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July 26, 2011 | 12:27 pm

Foreskin Man gets a new cartoon doppelganger: Smegma Man

Posted by Jonah Lowenfeld

Photo

The cover of "Smegma Man Gets Circumcised," a new online comic strip that purports to be a parody of "Foreskin Man."

When the second issue of “Foreskin Man” became public, the anti-circumcision comic book’s portrayal of a villainous Jewish ritual circumciser, Monster Mohel, generated accusations of anti-Semitism against the comic book’s creator and against the entire anti-circumcision—or intactivist—movement.

A new online comic strip, “Smegma Man Gets Circumcised,” recently entered the fray, aiming, in the words of its creator, to parody “Foreskin Man” and argue the case for circumcision’s health benefits.

“We point out the hypocrisy of the people who use cartoons and other methods to defame the Jewish people,” Ed Margolis, one of the creators of “Smegma Man,” said.

Together with his nephew, Noah Crissey, Margolis, a Jewish lawyer based in Chicago, has been creating editorial cartoons on a freelance basis.

Most of Margolis and Crissey’s work has focused on the Middle East, but on July 25, Margolis, 67, posted the first two of six planned chapters of “Smegma Man Gets Circumcised.”

If “Foreskin Man” looked like an action comic—think Spider-Man, Superman or Daredevil—the style of “Smegma Man” is much more similar to cartoons that appear in newspapers.

Margolis and Crissey’s parody, which is named for the substance that collects on the tip of an uncircumcised penis, is at times confusing and convoluted. Its plot jumps quickly through place and time and its first two chapters do not include discussion of the implications of circumcision on a person’s health. Its narrative is filled with subtle and not-so-subtle references to Nazis and Nazism, in an effort to draw attention to what Margolis sees as the anti-Semitic goals of intactivists.

“The efforts to suppress circumcision go back to the Romans,” Margolis said. Speaking of the current effort to ban circumcision in San Francisco with an initiative set to be included on the November 2011 ballot, Margolis said, “It’s definitely directed at destroying the Jewish community. That’s what it is. There’s no health basis for being an opponent of circumcision.”

As has been covered in the Jewish Journal and elsewhere, intactivists say circumcision has no medical benefits, puts patients at risk of complications and can cause a reduction of sensitivity in the penis.

In its 1999 Circumcision Policy Statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics said that although there were potential benefits to infant circumcision, the data were not sufficient to recommend that the procedure be carried out on a routine basis.

“Foreskin Man” was written by Matthew Hess, who also wrote the San Francisco ballot measure that aims to prohibit circumcision of all male minors in the city for any reason other than medical emergency. The comic has been entered as evidence in a lawsuit being brought by Jewish community groups and interested parents in an effort to have the measure removed from the ballot. That lawsuit is scheduled to be heard in a San Francisco courtroom on July 28.

“Smegma Man,” by contrast, has been seen by very few people and is still a work in progress.

In the first two chapters of “Smegma Man,” the strip’s hero, a blond boy named Helmut, moves from Brazil, where his parents live in “a close-knit expatriate German Enclave,” to Detroit to live with his Uncle Max. When Helmut’s girlfriend, Delilah, discovers, to her horror, that he has not been circumcised, Helmut decides to consult with a sports medicine doctor, Hans Mengele, who uses growth hormones and steroids to buff Helmut up.

“Every word in that comic has a reference,” Margolis said, explaining that Brazil was a country where Nazi officers were known to have emigrated after World War II. Detroit, Margolis said, was the city where he thought John Demjanjuk, a notorious prisoner-guard who was convicted by a German court in May 2011 as an accessory to the murder of 27,900 Jews in two Nazi death camps, lived in the United States. (Demjanjuk actually lived in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio.)

Crissey works for the United States Postal Service and lives in Seattle, Wash. He is, Margolis said, working to complete the remaining four chapters of “Smegma Man.”

Margolis has already written the rest of the story, in which the newly muscular Helmut returns to the United States, reconnects with his childhood sweetheart and—at her urging—undergoes an adult circumcision.

In the comic’s subsequent chapters, Margolis said, Helmut meets “Foreskin Man” creator Hess at a party. But, Margolis explained, in his book, the anti-circumcision superhero is always referred to as “Smegma Man.”

“We didn’t want to have any trademark problems,” Margolis said.

In the comic’s dénouement, Margolis said, Helmut, after being mistaken for “Smegma Man,” denies that he is the intactivist superhero in a TV interview with Larry King. He then prevails in a fight against Warrior, a long-haired character with a Swastika tattooed across his chest that Margolis said he plucked directly from the pages of “Foreskin Man.”

“His is the enforcer for an organization called the Intactivist Underground,” Margolis explained.

On www.foreskinman.com, Warrior has no tattoo, and Hess has repeatedly denied that he or his comic is motivated by anti-Semitism, saying that his efforts are “pro-human rights.”

Margolis is not convinced. “I think that his work is anti-Semitic, and the images that he has created are anti-Semitic and have foundations in traditional anti-Semitic drawings, which he seems to be very familiar with,” he said.

The conclusion of “Smegma Man” can already be seen on the comic’s website. One panel shows Warrior sliding down a deli counter—groin first—directly toward a meat slicer.

Asked whether he thought his comic—which is replete with Nazi imagery and references, and concludes with a man being unwillingly circumcised by spinning metal blades—would advance the cause of those looking to preserve the rights of Jewish parents and others to circumcise their sons, Margolis said he wasn’t concerned.

“This guy is getting his balls cut off. It’s poetic justice. I never thought of it like that,” he said. “I still like the ending.”

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Already, in three frames, you lost any moral high ground with your classic racist depiction of African Americans playing basketball in Detroit and the joke about “the Black Myth”. Obviously, Margolis still thinks Blazing Saddles plays well for all Americans.

Comment by Phil Washington on 7/26/11 at 1:17 pm

Yes, because Jews are the only people in the whole of the US that circumcise. And they all do it for the “benefits.” Don’t you know that?

Geez, this comic book is filled with more Nazi imagery than even Foreskin Man. Can we say, “obssessed?”

wink

Comment by CousCous4EVR on 7/26/11 at 2:05 pm

I think Jewish lawer Ed Margolis’ comic book mistakes sexual mutilation of children for humour.

The shrill cries of “anti Semitism” outrage to the Foreskin Man comic were made to stifle discussion but only added to the conversation. This pulpy addition, “Smega Man Gets Circumcised” will do the same. I like the way this article reveals Margolis’ true feelings (last lines where he is quoted), that and the swastika on the cover, nice touch.

Comment by James Loewen on 7/26/11 at 2:12 pm

I just read it. I find it highly amusing that Americans are so ignorant, that they don’t know what a penis is actually supposed to look like. What’s the matter with you people?

And Nazi imagery? Really? Grow up.

Comment by Jason on 7/26/11 at 3:13 pm

Yeah…smegma…the same stuff that women produce…twice as much, which also leads to infections.

Your fellow semites, the Muslims, have also used this same argument to attempt and justify female circumcision…removing the labia would have the same “benefits”. Yet, we’re smart enough to ban that but still dumb to keep trying to push genital surgery on infants to avoid getting a natural secretion found in both sexes. That makes us stupid…and sexist.

Comment by Mr. Equality on 7/26/11 at 3:41 pm

Circumcision has been used historically as a weapon by those who promote it. Once they heard a rumor that One of their own MOTT was born to fulfill one of their own prophecies to replace circumcision with a ritual cleancing, so they killed all their own circumcised boys under 2 years old to prevent Him from coming. By the time they found out that they missed Him, they had to pay the Romans to crucify Him.

Comment by Frederick Rhodes on 7/26/11 at 4:19 pm

I hope the authors understand that they make the point for intactivists who don’t care one way or the other if an adult wishes to be circumcised - the movement is against infant and child circumcision - so, the hero of the story has been given the option of choice over whether to be circumcised or not - and that is EXACTLY what intactivists are trying to do - give that CHOICE to all males concerning their own anatomy.

Comment by jsstrand on 7/26/11 at 4:31 pm

The other point that this comic makes is how much importance Jewish people actually place in the “religious” side of the debate anymore. It seems “religious freedom” and “parental choice,” even the appeal to age-old antiquity fail as alibis. So ineffective are these rationale that they have to turn to the pseudo-medical “benefits” as a crutch. Couldn’t they call the comic something like “Brit Milah Man” or something like that? Why appeal to non-religious pseudo-medical rationale with a name like “Smegma Man?” They might as well also make a doppleganger for Vulva Girl; Smegma Woman? Oh, that’s right. Having to clean up smegma is acceptable for girls, but not boys.

Comment by CousCous4EVR on 7/26/11 at 6:21 pm

Foreskin Man Steals The Golem’s Prepuce from the Smithsonian

http://ayidindixieland.blogspot.com/2011/07/foreskin-man-steals-golems-prepuce-from.html

Comment by A Yid in Dixieland on 7/27/11 at 4:46 am

The smegma is on Marloglis’ face; the sound you hear is this effort backfiring on Margolis.

Comment by Dan Bollinger on 7/27/11 at 5:02 am

“...the newly muscular Helmut returns to the United States, reconnects with his childhood sweetheart and—at her urging—undergoes an adult circumcision.”

A man pressured by a woman into undergoing a painful, harmful procedure to alter his anatomy to her tastes. If this was a modestly-endowed woman whose husband/boyfriend bullied her into getting breast enlargement, the man would undoubtably be branded the villain of the story. I don’t think Ed Margolis has really thought this through.

Comment by Jason on 7/27/11 at 6:17 am

“named for the substance that collects on the tip of an uncircumcised penis” That’s not the only place it collects. In Foreskin Man #3, FSM has been joined by Vulva Girl to rescue a boy and a girl from genital cutting in Kenya. Can we expect Smegma Woman too, and what will be done to her?

Comment by Hugh7 on 7/27/11 at 4:27 pm

This “comic” strip is part of a long tradition: intact men are routinely denigrated (focusing on smegma and “dirt”) in circumcising societies with a viciousness that makes Foreskin Man #2 look trivial. US TV Sitcoms are a case in point: Out of 64 shows that referred to circumcision, 14 (22%) implied that the foreskin is disgusting. One episode of “‘Til Death” did so 18 times! http://www.circumstitions.com/tv-thatthing.html

Comment by Hugh7 on 7/27/11 at 4:50 pm

Simmer down now boys. So when do we hear from the ladies?—NEVER!!!

Sounds like sour grapes to me.

Just in: “Court knocks the referendum to ban male circumcision off the San Francisco ballot.”  I can’t wait for Foreskin Man 4 when Hess blames it all on the Jew lawyers.

Editorial cartoonist and Jew lawyer.

Ed Margolis

Comment by ed margolis on 7/27/11 at 7:08 pm

Oh come on Ed Margolis, Sour grapes? There are Jewish lawyers on both sides of this argument.

This is an issue of human rights to bodily integrity. Those who argue to surgically tamper with the genitals of children are loosing credibility. Doesn’t matter that some sleazy politician and those who need to perpetrate this sex crime are stepping in the way of respect for human rights, respect for human children. All of this is being duly noted and becoming part of our history. Thanks for contributing Smegma Man to further erode the arguments and excuses to those who mutilate the sexual organs of children.

Comment by James Loewen on 7/27/11 at 8:07 pm

Yep,


Keep ringing the “Anti-Semitism” bell, it’s about to crack and the hinge to break and things like this will just about do it.

Comment by Annexian on 7/27/11 at 8:37 pm

I was raised not to be Antisemitic, but I got sick of decades of lame sh-t TV from the Media the Jews largely control.  But, like any one issue group they only care about what affects them, nothing else.  So they got to excrete one “Holocaust” film after another while firing anyone in media/politics who said anything against Jews or Israel.  But, we got a “Global Sweatshop” that they labeled a “Global Village”.  We got an expansion of jobs shipped overseas not just not facing tariff but getting subsidized from taxes on the unemployed.  Oh, and constant propaganda for Israel.

Comment by Annexian on 7/27/11 at 8:38 pm

Doubtless you’ll call me a “Neo Nazi” for daring to say that.  I’m not, if I was I’d be silent even now.  Had some long “Rust belt” trip conversations with some real ones years ago when I was a “College Liberal”...  Amazed they didn’t smack out my teeth, but were “Just you wait, you’ll see…”  And, fellas, everything they said is coming true…

Comment by Annexian on 7/27/11 at 8:41 pm

And of course the cartoon is a clear example of Godwin’s Law: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.10/godwin.if.html

Comment by Hugh7 on 7/28/11 at 12:58 am

From Al: About 4 days ago I pulled back the foreskin of my penis and saw what is apparently called “smegma” Maybe i just had dry skin from the smegma and i got a few invisible cracks on my penis shaft (when pulled back). What is the cause? Oh man I dont like weird things. HELP

The answer: Many people wrongly think that only women get yeast, but men in fact do as well & sorry to say it seems from what I’ve seen, mostly men with in-tact foreskin.

Sorry that there is no real science that supports the health benefits of the intact foreskin. Your parents made their choice as did mine, and that’s all right by me. Isn’t that the point?

Ed Margolis

Comment by ed margolis on 7/28/11 at 4:27 am

Ed,the point is that women don’t have to cut off their foreskin(labias) to clean it. It’s as easy and necessary as cleaning your anus and even easier than cleaning your teeth, and just like women, if an infections does occur on your anus, prepuce, or mouth you can treat it yourself, no surgery necessary. There is real science that supports cleancing the body to prevent microbes, even HIV can be washed off the skin. HIV is only a (deadly) problem if you get it in your blood or urinary track. It does not enter through the skin or mucosa, or sneazing and kissing would spread it like the cold and flu. There is a lot of paranoia spread from superstitions.

Comment by Frederick Rhodes on 7/28/11 at 5:50 am

My parents made the choise to allow too much of my prepuce to be excised, causing me pain and dysfunction over time, so I restored and it feels great and only smells a little, like my pits and ass, if I don’t shower before sex.

Comment by Frederick Rhodes on 7/28/11 at 5:55 am

This is so stupid ... the lengths pro-cutters will go to hold on to their tradition of mutilation is disgusting. In case this joker doesn’t know it, smegma also accumulates in women AND cut men.

Comment by Cyn on 7/28/11 at 9:44 am

Why would a woman be horrified to discover that a man had not been circumcised?  Has she been indoctrinated by a sexist culture that fears the normal male body? Can we look forward to a second edition from Margolis-  “Smegma Girl” ...the tale of a woman from Chicago who moves to Egypt where she meets and falls in love with an Egyptian man who is horrified to discover that she has not been circumcised!

Comment by Sarah on 7/28/11 at 10:21 am

Some day I hope every religion who’s goal is to destroy parts of another persons helpless body in the name of their religion goes extinct. But I’m not anti-religion - I’m also against every non-religious person who thinks they need to amputate their kids penis so he ‘fits in’ or it’s cleaner - if you’re looking for clean, cut off your kids feet! have you seen how dirty they can get? Circumcision is a disgusting practice and probably the greatest human rights violation of the 21st century.

Comment by Seth on 7/29/11 at 7:27 am

Since male circumcision is by far the most common surgical procedure in the world and has been around for over 30 centuries, I think that Seth is overstating his case by making it the “greatest human rights violation of the 21st Century.”

With Seth as our 21st Century watchdog on human rights, it is no wonder that the world stood silent during the genocide in Rwanda.

Comment by Ed Margolis on 7/29/11 at 1:49 pm

Most Brazilians are Christian, and Christians typically don’t circumcise.  For Christians, circumcision is unnecessary and violates the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself.

This portrayal of an intact man in a negative light reflects badly on the comic book’s creators.  It is anti-Christian because of the likelihood the man is a Christian. It denigrates Gentiles who don’t circumcise. 

Perhaps the authors are jealous of intact men who have all their sexual body parts and are more likely to satisfy their women.  Any woman who wants her boyfriend circumcised should be dumped by the man for her ignorance and superficiality!

Comment by Petrina on 7/29/11 at 2:54 pm

<satire> From Al2: About 3 days ago I stuck my finger in my ear and when I pulled it out I saw what is apparently called “earwax” Maybe i just had dry skin from the earwax and i got a few invisible cracks on my earhole (when I stuck my finger in). What is the cause? Oh man I dont like weird things. HELP </satire>

To Al: Many people wrongly think that only men get smegma, but women in fact do as well & sorry to say it seems from what I’ve seen, mostly women with in-tact genitalia.

Sorry that there is no real science that supports the health benefits of the intact female genitalia.

Comment by Hugh7 on 7/29/11 at 3:14 pm

Actually Al, there is no “science that supports the health benefits of the intact” human anything. Cutting any of it off would prevent some disease or other. And how come we’re discussing medicine here at all?

Comment by Hugh7 on 7/29/11 at 3:15 pm

@Al: ‘“I think that Seth is overstating his case by making it the “greatest human rights violation of the 21st Century.”’ Fair enough.

Since male gential cutting is by far the most common non-consensual body modification and has been around for over 30 centuries (only recently, and less commonly as a “surgical procedure”), it is not overstating to say it is the the commonest and oldest human rights violation in the world.

Comment by Hugh7 on 7/29/11 at 3:23 pm

Hatred and bigotry reported approvingly, urges intolerance of males left as God made them; conflates ignorance, stupidity, and immigrants; ridicules linguistic assimilation; and invites violence against immigrants by nativists. Other US males, now including many Jewish males, who are not circumcised can also be victims of the goons you appeal to. Shame on you. If circumcision is useful to faith or medicine, promote it in those contexts, not with ad hominem attacks. Men with foreskins in Europe and Japan have better genital health than US males who survived useless genital cutting that can cause death or disfigurement. Life is precious, even that of males; you should respect it.

Comment by RicardoD on 8/01/11 at 1:32 pm

@ Ed Margolis: Hey Ed, Two wrongs don’t make a right. Who was watching Sudan? Who stood up for Khmer people against Khmer Rouge? Why the red herring? Circumcision can’t stand the heat on its own without a distraction? What’s next? That I’m not standing up against abortion? How do you know where I stand on that one?

Comment by RicardoD on 8/01/11 at 1:39 pm

@Petrina: Oh yes! It would seem we have here a Jewish lawyer saying a Christain boy can’t fit in because he is not circumcised. He just doesn’t fit in the ideal society imagined by said lawyer. Now what if someone were telling a Jewish boy that he can’t fit in because he is circumcised? What would said lawyer be calling that? I think we all know the name of that card . . .

Comment by RicardoD on 8/01/11 at 1:52 pm

Ah Petrina, why are you so upset that Delilah prefers her men circumcised in the same fashion as your Saviour,  Jesus? There is nothing in the story that talks about her ethnicity. There are plenty of Jews of color. Why do you jump to conclusions? Go to Smegaman.com for Chapter 3 where she gives HER reasons.

If you like the look, that’s your business; but don’t mess with other people’s beliefs-that’s tyranny.

Comment by ed margolis on 8/01/11 at 5:53 pm

Circumcision from the time of Abraham until 140 A.D., consisted of removal of only the tip of the foreskin that extended beyond the glans.  Most of the foreskin was still preserved.  See: http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/virtual_journal/v1n1.html#article1

The Pharisees of the second century A.D. changed circumcision to removal of the entire foreskin, which is not the type of circumcision Jesus would have endured.  Michelangelo’s statue of David is an example of this.

A study in Africa showed that female circumcision lowers the risk of HIV for females.  Your Helmut could tell Delilah to get circumcised to prevent HIV! Better yet, he should find a better woman.

Comment by Petrina on 8/01/11 at 6:50 pm

So Delilah just doesn’t seem right for Helmut. A nice blond boy like him “can find a better woman.”  Or do you mean a “whiter woman?” Nowhere in the racist comics Foreskin Man 1 or 2 is there depicted a single desirable non-aryan male or female. Vulva woman of Foreskin 3 is an aryan babe with a deep tan.

Check out Chapter 6 at Smegmaman.com when it comes online and all your questions will be answered.

Comment by ED margolis on 8/01/11 at 10:19 pm

The problem with Delilah is her ATTITUDE, not her skin color, much as the problem with the author of this comic book is his ATTITUDE! His comic book tears people down.

This comic book by Margolis has nothing positive to offer. Delilah is portrayed as a misinformed woman who calls Helmut a “dummy.”  In addition, it compares Germans of today in a negative light with Germans of the 1930’s and 1940’s, even though most Germans today were not even alive during the Nazi era and some Germans of that time opposed the Nazis.

Comment by Petrina on 8/02/11 at 4:13 am

You know, it’s interesting you named the female interest “Delilah”...  The deceiver and betrayer of the heroic male, who cut off his hair to remove his power…

-From Wikipedia - meaning “[One who] weakened or uprooted or impoverished” - in Hebrew…

For 1100 pieces of silver each from a dozen or so Philistine Kings she betrayed the man who loved her. Hey, she didn’t sell herself short like another Jew, Judas, she got good value for her betrayal!!!

Comment by Annexian on 8/02/11 at 12:16 pm

And she didn’t do it like the “Beautiful Seductress” she’s portrayed as in the media.  She did it much like any woman, especially -forgive me- like a JEWish woman;  NAGGING and NAGGING and NAGGING…


And this Deliah, she doesn’t even put out for poor Helmut…  But, again sorry if this is “Stereotypical” but it’s also REAL if you’ve ever been exposed to “Black culture” in the usa…  Well, frankly how MANY of those giant macho black men did she let in her along the way…?  Oh, at least they’ve been mutilated- by Dr Mutilator so he can get his $6000 each for 10 minutes and $35 real cost each from Uncle Sucker…

Comment by Annexian on 8/02/11 at 12:16 pm

Really, are you trying to truly bait people to say things that are…well…anti-semitic so you can go “Oh Vey!  Halllp!  Online hate!”?


This comic is right out of cliche conspiracy theories about “Jews Owning the Media” that you love to tell the public is not true except for being largely true.

Comment by Annexian on 8/02/11 at 12:18 pm

Essentially the white male is turned into a weakling and be ruled by women, while non-white women and other non-whites belittlehim.  And if he tries to make himself “Strong” he’s a Nazi…a brute, a hater…  This is more or less what the mass media, backed up by the law does.  Uses the woman to put down the man, so a generation of men raised to be “Sensitive and New Age” get to be peacocks and beg women to bed/marry them, then get ruined by a messy divorce later so the women can take away their money and homes then the “Empowered/Liberated” women then start seeing other women or “Men” that are a combination of every bad stereotype of a 50s male with none of the good qualities…

Comment by Annexian on 8/02/11 at 12:20 pm

I won’t go into a rant against “The Jews” here.  Frankly, any Nazi (which I’m not) should say “Danke” for this strip.  You are “Proving” what they’ve been saying for years, backed up by economic destruction and TV that aside from the “Conspiracy Theories” just plain SUCKS…

Comment by Annexian on 8/02/11 at 12:21 pm

I suggest that Margolis watch “CUT: Slicing Through the Myths of Circumcision” for other viewpoints on circumcision by Jewish people in Chicago.  CUT premiered at the U of Chicago Hillel Center and has also been shown at the Spertus Museum in Chicago.  Not every Jewish person in Chicago thinks circumcision is as wonderful as Smegmaman’s Chicago creator does. You can watch it online at www cutthefilm com

Comment by Chicago viewpoint on 8/03/11 at 4:25 pm

If you google “have you sunat your girls” you will find a South-East Asian forum of mothers talking about circumcising their girls the same way American parents talk about circumcising their sons on say, CafeMom. There you read that the circumcision carried out there isn’t so bad as it is portrayed by circumcision advocates. In fact, one woman asks for a clinic recommendation, because her husband asked her to get done. She goes in, comes back to the forum and reports it wasn’t so bad. Now how would a comic where a man demands her woman be “sunat” be received? The villain would be obvious.

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/06/11 at 8:02 pm

Ed must have thought he was real clever to post the anecdote from Al. Let’s change the body part and see if the logic holds up… About four days ago, I took off my sock and saw what is apparently called “toe fungus.” It was on my big toe, half my nail was a dark yellow color, and it stunk so bad. What is the cause? Well, if I didn’t have any nails, I wouldn’t be getting fungus under them! Duh! You will only see nail fungus mostly on pople with intact nails. I really wish my parents had chosen to have my toe nails removed as a baby so that I didn’t have to suffer this misfortune…

Comment by Joseph4gi on 8/06/11 at 9:22 pm

Without an actual medical or clinical condition, how is it doctors can be performing surgery on healthy children, let alone be giving parents any kind of a “choice?” And what do the “medical benefits” matter to people who circumcise for Jewish reasons? Is it because “freedom of religion” and “parental choice” simply don’t hold up as rationale anymore? And uh, sour grapes? I’m afraid it’s circumcised men who are missing something they can never get back. The pot doth calleth the kettle black. Bottom line; unless there is a medical condition that cannot be remedied any other way, circumcision is child abuse, and yes, child genital mutilation.

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/06/11 at 9:29 pm

I can’t believe all the neurotic geeks and antisemites have returned to the debate.

For those too young to remember him, Lester was a prominent Black Power radical revolutionary militant who converted to Judaism in 1982 at the age of 50. He maintained that his circumcision boosted his sex life. He said “Circumcised there are far more subtle sensations, and staying power is much, much longer,” he said. “From a sexual point of view, I wish I’d gotten circumcised many years earlier.”

Comment by Ben Plonie on 8/07/11 at 12:40 am

He said in his memoir “... “Lovesong”: “This was my first operation, and I was terrified. . . An hour later, I woke in the recovery room, and the first thing I did was to peek and see if my penis was still there.” Lester, who initially expresses some concern as his penis is healing, later writes, “It works! It works better than ever!!!”

It is possible that Julius Lester is the only person in the world to experience an improved sex life from circumcision. It is more likely that everyone does but not all are so self-aware and expressive.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 8/07/11 at 12:41 am

If circumcision “improved” Lester’s sex life, and he converted to Judaism, then good for Lester! It may be possible Lester might have been trying to overcompensate for what was really happening; circumcision may have permanently damaged his penis and he was expressing sour grapes.

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 3:09 am

At any rate, Lester is not the only person to circumcise himself as an adult; as an intactivist I know plenty of men who circumcised themselves as adults, “raved” like Lester and are now on our side; according to them it was the worst mistake of their lives. But what does this have to do with Judaism and the forced circumcision of minors? What is the argument that you’re trying to make now, Ben? That Jews circumcise their children to enhance their sex lives? Isn’t that a little creepy and pedophilic?

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 3:13 am

Nobody is stopping adults from making their own choices to circumcise, and nobody is saying that doctors can’t be doing their jobs and performing surgery when necessary. We believe that, unless there is a serious illness that requires surgery, the decision to have part of the penis cut off should be left to a child. Cutting off parts of healthy children’s genitals is child abuse, no matter what the sex of the child, or the racial or religious background of his parents.

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 3:17 am

Oh, and this has absolutely nothing to do with the State of Israel; we criticize Iranians and Palestinians and Americans just the same. This is about CIRCUMCISION, not any particular race. Stop trying to act like circumcision makes Jews special, because it doesn’t. In this country, only 3% of those circumcised are Jewish; the greater majority of circumcised men are gentiles. BTW, did you know that the majority of KKK members are circumcised? It’s true. They use that as a point to refer to non-circumcised Mexicans as “doggy dicks.” What do you think about that?

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 3:19 am

“It is possible that Julius Lester is the only person in the world to experience an improved sex life from circumcision. It is more likely that everyone does but not all are so self-aware and expressive.”

The opposite of this can be true; it may be that men are experienced less-than perfect sex, but most simply wouldn’t have a basis of comparison. Lester may be one possibility, but if the men I know speak the truth, then circumcision can be detrimental to a man’s sex life.

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 4:04 am

“...with regard to circumcision, one of the reasons for it is… the wish to bring about a decrease in sexual intercourse and a weakening of the organ in question, so that this activity be diminished and the organ be in as quiet a state as possible…
The bodily pain caused to that member is the real purpose of circumcision…
...violent concupiscence and lust that goes beyond what is needed are diminished. The fact that circumcision weakens the faculty of sexual excitement and sometimes perhaps diminishes the pleasure is indubitable. For if at birth this member has been made to bleed and has had its covering taken away from it, it must indubitably be weakened.” ~Rabbi Moses Maimonides

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 5:05 am

Here’s a short video of two Israeli immigrants talking about being circumcised as adults. Watch to the end. They hardly seem happy with the decision, and one of them makes his regrets very clear:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghLCBXXgDrw

Comment by Kelev on 8/07/11 at 5:15 am

It’s no coincidence that most men who are uncircumcised choose to remain that way their entire lives. Despite the fact that circumcision is common and easily arranged, most men who are left intact as babies choose to remain intact forever.

It’s no coincidence that most men who support circumcision were circumcised at birth or as kids. Thus, their support for circumcision has nothing to do with a choice they made but with a choice that was made for them. It was not a choice made with anything close to informed consent. It’s fair to say that their support for circumcision is more rationalization than anything rational.

Comment by Kelev on 8/07/11 at 5:21 am

On using “anti-Semite” to shut down debate:

In an August 14, 2002 interview with American journalist Amy Goodman, Shulamit Aloni described how she believes the charge of antisemitism is used to suppress criticism:

Goodman:
Yours is a voice of criticism we don’t often hear in the United States. Often when there is dissent expressed in the United States against policies of the Israeli government, people here are called anti-semitic. What is your response to that as an Israeli Jew ?

Aloni:
Well, it’s a trick, we always use it. When from Europe somebody is criticizing Israel, then we bring up the Holocaust. When in this country people are criticizing Israel, then they are anti-Semitic.

Comment by James Loewen on 8/07/11 at 6:45 am

What is worse, making jokes about the Holocaust of infant prepuces, or making jokes about the circumcision of the Jews from Europe? Is denial of the Holocaust as bad as the denial of the functions of the prepuce? One causes the other. Can you tell which one?

Comment by Frederick Rhodes on 8/07/11 at 7:51 am

You have to talk to idiots and geeks to find out that smegma is a good thing. Every single one of your stupid arguments is beyond refuted. ‘It’s dangerous, it’s ugly, it’s sexually dysfunctional, it’s un-American, it’s unconstitutional’ - dream on. You must think that running a tag-team and changing the subject every post will make you look like you have a lot to talk about. You don’t.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 8/07/11 at 9:51 am

The first thing you need to know is that Jews do not circumcise for any of the reasons you claim to be concerned about; we don’t do it because anybody else does it and we won’t stop because anyone else stops. It works for us and we don’t care what you do and we are not trying to convince you of anything except to leave us alone. The progressive and advanced Jewish law in fact forbids any other bodily modification except for circumcision. You don’t belong on a Jewish website. Toddle off and nag the other 99% of the circumcised world, and if they behead you don’t blame the Jews.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 8/07/11 at 9:52 am

What you will find is that not only do we Jews not circumcise because of you, but the other 99% of circumcised males don’t do it because of us, our God, our Bible, our prophets, our laws, our Rabbis, nothing. That is exactly why you are antisemites, even the nominally Jewish ones among you. Because we are not where the action is, and your head lunatic Hess writes a hate comic book featuring a Jewish ‘Monster Mohel’. Who is performing all those other circumcisions?

Comment by Ben Plonie on 8/07/11 at 9:53 am

Bearing in mind again that Jews don’t care what you do, the 3rd thing you need to know is that circumcision is a minor plastic surgery nothing like primitive tribal Arab and African FGM, and with the oldest/best record of safety of any medical procedure in use. Men (normal sane men, that is, like Julius Lester) don’t mind it and women like it. We have lower rates of cancer and STD’s and our women have lower rates of cancer and STD’s, and in spite of the fact that routine procedures cannot be recommended, the AMA and CDC are in the process of modifying their currently neutral statements on circumcision. Bearing in mind that we do not feel a need to convince you of anything.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 8/07/11 at 9:54 am

Who is saying smegma is a good thing? You are welcome to refute every claim you say we make. We’ll be here to correct you. A tag-team huh? Sorry man, I’m afraid the only person trying to change the subject is YOU.

If Jews don’t care about “medical benefits,” what are YOU doing here acting like they’re actually important? I’m sorry but as long as you’re violating the rights of others, you are going to get challenged, hate to break it to ya.

If this is a “Jews only” site, then tell the admins to make users register. Only then will I “toddle off,” thanks.

Until then, refute our claims. And if you “don’t care,” then act like it.

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 9:57 am

Furthermore, bearing in mind again that Jews don’t care what you do, many thousands of people are circumcised as adults every year due to trauma and disease, many more thousands convert to Judaism and Islam, and millions of Soviet Jews were so circumcised in the last forty years. Statistically zero percent of them or their wives and girlfriends had problems, complications or complaints.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 8/07/11 at 10:02 am

The data from the World Health Organization Africa AIDS studies show the same thing, with a small percentage of men dissatisfied, a much larger percentage pleased and feeling improved, and the largest percentage reporting no change in their lives from it. The women overwhelmingly found circumcised men more esthetically pleasing, and obviously far less funkadelic. Bearing in mind that we are not trying to convince you of anything.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 8/07/11 at 10:02 am

Finally, bearing in mind again that Jews don’t care what you do, any circumcised male who wants to sue his pediatrician or his parents or even shoot them does not need to nag the Jews or anyone else. Start now so your claims will be refuted in court and your cases dismissed and you will be exposed a tiny fringe of homosexual pedophiles and/or antisemites.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 8/07/11 at 10:03 am

Attention all ambulance chasers! I personally predict a tsunami of malpractice lawsuits against pediatricians who did not properly counsel the parents of uncircumcised males who suffer from the various ailments that smegheads uncircumcised males are prone to. Bearing in mind that we are not trying to convince you of anything.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 8/07/11 at 10:04 am

The lawsuits against the circumcisers have already begun. The company that produces the infant genital mutilation device the Mogen Clamp is now out of business due to several multi million dollar lawsuits form infants permanently sexually damaged.  There is no justification for mutilating the genitals of children. NONE.

Comment by James Loewen on 8/07/11 at 10:11 am

Joseph4GI
Re-read my first post in the stream. We do it for our own important reasons. Therefore it is is unimportant to us personally to refute anything, just as it is impossible for you to refute our reasons for doing it. If you-all agreed to live and let live, we would be fine. However, you-all are coming here with an agenda to convince us we are wrong and more importantly to coerce us into stopping our way of life.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 8/07/11 at 10:33 am

Joseph4GI
No, we don’t care what you do but your propaganda must be countered, as I have done. However, in line with the wonderful fact that every one of our Jewish practices is somewhere from benign to beneficial, it is of intellectual interest to note those things, as well as to educate and reassure those of our community a little weak in the basics.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 8/07/11 at 10:33 am

Joseph4GI
It is in that regard that I document the current and exploding medical research on this issue. Of course it’s important, but it’s not the only thing and the proof is your own position. Consider this: If it was proved that circumcision led to higher rates of cancer and STD’s, we would still do it and learn how to be careful to avoid those outcomes. But luckily for us, we have lower rates and it is you who have the bright idea to educate everybody how to make the world safe for smegma. Good luck but we have avoided that problem for thirty eight centuries.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 8/07/11 at 10:34 am

James Loewen
Not so fast. The Mogen Clamp cannot be used to discredit the Jewish brit. Without confirming what you have said, the Mogen Clamp is an innovation of the last century using surgical technology to minimize bleeding for the procedure. It is not a traditional part of the Jewish brit, it is certainly not required, and if it did not work out should be dispensed with.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 8/07/11 at 10:42 am

James Loewen
Let’s leave aside that millions of procedures in competent hands were performed with no morbidity, less so than more conventional medical procedures in fact that are not your targets. A little bleeding for this kind of procedure is no big deal and has been under control for those thirty eight centuries.

Circumcision has the characteristic of being a simple cosmetic immunization against a host of maladies. It is best done in infancy, like most immunizations. If you don’t want to do it, don’t.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 8/07/11 at 10:43 am

HAARETZ, Tel Aviv, 14 December 2004. The Rishon Letzion Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday ordered the former rabbi of the Gan Yavneh local council to pay a child and his parents NIS 1.18 million in damages after the child was left severely disfigured when he was circumcised by the rabbi.

New York, October 2004 Rabbi Yitzhok Fischer of NY performed circumcision followed by oral/genital (metzizah b’peh) and passed the herpes virus onto twin boys, killing one.

Amitai Moshe, age 8 days, went into cardiac arrest after a ritual circumcision at Golder’s Green Synagogue, London. He was taken from the synagogue directly to hospital and died eight days later.

Comment by James Loewen on 8/07/11 at 10:50 am

A boy in New York lost his glans during a bris to a Mohel who tried to circumcise him using a Mogen clamp.
http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/atlanta-lawyer-wins-11-573890.html

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 10:59 am

In the UK, Amitai Moshe, goes into cardiac arrest immediately after his bris. The verdict of his inquest a few years later? Amitai Moshe died of “natural causes,” and the fact that he started having breathing problems and started bleeding through his nose and mouth had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he was ritually circumcised just minutes before. Read the shameless story here:
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/4588885.Baby_died_of__natural_causes__after_circumcision/

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 10:59 am

NY Mohel Infects 3 Babies With Herpes via Metzitzah B’peh (sucking of blood from wounded penis with one’s mouth): One of Them Dies, Nothing Happens
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/26/nyregion/26circumcise.html?_r=2

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 11:00 am

Baby recovers from ‘brit mila’ amputation
http://www.cirp.org/news/jpost1/

You were saying Ben? I’ve got tons more, but I think we’ll stop for now. wink

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 11:01 am

“The Mogen Clamp cannot be used to discredit the Jewish brit. Without confirming what you have said, the Mogen Clamp is an innovation of the last century using surgical technology to minimize bleeding for the procedure. It is not a traditional part of the Jewish brit, it is certainly not required, and if it did not work out should be dispensed with.”

It is a direct descendant of the Barzel device, which most certainly IS part of Brit.

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 11:03 am

“...bearing in mind again that Jews don’t care what you do…”

Except for THIS one of course, right? wink

“...many thousands of people are circumcised as adults every year due to trauma and disease, many more thousands convert to Judaism and Islam, and millions of Soviet Jews were so circumcised in the last forty years. Statistically zero percent of them or their wives and girlfriends had problems, complications or complaints.”

That’s fine. Men choosing circumcision for themselves, and circumcisions performed where they are medically indicated (and this is rare), is perfectly in line with our philosophy.

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 11:06 am

“The data from the World Health Organization Africa AIDS studies show the same thing, with a small percentage of men dissatisfied, a much larger percentage pleased and feeling improved, and the largest percentage reporting no change in their lives from it. The women overwhelmingly found circumcised men more esthetically pleasing, and obviously far less funkadelic. Bearing in mind that we are not trying to convince you of anything.”

The WHO once believed that homosexuality was a mental disorder. They were wrong then, and they are wrong now.

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 11:07 am

“Finally, bearing in mind again that Jews don’t care what you do…”

Again, except for this one, right? wink

“...any circumcised male who wants to sue his pediatrician or his parents or even shoot them does not need to nag the Jews or anyone else.”

Again, not sure where this happens… but OK…

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 11:07 am

“Start now so your claims will be refuted in court and your cases dismissed and you will be exposed a tiny fringe of homosexual pedophiles and/or antisemites.”

Claims are refuted in court because this practice is unfortunately an accepted norm. That it is an accepted norm does not prove anything other than that something is an accepted norm. Men hesitate to voice their opinions because people like you will tell them that if they do, they are opposing the state of Israel. Fortunately, this is changing, as more and more men are actually speaking out.

Homosexual pedophiles and/or anti-semites eh? Wow. This is telling of precisely who YOU are, sir.

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 11:08 am

“Attention all ambulance chasers! (message truncated) Bearing in mind that we are not trying to convince you of anything.”

Really? Can you tell us what IsraAID is doing? Tell us about Operation Abraham. Who is Inon Shenker? Is there a reason why they’re going around the world trying to get populations to circumcise themselves and their children?

I’m afraid that pediatricians aren’t properly counceling parents of the needlessness of surgery on healthy children. Ailments in uncircumcised males are actually quite rare, and very rarely do they need surgery. Thank goodness you’re not my pediatrician.

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 11:10 am

“Re-read my first post in the stream…”

Once again, except for NOW, right? wink

“If you-all agreed to live and let live, we would be fine. However, you-all are coming here with an agenda to convince us we are wrong and more importantly to coerce us into stopping our way of life.”

Hey. We dare to go all the way to Africa to tell the women that they shouldn’t circumcise their daughters right? Right now we’re actually trying to convince many African governments to circumcise their entire populations. IsraAID is part of it, so I wouldn’t exactly say you’re not trying to coerce anybody.

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 11:11 am

“No, we don’t care what you do but your propaganda must be countered, as I have done.”

Bah hah hah! Or at least you hope you created that illusion. Nope, sorry.

“However, in line with the wonderful fact that every one of our Jewish practices is somewhere from benign to beneficial, it is of intellectual interest to note those things, as well as to educate and reassure those of our community a little weak in the basics.”

Translation; religion and “parental choice” don’t matter anymore. Ergo, the use of “science” and ad-hoc/post-hoc reasoning to legitimize our practices.

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 11:12 am

Tell us, dear sir, what was the scientific reasoning behind suppressing your women? And selling your daughters into slavery? And stoning gays to death? Along with adulterers and fornicators? I’m sure there must be some sort of “benign” or “beneficial” reason for doing that.

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 11:12 am

“It is in that regard that I document the current and exploding medical research on this issue. Of course it’s important, but it’s not the only thing and the proof is your own position.”

What are you talking about. It’s the ONLY thing and “proof” keeping this “ritual” afloat! Without it, male circumcision would be as naked as female circumcision. Ergo, everyone who wants to defend circumcision is writing “studies.”

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 11:14 am

“Consider this: If it was proved that circumcision led to higher rates of cancer and STD’s, we would still do it and learn how to be careful to avoid those outcomes.”

Instead of studying how to avoide cancer and STDs WITHOUT the need for surgery, right? That’s soooo scientific! wink

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 11:14 am

“But luckily for us, we have lower rates…”

Actually, what you mean to say is, lucky for you the WHO etc. does not dare challenge these “studies” written by people with pro-circumcision interests for being called “anti-Semites.” I’m afraid those rates don’t exactly translate to real world situations, which is why HIV etc. has been shown to be more prevalent in circumcised men than intact men in quite a few countries.

Regarding smegma, it really isn’t a problem. It’s the same in men as it is in women; just wash and you’re fine.

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 11:15 am

At any rate, we digress; let’s get back to the subject.

Hess does NOT single out Jews, and he does NOT challenge the legitimacy of Israel.

Hess criticizes circumcision as a WHOLE. Sure it’s a very important Jewish ritual, but circumcision is NOT exclusive to Jews.

Schumer and Margolis are trying very hard to accuse Hess of attacking Jews and Israel and it’s absolutely pathetic.

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 11:22 am

@Ben Plonie, if you think cutting off vital parts of your genitals will improve your sexual sensation, have at it. But do NOT force this on non-consenting children.

You know what it’s called when you pull a baby’s pants off and cut his genitals? Violent sexual assault.

You’re a quack, buddy. And we’re not going away.

~Barefoot Intactivist

Comment by Barefoot Intactivist on 8/07/11 at 11:28 am

Before ritual circumcison, the beleivers in the Singularity as a heavenly Godfather started having bestiality thinking men were the creators of life. Consequently, they got all kinds of STI’s that left their foreskins smelly with infections and their brains delirius, causing them to sacrifice their foreskins to hide the symptoms, but the cause was still their, false god worshipping. As time passed, the burden of ritual infant circumcision was such a heavy yoke, causing countless infant deaths & dysfunctional males, that the Jews had to start the Diaspora because all of Abrahams male offspring had been wiped out by the physical & psychological side effects of genital mutilation.

Comment by Frederick Rhodes on 8/07/11 at 11:55 am

Now, abuse of Chimpansees by killing their mothers and keeping them as slaves for medical experiments caused another STI known as HIV, so the circumcisers are falsely claiming that it is the fault of the prepuce, hiding the truth once again.

Comment by Frederick Rhodes on 8/07/11 at 11:57 am

“Even if it could be shown that circumcision provided 100 percent protection against AIDS, I would still be opposed to forcing that onto a child who can’t consent.” These are words of your fanatic leader, Matthew Hess. (Mother Jones 8/2/08). This is a person who is clearly out of his mind. There is no way to carry on any kind of intelligent dialogue with a person who would say such a thing.

An estimated 64,000,000 circumcised males are currently functioning quite well on this planet.  If you want to deprive your child of the health benefits of having a circumcised penis and are somehow enthralled with the look and the smell, nobody is stopping you.  Just stay out of my business.

Comment by Ed margolis on 8/07/11 at 3:15 pm

It sounds like Margolis’ nose is a little out of joint, since he is so focused on “smells”.  Anyone doing hard physical labor will also smell after a while, but that is what soap and water are for. I suppose next Margolis will want people to amputate sweat glands from others so they won’t “smell”.  Margolis has no personal experience knowing how he might “smell” if he were all there.  Intact or not intact, soap and water is the solution for “smells”, not surgery!

Comment by Petrina on 8/07/11 at 4:29 pm

“He who wishes circumcision upon babies is not playing with a full dick.”

Comment by Petrina on 8/07/11 at 4:30 pm

@Ed
Actually, Hess’ words are rather intelligent. Perhaps you don’t want to carry “intelligent dialogue” with him because you’d be shown up? Let’s change the gender here; would you change your mind about female circumcision if it could be shown that it protects “100%” against AIDS? No. You wouldn’t. Because science does not legitimize abuse. Not even religious abuse.

You lean on “medical benefits” because you know that “religious freedom” and “parental rights” fail as arguments. The schpiel about “a 4000 year old tradition” is lackluster and just doesn’t work anymore. Because female circumcision is ALSO thousands of years old and regarded as “religious practice.”

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 5:33 pm

Interesting you mention that 64 mil. men are circumcised and “do fine.” 70-80% of all men aren’t circumcised, and they “do fine” too. Actually, of the 64 mil. men you mention, 99% are all circumcised out of religious or cultural custom. Very few men actually ever need surgery. Why don’t you mention that fact? Oh that’s right! Because then your comic book looks exceptionally ridiculous! ^_^

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 5:38 pm

A healthy child isn’t in need of any “health benefits,” especially when those “benefits” can already be obtained without surgery. That’s the whole point of medical science Ed, seeking ways to make medicine and surgery absolete. Real researchers focus finding better ways; circumcision “researchers” try to find ways to preserve, legitimize, necessitate, even require surgery. That’s not “intelligent.” That’s asre-backwards.

Smegma isn’t any kind of medical problem; it’s a fact of life. Women get it and in much more copious amounts than men, but for whatever reason, this is an acceptable “problem” for women to have. Hygiene is achievable WITHOUT surgery.

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 5:42 pm

For the record, America, where 80% of US men are circumcised, has higher STD rates, including HIV, than Europe, where circumcision is rare. Ask your “researcher” buddies to explain THAT “scientifically.” wink

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 5:44 pm

Sex that is described as “functioning quite well” sounds dull. The point is every child has an inherent human right to the body they were born with, and sex with all their sexual nerves and tissues intact.

Comment by James Loewen on 8/07/11 at 5:48 pm

Research shows that more than 1 in 30 adults in Washington, D.C., are HIV-infected — a prevalence higher than that seen in Ethiopia, Nigeria, or Rwanda. But we’re out there trying to help entire countries with “mass circumcision campaigns.”
http://www.aolnews.com/2010/03/01/aids-epidemic-in-some-u-s-cities-worse-than-global-hot-spots/

“Physician, heal thyself.”
~Aesop

Comment by Joseph4GI on 8/07/11 at 5:49 pm

I was circumcised at 18 and would not wish this upon my worst enemy. NEVER EVER! It is complete torture and enslavement everyday. Guys who are ok with it don’t know the difference, or are in complete DENIAL and it’s sad that they continue to pass on this abuse because of their own trauma, ignorance, and denial.It has caused so much nightmares, anxiety, and depression that I NEVER had until after this happened. I learned the hard way though I guess…I was deceived to by the doctor and did not have a computer or internet at the time which was the only place to get the true and correct information.

Comment by Nickolas on 8/08/11 at 7:05 am

Thank goodness for the internet nowadays though because without it the truth would not be as widespread and people would still be in the dark like they were before. Thanks to the internet baby boys are being saved everyday from this horrific abuse. The doctor though(who was a victim himself, in denial, and never dealt with his own trauma)lied to me and did not tell me the truth about circumcision(male genital mutilation)just like they do to parents when they are having their baby boys. Circumcision is just an ongoing ritual cycle of abuse, ignorance, lies, denial, etc…

Comment by Nickolas on 8/08/11 at 7:08 am

This horrific abuse is very hard to end because it is so engraved in these societies,cultures and religions and these societies, cultures and religions are afraid to or don’t have the courage to admit that they are making a very serious mistake by continuing to circumcise. They might think that their identity will be lost if they actually stop this cycle of abuse but actually they will still be American, Jewish, Muslim etc…if they keep their boys Intact. One day though boys will be protected from sexual mutilation(circumcision) just like girls are…

Comment by Nickolas on 8/08/11 at 7:10 am

Any guy though that was sexually mutilated(circumcised) as an adult and says it’s better is either completely lying about it or in denial and completely ignorant about the anatomy of the foreskin. I feel sorry for them because It’s not easy for any guy to admit that there’s something wrong with their penis and deal with that trauma.Even I was in denial at first because I was ignorant of what circumcision actually was with all the lies and misinformation in the news and media.It can be very confusing for anyone who does not know the correct information.It’s definitely not just a snip or cut like they try to tell parents or like they say on the media.

Comment by 37should on 8/08/11 at 7:35 am

Male Circumcision is just a euphemism for Male sexual mutilation just like Female circumcision is a euphemism for female sexual mutilation. I definitely did not want to accept that I was lied to especially since I trusted the doctor and actually agreed on doing this life changing procedure to myself…Genital mutilation is a trauma that lasts a lifetime…

Comment by Nickolas on 8/08/11 at 7:39 am

The shameful double standard in the U.S that says it’s ok to sexually mutilate(circumcise)one gender but not the other is complete Hypocrisy and Sexism!

Comment by Nickolas on 8/08/11 at 8:10 am

“There’s no health basis for being an opponent of circumcision”
Oh yes there is! Sex is much better, more comfortable for the woman! And I only know this because I couldn’t understand why a certain sexual partner fulfilled me when no one else could. Lo and behold, he was intact! I didn’t know this til after several sessions together. We were young and shy and I didn’t see his penis until the 6th or 7th time we were together. Intact sex is far superior than cut sex. And it is easy to keep clean, this smegma stuff is rediculous, I have more smegma than an intact guy.
Justifying circumcision is futile. Any potential health benefit is not worth the sexual loss.

Comment by karen on 8/08/11 at 1:07 pm

“Margolis and Crissey’s parody, which is named for the substance that collects on the tip of an uncircumcised penis,”
Here’s my proof for how much this is incorrect and misleading:
http://www.economist.com/node/18712852
Banning circumcision - Against the cut
Cold/Taylor-the presence of smegma preputii is a rare finding; in a prospective examination of 4521 uncircumcised boys, only 0.5% had smegma.

Comment by Frank McGinness on 11/20/11 at 7:04 pm

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