I commented on the Malcontent something to the effect of "no, they don't smell that bad, across the board--if they do, and this is a usual occurance, then you might want to reconsider the general health of the guys with whom you are involved." The health concerns about non-circumcision are valid, but minor; like any other part of a newborn, they require care. But your son will, most likely, not choose to have a part of his penis removed once he realizes how damn cool it is. Really.
5:24 PM, August 16, 2006
Anonymous said...
Do uncircumcised penises really smell so rank?
Do uncircumcised vaginas smell rank? Of course, IF the owner doesn't care for it. Why is the comparison so hard for people? I'm not trying to attack you, since I can see we're on the same side of the debate. You only asked the rhetorical question. Explosive Corrosive gets it right about questioning the general health and habits of a person whose genitals smell rank rather than their intact genitalia.
We're obsessed with being "normal" but a circumcised penis is not normal. It's common, yes, but not normal. Bravo to you for making the correct decision for your son.
This is about as personal as it gets, and there are a lot of strong feelings on the subject. Take a look at this Sullivan post, where he uses the term "male genital mutilation" (MGM) to refer to circumcision: FGM is exponentially morally, medically and psychologically worse than MGM. It's an evil practice. But it is untrue that MGM "may diminish male pleasure." It drastically decreases male sexual sensitivity. In the era of AIDS, some parents may believe that diminishing their child's future sexual pleasure is worth the benefit of extra protection from HIV. But the trade-off exists. #The Malcontent# (who trackbacks) slams Sullivan rather hard, and the main comment there is very pro-circimcision: I'm circumcized, and I'm actually quite happy with it. Aside from the visual aesthetics of foreskin (I think it's gross), there are also hygienic concerns. Seriously, there is no greater turn off than a guy taking off his pants and you're suddenly asking if something died. Removing your boxers should not rock the hell out of my sense of smell. Sometimes you want to be a little spontaneous and blow a guy in the parking lot. Requiring a vigorous shower before any encounter just isn't for me.Hmm. Not quite sure what to make of that. Do uncircumcised penises really smell so rank?
My stance: we won't be circumcising our infant son (due in less than a month!). Yes, there are some health concerns, but from what I've heard they are not that difficult to deal with. If, once he's old enough, he decides he wants to be circumcised, that's fine with us. I think a good guideline should be: don't take a knife to your child's genetalia until your child is old enough to have an informed say in the matter. You can cut it off, but you can't grow it back. (Though maybe with stem cell research we could learn how to grow and attach a replacement! Science is so cool.)
posted by Zachary Drake at 9:51 AM on Aug 16, 2006
"Male Circumcision"
3 Comments -
I commented on the Malcontent something to the effect of "no, they don't smell that bad, across the board--if they do, and this is a usual occurance, then you might want to reconsider the general health of the guys with whom you are involved." The health concerns about non-circumcision are valid, but minor; like any other part of a newborn, they require care. But your son will, most likely, not choose to have a part of his penis removed once he realizes how damn cool it is. Really.
5:24 PM, August 16, 2006
Do uncircumcised penises really smell so rank?
Do uncircumcised vaginas smell rank? Of course, IF the owner doesn't care for it. Why is the comparison so hard for people? I'm not trying to attack you, since I can see we're on the same side of the debate. You only asked the rhetorical question. Explosive Corrosive gets it right about questioning the general health and habits of a person whose genitals smell rank rather than their intact genitalia.
We're obsessed with being "normal" but a circumcised penis is not normal. It's common, yes, but not normal. Bravo to you for making the correct decision for your son.
9:10 PM, August 16, 2006
Thank you all for your info.
6:33 AM, August 18, 2006