Thoughts on circumcision?

[Bananasammich]

Hi there... I'm debating with some of my friends about circumcision, but we really only have the female perspective, which is fairly useless, haha. But, the prevailing thought tends to be that most guys wish they were circumcised/are happy that they are circ'd. Cut or uncut doesn't matter to me, but if I had a son I wouldn't have him cut, just because I don't think it's necessary. If you don't mind me asking, what have some of your experiences been? Thanks!

 

[tvr399]

basically i think it does not make a difference. But being circumcised myself i have no issues with it at all. Circumcision was introduced initially as a measure to prevent infections under the skin (at least that is what i was told), by people living in dessert area's.
Not living in a dessert area i did not really need to do it, but....
The few woman I had in my life all loved the fact i was like this.
Now on the other hand, a rockhard dick whit enough skin to cover the head (while being erect) and then the ability to retract that skin all the way (something i cannot do), is so fucking hot it even makes me horny watching it. Hope that helped with your quest

 

[UKCutGuy]

I am circumcised and happy. I had it done as a baby so I've never known any different, but wouldn't want to be uncut. I'm from the UK where circumcision is certainly not common but I have had a positive experience of being cut. There was never any serious teasing at school when others found out as some people say. Maybe I was just lucky. I've also had no complaints from any women, some were glad I cut, others just not that bothered. Personally I prefer being circumcised, I think it is better this way, but I appreciate that not everyone thinks that this is the case. If I had a son I would be happy to have him circumcised, but the decision would not just be up to me - it would be a joint decision and we would have to take into account lots of factors.

 

[Silvertip]

I too have been circumcised since birth and am totally happy with it. However I think you're are absolutely right about not having a baby circumcised unless there is a medical reason for doing so. Most uncircumcised men are quite happy with their foreskin and the few who wish that they were circumcised can always make the adult decision to have it done.

The bisexual side of me, however, very much prefers circumcised cocks to those with foreskin. I think that's largely due to the fact that I am circumcised, so that's what I best understand. I also find the look of a cut cock much more aesthetically pleasing, no doubt due to the fact that my love of cock is connected to a narcissistic love of my own. I have also found that the smegma of an uncut cock can sometimes be unpleasant. Nonetheless, I've enjoyed any number of uncut cocks over the years. It's all good.

 

[Phil Ayesho]

Cut... Here in the US when it was considered a routine public health measure...
I never really thought about it much... having no idea and no recollection that anything had been cut off of me... Every guy I ever saw was cut... it was so routine in the US that, even in high school, not one guy in the locker-room seemed any different.

Eventually I found out about it... saw pictures of the undone version... and wondered...
But, I was perfectly happy being cut... as a young artist, I greatly preferred the look, as a human, greatly preferred the lack of smegma. ( something I had only read about... but which sounded gross )

But when my first son was nearing delivery, I did some research with an open mind... and that is when I discovered the role of RIC in halving the transmission rates of syphilis and gonorrhea in every nation that practices it surgically.
I also talked with all the women I knew, and questioned those who had experienced both cut and uncut, and I found a definite preference for the cut specimens over the uncut ( only 9 out of 20 some women I knew had experience with both... most had never run across an uncut member... but it was 1980, at the tail end of the sexual revolution, and before AIDS... recreational sex was at its historical zenith...)
Most telling was that, even those women who had 'no problem' with uncut men, still said they liked the look and smell of the cut version a little better.


based upon my research, my own contentment with my own condition, and with the fact that those women who had experienced both overwhelmingly preferred the cut cock... I decided to have both my son's circumcised.

Full grown men, now, they have no regrets. And the women they have known seem happy they are.


Certainly, I recognize that my unscientific poll of women I knew, as well as articles I read, were biased by the fact that I lived in a society that had made circumcision the norm, and that people's experience of the norm would tend to be their preferred experience... however... that 'norm" was the world in which I lived and the pool from which both I and my sons dated and mated...

I have never regretted what was done to me ( and I have never contracted an STD despite the fact that I have never used a condom)

And I have never regretted nor second guessed the choice I made for my sons.



PS- in the last 20 years, I have known 3 adult men who decided to get a circumcision late in life.

One, to please his wife who had a marked preference... One who did it to please a whole raft of women... a womanizer, he had run up against a notable preference among females he bedded... and one who got one to resolve a foreskin issue.

All three are glad they did it... and two of them reported greater sensation and pleasure as a result.


And yet... I offer this not because I am so much an advocate For the procedure... but as evidence that it is not the Horror of which rabid Foreskin-vangelists would like to convince others...
It is not a mutilation... it does have real benefits...

A genuinely Tiny minority of men seem to have a pathologically emotional issue with this procedure... determined to stick their neurosis into other peoples lives and criminalize something that does not warrant that level of hysteria.

Personally... I think this kind of activism is truly sick and reflective of a deranged authoritarianism that seeks to control other human beings... on the same level as bombing abortion clinics and shooting or terrorizing abortion providers.

It is part and parcel of polarizing minority idiocy being spread thru our culture under the guise of "compassion" that thinly masks the true motivation... compulsion.

 

[FunGuy13]

I am Uncircumcised and very thankful that my parents were forward thinking enough to realize that there is absolutely no reason to remove anything from an erogenous area. The sensations I have when my foreskin is sliding back and forth, either by my own hand, a lady friends hand or during intercourse are absolutely wonderful. A few ladies I have been with that had never seen an uncircumcised man before where quite interested after the initial surprise. All agreed, after experiencing it for a while, that the feeling of the back & forth action felt very nice during intercourse and during oral sex. I have absolutely no problem with cleanliness as I shower daily and sometimes more than once. I am middle aged and never once have I had any sort of infection of my foreskin itself, my penis glans or a urinary tract infection. On the same note I have never caused a woman I was with to cotract any sort of infection. My two younger brothers where left intact and the same with my two sons after a little back & forth with my wife (at the time). Men are born with a foreskin for a very good reson and there is absolutely no reason to remove it except for genuine medical reasons. And yes, I live in the United States and No, my father was NOT UNcircumcised. He had been circumcised at birth and agreed that there was no valid medical reason for it.

 

[UKCutGuy]

Apologies, I should have been clearer in my earlier post - I could have just let it go, and will probably get lots of negative responses by clarifying things. I am personally not against infant circumcision. I had it done and am really happy that it was. When I talked about a joint decision I was referring to my wife. If it something we are both happy with then I see no reason not to do it.

I appreciate this is not everyones opinion and I would not seek to change others views, I am just stating my experience and thoughts as asked by the OP.

 

[Magnus_Phallus]

... and that is when I discovered the role of RIC in halving the transmission rates of syphilis and gonorrhea in every nation that practices it surgically.

Where did you get the data for such statistical figures?
That is, reduced the transmission rates by half, as in 50%, right?
Those are amazing figures, I was unable to track down anything
reliable that significant about RIC and syphilis or gonorrhea.

The data on this subject is complex and conflicting, at best.
In fact, the statistical differences found is described as "negligible"
by the JAMA; reflecting the opinion of the vast majority of studies.

Considering circumcision is not without risk,
with probably negligible if any benefits,
it seems judicious to leave that decision about
ones own body to an informed adult.
If any adult man wants this done,
for individual personal reasons, so be it.
Otherwise, it is misguided.

...I offer this not because I am so much an advocate For the procedure...

Could've fooled me

 

[BoxersMan]

i am happy being circumcised!

 

[D_Miranda_Wrights]

Phil,

With no disrespect intended to your efforts -- which were probably before the Internet made researching stuff like this easy -- there are plenty of sophisticated analyses of the cost-benefits of circumcision. I've seen them; the ones that don't cherry-pick studies one way or the other come out to circumcision being about a wash or slightly detrimental. This is before autonomy issues are factored in, which, not being a "deranged authoritarian," I assume you're somewhat sympathetic to. The problem with your methodology is that it sounds like you looked up articles describing potential health advantages and didn't calculate the standard costs of surgery, the risks of complications or errors, etc. Even before you consider patient dissatisfaction, circumcision is not justifiable as a public health measure, which is part of why so many states have defunded it from Medicaid (and entire countries from their equivalent thereof.)

I can't really attest to your poll of women one way or another. I don't bring this subject up, but whenever I've heard the subject come up, I've never heard any strong sentiment one way or the other from girls. It might be a generational gap issue (I was born in '90), different ways of posing the question, or whatever. But, if we want more solid anecdotal evidence, check out the poll in this very topic. Uncircumcised men report a dissatisfaction rate of 17%, and have a recourse to fix it. Circumcised men report a dissatisfaction rate of 36% (!), and are pretty much stuck. The anonymity and sample size of n=114 make it better than anything either of us can get from conversations at bars. If the sample were 100% uncircumcised, 19 men would have a temporarily inferior result; if the sample were 100% circumcised, 41 men would have a permanently inferior result. This is a huge gap.

Cnsidering the superiority of the evidence available now, doesn't it seem like your previous position (while reasonable with the data available then) is now unjustifiable?

 

[mandoman]

Uncircumcised, and couldn't be more pleased. Haven't seen smegma since I was 4, and the foreskin was separating from the head.
Left #2 son as he was. He thanked us both, from the bottom of his heart.
I know it makes a huge difference. The parts they cut off, are the three best parts on my entire body.

 

[D_Roland_D_Hay]

I was uncircumcised until I was a teen. Due to some medical reasons I had to get circumcised. I am happy with what I have and don't dwell on the past or what could have been if I remained uncircumcised. Big, small, fat, skinny, circumcised or uncircumcised they all have the same purpose--Pleasure

 

[uncutguy37]

Uncut and very happy , when I was a kid I hated it because I was different from everyone else, after I got older I loved it because i was different from everyone else,
I love being uncut and cant imagine it any other way, and from what I hear, I have a nice one, haha

 

[Lampwick]

Hi there... I'm debating with some of my friends about circumcision, but we really only have the female perspective, which is fairly useless, haha. But, the prevailing thought tends to be that most guys wish they were circumcised/are happy that they are circ'd. Cut or uncut doesn't matter to me, but if I had a son I wouldn't have him cut, just because I don't think it's necessary. If you don't mind me asking, what have some of your experiences been? Thanks!

I'm happy to hear that you're having the conversation with your friends, and that you're thinking about it on behalf of your future son before you actually have to make a choice.

My take on circumcision can be summed up by "His body, his choice". Circumcise when he's young if there's a medical reason; they are few, and rare, but real. In countries where baby boys are not routinely circumcised, there are very few subsequent circumcisions for medical reasons. Other than that, leave it alone.

One of the things that a lot of people don't realize about infant circumcision is that at birth, the foreskin is frequently naturally adherent to the head (glans) of the penis. It separates gradually over time. But taking the foreskin right after birth often means surgically cutting that adhesion.

Another good reason not to circumcise the newborn is that the doctor does not have a crystal ball about how the thing is going to grow, so how much to surgically remove is nothing better than a guess. Again, if medically necessary, make the best guess you can, but if not, why take that chance with someone else's body?

And after that, once he's an adult and can make the decision for himself, it's his decision. Whatever an adult wants to do with his own body parts is between him and his doctor.

 

[travis1985]

I was circumcised at birth and I'm terribly unhappy with it. Part of my body was removed before I even knew what it was, because my parents thought it would look better (should parents be interested in the attractiveness of their sons' penises?). I have an ugly scar from it, and my penis is so desensitized that I usually can't cum from sexual intercourse. Men who grow up uncircumcised and decide they would rather be cut have their entire lives to choose to get that done. I don't have that choice, and I thought our society was supposed to support choice over a person's own body at any cost... but actually just when that's a convenient opinion, I guess.

 

[B_RedDude]

Writing below is a beautiful man who also has a very healthy, well-adjusted attitude.

I was uncircumcised until I was a teen. Due to some medical reasons I had to get circumcised. I am happy with what I have and don't dwell on the past or what could have been if I remained uncircumcised. Big, small, fat, skinny, circumcised or uncircumcised they all have the same purpose--Pleasure

 

[Phil Ayesho]

Where did you get the data for such statistical figures?

Given that big axe you are grinding, I am certain you do not have the intellectual stamina to actually look thru old epidemiological stats on the rates of at syphillis and gonorrhea after the turn of the previous century... And the change in rates after the public health measure of RIC, and silver nitrate in b
Newborn's eyes... (why babies are squinty for days after birth... Adopted to reduce syphillis related blindness) But they can be found... I managed to find them way back before the intertubes...

But guys who have your belief system are incapable of crediting real data that contradicts their assumptions.
Yes, the transmission of these diseases dropped dramatically after public health measures were adopted. You can argue about how much of this drop is attributable to RIC... And how much to educational efforts and increased condom use... But recent world health organization studies all further endorse the role of RIC in reducing transmission rates.
Period.
Your unsupported opinion notwithstanding.

Considering circumcision is not without risk,
with probably negligible if any benefits,
it seems judicious to leave that decision about
ones own body to an informed adult.

Ah, yes... SOUNDS judicious, don't it... Except, of course, this is your dodge to criminalize the procedure... To make it against the law, regardless of the real benefits and the cultural importance many people's attach to it...

You can not abide a free world in which people and cultures can freely determine their own choices... You want to stick your nose into other people's lives and decree what is or is not acceptable.


As to risk... Nothing is risk free... Not even leaving the foreskin on.
And frankly... As innoculation and vaccine programs prove, The tiny risk to a tiny number of people is offset by a vastly larger and more pernicious risk to the public at large.

Imbeciles refusing to vaccinate Their children, put whole communities at peril of epidemics... And indeed, more children die of measles and whooping cough than ever die from vaccines for those diseases.

And BTW... Everything from Vaccines, to heart operations in vivo are perfect evidence that parents HAVE the right to make such decisions for their minor children.

Moreover... The State takes the position they have the Responsibility to make such decisions.


But, of course... Allowing actual science to inform public policy is unpopular...

Instead we have folks like you who claim their is no benefit, when it has been demonstrated.

Sorry... I don't recommend RIC to people... If they ask why I am happy with my own, or why I decided to have it done to my sons... I am happy to explain my reasons.
But I would leave it up to each person and each parent.

You would tell others what they can or can not do.

 

[Sogious]

Interesting statements. I recall AIDs has been a debate as to whether circumcision curved the statistics. It's easy to see something that is a cure all cure. Why not AIDs? Back in 2007, they decided that circumcision reduced the risk of AIDs by 25% in South African countries. The reason behind this study was due to North African countries having a lower AIDs rate than southern regions, never accounting that the cultural differences had anything to do with it. The American cure all cure came to their doors steps. Incidentally, the study was ended before it could be finished. Those who were circumcised were given money, educated on sex practices, given condoms and were to have a healing time of three months before intercourse could presume. None of these factors were taken into affect for each person of the year long study for individuals that took part in it for a matter of 6 months.
One example was that most north African regions consisted of Muslim faith. Belief systems and moral code behind monogamy have a central focus on the rate of STDs. Since then there have been claims that it prevents AIDs and unfortunately the AIDs rate has risen in those countries. Kenya has increased by 70%.

Here are a couple articles I remember reading a while back.
How the circumcision solution in Africa will increase HIV infections | Van Howe | Journal of Public Health in Africa
PLoS ONE: Male Circumcision in the General Population of Kisumu, Kenya: Beliefs about Protection, Risk Behaviors, HIV, and STIs

It's a very strange time we're living in. Those who have a high AIDs rate and circumcision rate lecture European countries who have a low circumcision and AIDs rate and press on third world countries. Perhaps people should look more into their own sexual practices and monogamy than going for a surgery that is based on a whim of doctors raised on what has become a cultural practice in a country. Recently, I remember there being a study in the USA based in California, where African and Latino American were presented with a circumcision study to measure the rate of STDs and AIDs. In targeting minorities, the medical community aimed to prove the same the previous study in Africa concluded; that African decent were more at risk of such health issues and put Latin Americans in the same category as well as homosexuals. In the end, the hypothesis was thrown out as circumcision had no affect on African Americans, Latin Americans or homosexuals that underwent circumcision.
Cutting off a body part won't stop you from making stupid decisions such as having unprotected, promiscuous sex.

 

[D_Miranda_Wrights]

Given that big axe you are grinding, I am certain you do not have the intellectual stamina to actually look thru old epidemiological stats on the rates of at syphillis and gonorrhea after the turn of the previous century... And the change in rates after the public health measure of RIC, and silver nitrate in b
Newborn's eyes... (why babies are squinty for days after birth... Adopted to reduce syphillis related blindness) But they can be found... I managed to find them way back before the intertubes...

...

Sorry... I don't recommend RIC to people... If they ask why I am happy with my own, or why I decided to have it done to my sons... I am happy to explain my reasons.
But I would leave it up to each person and each parent.

You would tell others what they can or can not do.

Phil, in the interest of engaging "actual science," mind replying to my post from the last page? You're making some claims that I directly responded to. You're also making some errors -- like viewing epidemiological positives in a vacuum, instead of holistically -- that "actual science" tends to frown upon. You're right that RIC, like non-vaccinating, is currently legal, but you're also right that (like vaccination) there is a cost-benefits right/wrong decision here. You may be willing to say "to each their own" on RIC, but like vaccination, what's legal and what's ethical may be two very different things.

Also, you've overstating the strictness of deferral to parents in law. See Prince v. Massachusetts, which has been the broad standard since the 40's. That's when the Supreme Court said that the state has broad right for defending the interests of children, even when it means limiting parental power. Because the Supreme Court seems to disagree with you when you imply that it doesn't matter what children "can and can't do" with their own bodies, lives, etc.

 

[MalakingTiti]

Being circumcised is the greatest!