So if you’re a circumcised guy from birth, and it’s not for an obvious reason (such as being Jewish/Muslim or having an issue with your foreskin that made it a medical recommendation), did you ever ask your parents why they decided to circumcise you?
A lot of (culturally) Christian families (or families that practice any faith or no faith other than Judaism/Islam) in the USA (and I think Canada too) circumcise their boys at birth, but don’t seem to have a strong reason to do so; it’s kind of just what they’re “supposed” to do, or so they think.
You assume the only medical reason for circumcision was "an issue with your foreskin that made it a medical recommendation". At one time there was a major medical reason for circumcision -- and probably still is -- although conditions and medicines (antibiotics) may make it not so imperative.
Circumcision became widely practiced in the United States during World War I and, to a somewhat less extent during World War II. It had long been observed that Jewish boys with the same level of sexual activity had a much lower incidence of venereal disease and it had long been felt that this was due to their practice of circumcision. So circumcision was greatly "encouraged" as a prophylactic for the young doughboys heading off to the wicked wilds of Paree.
I presume that the practice once established became standard practice in the U.S. There did seem to be a social/economic and geographical split. Babies from lower economic classes and rural areas (where home births were still common) were less likely to be circumcised. Immigrant children (like Mexicans) also were more likely to be uncircumcised, probably for economic and social/cultural reasons. Blacks tended to mirror the practice of the broader community. Although circumcision is not as prevalent in the UK, it too shows a social and economic split. For instance, the royal family have typically been circumcised, although it was said that Princess Diana had kept William and Harry intact. This rumor was scotched in Prince Harry's book "Spare";
au contraire, the two were circumcised at birth.
The idea was not so outlandish as some may believe. During the worldwide AIDS epidemic, there was overwhelming evidence of its effectiveness in reducing the incidence of AIDS in Africa. Africa has a large Muslim population, who, like Jews, practice circumcision. When the areas of high incidence were mapped, they clearly aligned with the populations who did not practice circumcision; the Muslim areas showed showed lower incidence. The situation was accentuated greatly in Africa vs the U.S.A. and Europe because of the greater prevalence of male sexual promiscuity in their culture.
I'm glad I was circumcised because (1) most guys I knew were and (2) most women seem to like it that way (or at least those who've expressed a preference). Both my wives have said they avoid oral sex with men who are uncut. My wife said she could always tell whether a guy was uncut or not. I asked how. She said the uncut always hit the bathroom right away to scrub up in preparation.
