Poll: Circumcision

[prinxess]

In some countries in Africa girls must be circumcised except not the safe way. Small villages or towns believe that women should be circumcised at a young age. A woman on the radio said that they don't have the right tools or equippment. 2 of her 5 daughters died of this operation. Personally, its a big no no.

 

[Abedeus]

It's still a part of the penis. And you are chopping a part of it off.

Enh. The human body has a lot of bits that you can do without. I find the tendency to circumcise infants for no reason in the US to be downright, well, laughable, but that doesn't mean the procedure itself is necessarily any worse than an appendectomy or removing the tonsils. As always, surgically altering the human body carries some risks, but there are people who get medically-necessary circumcisions and, to my knowledge, most aren't greatly affected by it.

-- Alex

It was my understanding that the tonsils are removed because of their tendency to swell and cause issues, or infections or something.

Yes. Sometimes, infection attacks the tonsils instead of the body. Then they begin to hurt and you have to remove them, as they cause more damage than they help.

But you shouldn't remove them just because they MIGHT swell up. It's another line of defense in your system.

 

[Alex_P]

It was my understanding that the tonsils are removed because of their tendency to swell and cause issues, or infections or something.

Sometimes they get removed pre-emptively.

In the US, it's typical to get all of your wisdom teeth out if even one of them starts hurting.

Also, I've heard from several folks with first-hand knowledge of the military that anyone who joins the armed forces with their wisdom teeth intact is very likely to get them pulled just in case, to avoid causing problems with it later.

-- Alex

 

[Alex_P]

But it doesn't mean it's smart to just chop off everything we don't NEED.

I don't think infant circumcision just for the hell of it is a good idea.
All I'm saying is that if you've been circumcised due to a legitimate medical need or your parents/doctors making a stupid choice, it's probably not going to impair you in any significant way.

-- Alex

 

[stompy]

Nope, I'm an Aussie and not circumcised. In Islam and Judaism, circumcision is a must, which I think has something to do with the lack of availability to water in the areas those religions originated from, and the increased likelihood that you'll get an infection in the genitalia. However, since my parents are Hindus, I wasn't circumcised because it's against Hinduism, or so I've been told.

 

[Daveman]

I am coz I had to when I was 13, for medical reasons I can't be arsed to go into. All I'll say is that it is the most painful thing that has ever happened to me and I couldn't walk for a week, then I couldn't walk properly for 2 weeks. But in the long run it was for the best.

 

[MontyGommo]

I have to say, the arguments between getting circumcised and not have always amused me.

Personally, i think they look much better circumcised. And i have never read anything saying there's a difference either way.

Most of the girls i've spoken to about it don't care either way, but agree that a penis looks much prettier when circumcised

I may be slightly biased, being snipped myself, but i will definitely have it done should i ever have a son.

 

[Elim Garak]

Yup, its a Jewish thing, mainly. As in religious. Which is probably why it isn't practiced in Russia all that much - Russia is a pretty antisemitic place. Or at the least it used to be.

 

[exitmouse]

Female, and not.

I think this is one of those things that only the person it effects has any right to decide on. As such, the idea of having a kid circumcised makes me squeamish - on the off chance I ever have a son, I'm not going to have it done - he can decide that for himself when he's old enough as it's not something you can exactly UNDO. IIRC, America is one of the only countries where it's practiced regularly as well. So unless there's a pressing medical need for it - yeah no.

Yes it can be a health issue if a guy doesn't wash properly, but quite honestly there's going to be more than one problem if proper hygiene isn't observed anyway.

 

[orifice]

I had to get circumcised a few years back,because my foreskin had become too tight and was causing me problems.

 

[runtheplacered]

I had to get circumcised a few years back,because my foreskin had become too tight and was causing me problems.

Damn.

 

[Syntax Error]

I read in our gradeschool science textbook that one's penis is easier to clean if it is circumcised. I do not know if there are step-by-step guidelines on how to clean one's genitals. It is, however, common practice here in the Philippines. And you'd probably get some looks (not the good type) from the ladies if you made them know that you're not circumcised.

 

[DirkGently]

Being vaguely familiar with it and also uncircumcised, let me chime in:

Firstly, there are no medical drawbacks to being circumcised or not circumcised. There are, however, 'fun' drawbacks to being circumcised with some ridiculously high number of nerve endings in the foreskin making intercourse all the more fun. And whacking off too, to be blunt.

On the appearance thing, typically, when girls are in a position to see your penis, you're not likely to be flaccid, and thus it's not going to be apparent that you've been circumcised. You catch me drift?

The only medical reason to be circumcised was to reduce the chance of bacteria growing inside the foreskin, which is easily avoid by cleaning it in the shower, which most guys do anyway, so the only reason nowadays is religious, and they're not real good reasons to mutilate a child's genital organs.

 

[Overlord_Dave]

And based on the medical studies, there is no advantages of circumcision. It just seems like a rather barbaric, and possibly scarring practice.

Sorry to jump in there, Gormourn, but recently it's been found that being circumcised reduces the risk of catching HIV, as the virus attacks the cells in the foreskin. It still doesn't make you immune though.

 

[venarez666]

I've been circumcised my whole life from what i know, some kind of infection when i was a baby (no idea)i didnt even know some people had foreskins until i was about 7.
tbf, no medical advantages but my wife told me she prefers it to one with a foreskin (apparently a foreskin looks like an ill fitting sock)im personally indifferent to the whole thing, i reckon it looks better but thats how i've grown up with it so meh.

 

[Vendor-Lazarus]

Sweden here, and uncircumcised.
I find Genital Mutilation done because of tradition and religion to be completely unnecessary and quite barbaric.
The exception being medical and over-18-personal-choice of course.

As previously stated in this thread, there are no advantages to it either.
More like disadvantage from loss of sensation in the glans.
The foreskin protects the glans.
It would be like removing your nails because they might irritate and cause infections in the surrounding skin.

 

[Spartan Bannana]

And based on the medical studies, there is no advantages of circumcision. It just seems like a rather barbaric, and possibly scarring practice.

Sorry to jump in there, Gormourn, but recently it's been found that being circumcised reduces the risk of catching HIV, as the virus attacks the cells in the foreskin. It still doesn't make you immune though.

I'm not gay, there's not a high chance I'll be getting HIV that way.

 

[Lord George]

Completely uncircumcised and I've never had anyone complain about it.

 

[090907]

I'm not... I've never had any problems, medical or social.

 

[Overlord_Dave]

And based on the medical studies, there is no advantages of circumcision. It just seems like a rather barbaric, and possibly scarring practice.

Sorry to jump in there, Gormourn, but recently it's been found that being circumcised reduces the risk of catching HIV, as the virus attacks the cells in the foreskin. It still doesn't make you immune though.

I'm not gay, there's not a high chance I'll be getting HIV that way.

Woah. Ok. Someone's still living in the 80s. I don't wanna burst your little right-wing bubble but in the 21st century there's such a thing as HIV among the heterosexual community.