Lucky Men - Sometimes Not So Lucky


Yesterday I thought a lot about how guys are so lucky when it comes to bridal showers versus stags. I was stomping around the house, bitching and moaning to myself about how guys had it all, when I remembered something that many of them don’t have: their foreskin.

When is this going to stop? When are we going to stop chopping off a piece of a normal, infant male for religious purposes, cultural purposes or any other reason?

A botched circumcision done to local baby boy…resulted in removal of most of his penis. He will never be normal. And why? Because his parents wanted him to look like all the other boys in the shower.

First of all, all the other boys are not necessarily circumcised. Secondly, we have placed huge pressure on third world countries to stop circumcising female babies, why not put some of this pressure upon people here? Why is it fine and dandy to snip away at a boy baby and not a girl baby?

Religious people who believe that man is made in the image of god, should be the first people to say no more ritual mutilation of male infants.

Religions that require circumcision of male infants might want to rethink such an act. What might have been a cool rite way back when and may have served a purpose could very well be barbaric and sadistic today.

(I don’t think that penis tops and religion should be that enmeshed for any reason. But, remember I am not a religious person so I have no idea what following a religion can make a person do willingly and with righteousness.)

I do wonder though why a symbolic circumcision couldn’t be done rather than a physical removal of perfect baby flesh? Would god be less pleased? Couldn’t the baby be allowed to grow to manhood and then decide for himself? (One sure way of reducing circumcision!)

I know that religions that call “communion” the body and blood of jesus do not use real blood or flesh– just wine and some sort of flat bread.

Couldn’t the symbol replace the actual in the 21st century?

I think of the exquisite beauty of a new born baby and wonder why anyone would want to alter this perfect being in its first few weeks of life. Or why any parent could decide for the man-to-be that he shouldn’t have or wouldn’t want his foreskin.

The old idea of “cleanliness reasons” is the same reason females of third world countries have been circumcised for years. So if that really were the case, both male and female infants should be snipped, scraped and formed into new “easy-to-clean” genitalia at birth.

The American Academy Of Pediatrics is against routine circumcision and states: "Circumcision is not essential to a child's well-being at birth, even though it does have some potential medical benefits," said task force chair Dr. Carole Lannon.

Other task force members have stated that this was a difficult issue to tackle due to religious and cultural feelings about circumcision.

Well, it isn’t difficult for me to tackle.

While musing how men had it all, it reminded me that if I were a man, and someone without my permission removed part of my penis for any reason, I’d be mighty pissed.

Worse, I’d wonder my whole life what it would have been like to be exactly as I was born before such surgery.

A friend once said to me: “Circumcision is just something that people do and we can’t stop doing it mid-stream. Sons of circumcised men have to look like their fathers and younger sons have to look like their older brothers so it will never end. It’s not good to look different.”

I say stop looking at your father’s penis or your brother’s penis or penises in the shower at school -- and it can be stopped. Of course it can.

As a woman, I can’t imagine how I’d feel if before I could speak someone had decided to tidy-up, alter, sculpt or refashion my vagina for any reason.

I guess at least in this country vaginas are safe, and for that reason I’m glad I’m a woman, even if I do have to go to a boring shower.