult question of why it is so repulsed by excising folds of skin from female children’s genitalia but is so nonchalant about excising a fold of skin from male children’s genitalia.

       This should not be so; girls do not have more of an innate right to their bodies, and especially their most private parts, than boys do to theirs.

       And as far as health benefits go…what other normal, living, healthy, permanent tissue do we research the “health benefits” of cutting off at birth? The answer is none. I mean heck, you could remove a few fingers, maybe an arm, ears, all sorts of body parts with low risk of harm and relatively low risk of complications. I’m pretty sure each part of the body you remove will reduce the risk of getting cancer or disease in the absent body parts, too.

       I mean, uncircumcised women and girls suffer more genital infections than uncircumcised men and boys by a large margin, and are more prone to HIV and most STIs from unprotected vaginal intercourse — and let’s not even get into hygiene issues — and we leave their genitals alone.

       There has not been one study, performed under the same sterilized conditions in which science has examined male circumcision literally hundreds of times over, of the health benefits of removing, say, the female inner labia, and yet there are literally hundreds of studies concerning the health benefits of removing the male foreskin.

       There’s something else going on here, and it’s not science; if infection reduction were the goal, then the population most infection-prone (uncircumcised females) should be the population most studied.

       Her body, her choice.
       His body, his choice.
       Not yours to cut.

14. So you think mutilating children is ok ? So you therefore must support FGM as well as MGM.

    You are a vile POS. I hope you never have children.

15. So basically you don’t have a single argument and this article only exists to rile up people you disagree with. Good job, the only thing you’re accomplishing is attracting more attention to the issue.

    And no. I will not stop. Who the hell are you to tell me I should stop fighting what I consider to be a grave injustice? Go fuck yourself.

16. Female circumcision. Get over it.

    1. This!⬆️⬆️⬆️

17. I am a circumcised male and so GLAD! To the woman out there making a big stink, if you dont have a penis, you dont know what your talking about. Im sure this will be unpopular but ill not be back here so i dont care. I never leave comments online but i just cant believe this is even an argument so i felt compelled to say my piece. To the ppl who say there denim jeans would bother there tip, have you never heard of underwear? As far as sexual pleasure, i know many younger people around my age (20s) that take pills and drugs to DESENSITIZE there penis to have better sex. And you people are raising hell that u lost some amount of sexual pleasure? I still have plenty. And im thankful this was done at a point in my life that i have absolutely no memory of. I shutter to think of the trauma some of these guys who have had it done as an adult have gone through. I know if i all the sudden HAD a foreskin it would take alot of getting used to and having to re learning things i learned in childhood. Now imagine the reverse and how wierd and not to mention painful it would be to go through in your 20s. And to the people comparing it to female mutilation you are taking away from the severity of that crime. FGM is a horrible act that is absolutely unforgivable in my opinion and to compare it to male circumcision is to devalue what those poor woman have been through. But as a male who has a penis only i can really only speculate because i dont know how it feels to have a vagina. So i ask that you take into account someone who has experienced male circumcision and is happy with the results instead of only people who have no way of knowing what it really feels like and the people who just want to complain which un fortunately seems to be the boasting point of my generation. I have thanked my parents in the past for having it done and i plan to thank them again when i see them now that i know there are actually people arguing its ethics.

    1. Many circumcised men AND women love their cut up genitals. They have no other choice and will never be able to know what they are missing. Ignorance is bliss.

18. Happily circumcised male of African-American(mother) and Eastern European Jewish(father) descent who was fortunately circumcised very shortly after birth,though not in a bris since I didn’t have the right to be Jewish. As a child and even now as a young adult he favored a mantra to quell complaints and whining, “Sit down, shut up, and behave yourselves!” His words come to mind every single time I read anti-circumcision hysteria and frankly I laugh at supposed Intactivists and Restorists. They’re pathetic and need to man the Hell up already instead of bitching and moaning like faggots all over the internet. To equate circumcision to the butchering of young girls with filthy tools in the worst of conditions and rape is beyond childish and outlandish. This petty bullshit must end once and for all. Suck it up and realize that no one cares that you are unhappy, Girly Men!

    1. @Machlon, A NIGGER JEW? HOLY MOLY! LOL

19. You say “get over it” “let it go,” but how? I try putting myself into other things, getting involved with new people, try to just live life, etc. However, every time i go to the bathroom I have to be visually reminded what was done to me, and throughout the day I am reminded by the physical discomfort I feel. So please, explain how to “get over it,” because from what you write, it seems like it should be very easy.

    1. Just

       What

       1. Let’s see…”just what” could upset him about the fact that someone held him down and removed an integral part of his most intimate organ when he was too young to defend himself? I wonder why that might upset a person?

          Are you intimating you would be okay with having been sexually assaulted as an infant? Because holding a person down and removing part of their genitals without their permission and without medical need certainly qualifies as sexual assault.

    2. Eric, she won’t be able to understand. Her genitals are legally protected, remember?

20. Your brain needs to be circumcised. I want to circumcise my mother myself for doing it to me. I will spit and shit on her grave . Eugene

    1. You are one messed up unit Eugene & you must have some real life & anger issues to feel that way over a flap of skin!!
       My mother has done much worse all through my life via neglect, & abuse than to have a useless flap of skin removed once, in childs best interests.
       I got myself circumcised over 10 yrs ago at age 20 because I hated that useless, ugly skin & life is so much better with out it.
       You are fortunate but blinded by your bad personality & anger, I doubt that the best of mothers cld ever do right by you!!

       1. If your parents cut off the most sensitive part of your genitals you might be able to understand his pain and complete hopelessness. Get over yourself.

21. What a totally shameful blog post! You have a great platform to reach lots of people, why wouldn’t you post factual helpful things!
    Male circumcision is, YES it is, male rape!! You are violating a tiny babies body without their consent for vanity purposes! The male foreskin hold a very important job, not only does it actually help keep their penis clean, it protects it too! The majority of European men are intact, it the crazies in the US that still routinely do it for NO REASON other than the match (as you’ve said) or vanity! It’s ridiculous!
    Stop telling people to ‘get over it’ or ‘go outside and get some sunshine’. It’s about time people are shouting about protecting children and stop sticking their heads in the sand about issues like this! These babies suffer so badly, why is it ok to turn our heads! Shameful!

22. I felt the need to comment on this as I, too, came over from your well-thought-out and well-supported article on vaccinations. I may be a little late to this party, but I feel that I will throw my two cents in as an uncircumcised male. To begin, I will match you point for point.

    1. The foreskin can be highly protective and prevent keratinization of the nerve-laden head of the penis, the proof I have is somewhat of personal experience if the dark, slightly rough skin atop the foreskin is any proof. I’m certain that wearing nothing more then a denim jacket on sensitive nipples doesn’t sound pleasing, neither does having to have the sensitive head of the penis drag across denim as I walk. That man wants a part of his body back that he had no choice in losing. Technically, having breast tissue increases the risk of breast cancer. Should we then start surgically removing the infantile mammary glands of little newborn girls because it ensures they won’t suffer from breast cancer? IT may seem an extreme, but it’s a solid analogy. Either way you’re removing a part of the body to try and prevent a probable eventuality.

    2. This seems a complete reverse on your statement of vaccinations. You seem to be picking and choosing which you will adhere to. You have even said that it has no real need these days, so why shouldn’t a parent be proud to state that they have moved into the future and have moved past something that is now a bit archaic at best. I’m sure the first person to realize leeches didn’t really make you healthier stood by the bloodletters and told people of how it only made them worse and how this new penicillin thing had actually cured his malady.

    3. I’ll agree in part on this one. It isn’t male rape. Male rape is male rape. This is more along the lines of a misinformed medical practice.

    4. Actually, yes. Very yes.

    Genisis 17:9-14 (KJV)
    And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
    10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
    11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
    12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
    13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
    14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

    That is where the practice began. Right there in that there religious text as have many things in the past. How it became a medical practice is anyone’s guess, but that is what it was originally intended to symbolize. So those that say it has a religious connotation and they want no part of it are fully within their right.

    To conclude, your article does not state in any way, shape, or form that you aren’t “for” circumcision, just that you appear to be tired of the people speaking out about it to the people that they feel need to know. Is everyone right in their wording or in the way they go about it? Most certainly not. I, for one, am glad that I was not circumcised as I feel it’s done what it’s there to do. Protect the more sensitive bit from the elements and the pants that would do it harm.

    If you truly wanted this to be an article that calmed and informed, it would have been just that. You would have taken the time to gather some information and relayed that information. Instead, this entire post is an attack in and of itself to the men that feel something need be said. Were there a sudden shift in female babies getting mastectomies at birth to eradicate female breast cancer, I have a feeling there would be just as much “attacking” on your part toward the parents that chose to do such a thing to their daughters. Don’t attack something you’re trying to cease the attack of. Instead, inform as you did in the other article and I’m certain this could have been a much different read and a much different comment.

    1. They still use leeches.

       1. Not for bloodletting. Which is what I was talking about in context of my response.

23. I love how nearly every single comment here proves this post right. Good job guys!

    Attacktivists for the win!

    1. Exactly! Despite the title, this isn’t Actually a post about Male Circumcision…it’s a post about how intactivists are attacking moms after the deed is done. It’s been done, move on! And if they read the beginning of the post I think they could tell I’m kinda not FOR circumcision…I think it (like a lot of things in society) is a throwback to times that are passing. It’s going to eventually not be an argument, basically…so why attack moms after the fact.

       I love when people read titles but not words. *grin* Also, thanks for stopping by!

       1. why put rapists in jail after the fact, then? when you commit sexual violence against innocent children you have only yourself to blame, it’s not the victims fault, it’s the abuser’s fault, they deserve what they get

       2. Yeah, why shame the mothers who cut their daughters too?

24. I came here from your vaccination rant, which I enjoyed actually. I am a nurse and a mother (who didn’t circumcise her son, but did vaccinate all her kids) and I honestly had to check twice to make sure the same person wrote both of these pieces. You use science to present a rational explanation for why people should vaccinate (preaching to the choir there) yet completely ignore science based evidence to tell people to “get over” the circumcision decision.
    In case you are not aware, this makes you look a bit…..suspect. Are you embracing science or rejecting it? Or, as it seems to me, are you just using it when it suits you because controversy sells? If so, shame on you. Both of these issues are important, perhaps not both in the same way, but nonetheless important.
    And for the record, I don’t lecture parents on circumcision because that’s not my place. I worked with newborns for over 10 years and when parents asked me what I thought about it, I would help them explore how they felt about it and rarely gave my own opinion. In my experience, most of them already knew what they were going to do anyway, and let me tell you it was almost never based in science. But again, not my place to judge or lecture. I have better things to do. What I could do however, is make an informed choice for my own son. Which I did do. I decided it was not my decision to remove a part of his body that was not causing him any harm. Why would I? Do men really all spend that much time comparing their penis to those of their friends? I mean, seriously.
    I guess i feel much the same way as my vet, who explained to me how he refuses to crop dog’s ears and tails. He said “I’ll gladly perform the surgery on any dog that comes in and asks me HIMSELF for it.” Made sense to me!!!
    You really lost me with this one…..take a stand, pick a side. Science or salaciousness…it’s your choice. Peace.

    1. I took the same route as you to get here, and I wanted to say the same thing!

       Well done.

       1. Thank you George!!!

    2. Science proves – without a doubt -that there are most definitely benefits. As a matter of fact, science proves that both the risks & the benefits are minimal. As a nurse you should have access to & be able to comprehend science – you’ve made it quite clear that you have no fucking clue what you are talking about.

       1. Oh MaryJane!!! If you would like to get into a discussion about science, bring it on. However, you need to come prepared. Just give me the list of your peer-reviewed, evidence-based journal articles that prove scientifically that what you are saying is correct and I will gladly discuss it with you. I would request however, that you do it without profanity, because you have to know how ignorant that makes you look. If you can’t get through three sentences without dropping the F bomb, it’s hard to take you seriously. I look forward to reviewing your references and debating this with you soon. Good luck!!!

       2. Its absolutely hilarious to see an intactivist complain about the use of profanity. I would much rather see someone swear than spread bullshit lies & misinformation.

          You can’t even admit there are documented scientific evidence that proves the benefits of circumcision but you want to chat with me about science.

          LAWL you’re funny

       3. My bad *there IS not ARE

       4. Still waiting for the citations there..

       5. If you would like to get into a discussion about science, bring it on. However, you need to come prepared. Just give me the list of your peer-reviewed, evidence-based journal articles that prove scientifically that what you are saying is correct and I will gladly discuss it with you.

       6. Uncircumcised girls get more infections than uncircumcised boys by a large margin, and we leave their genitals alone. There has not been one study, performed under the same sterilized conditions in which we examine male circumcision, of the health benefits of removing, say, the female inner labia, and yet there are literally hundreds of studies concerning the health benefits of removing the male foreskin. There’s something else going on here, and it’s not science; if infection reduction were the goal, then the population most infection-prone (uncircumcised females) should be the population most studied.

25. “Truth is, in ten years, twenty years, whatever, this isn’t even going to be a thing anymore.
    I mean it’s not like, you know, many young mothers are still actively getting their children circumcised, and THINK it has medical benefits too, with many doctors still recommending it to parents for no reason.

    Yeah, no, we’ll just shut up and stop complaining. You write an article about anti-vaxers. Jeez, they’re doing something medically stupid too. Stop freaking out over it, right? They’ll stop in 10-20 years. Right? Right? Why are you complaining?

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