No. Just no.
This page is a stub, created on 2020-05-27 (last updated on 2020-11-11). Its contents are notes on the issues and angles I want to address about this topic.
I'll also accept the phrase "cutting little boys' penises", but I will not accept "circumcision" or any other euphemism that attempts to normalize this barbaric practice.
I want to be compassionate about parents' choices to do this to their sons, to believe that they're doing the best that they can, doing what they genuinely think is right, regardless of whether it's a default or an explicit decision, whether based on convention/tradition or a sincere religious belief. But gods damn...that's hard.
I honestly don't know if I'll have it in me to seriously engage with what strikes me as bat-shit crazy rationalizations of barbarism:
- parents' "freedom" to choose
- religious "freedom"
- more hygienic
- "What's the big deal?"
- it's prettier
- wanna look like papa
But more seriously, there are other important dimensions of this topic:
- origins in sex-negativity
- consequences for sexual function (including pleasure)
- proper legal consequences/punishments for perpetrators of this crime
- how to discuss the topic with parents who have decided to mutilate their sons
If you're a parent who's done this...please try to understand that my purpose here is not to condemn you, despite my very strong language here. It's why I'm trying to indicate my desire to be compassionate and understanding, as well as qualifying the "rationalizations" as "strik[ing] me" that way, rather than being too conclusory. I'm not here to attack you, even though I strongly disagree with your choices. I am not trying to shame you, even if I wish you would regard your prior choices as mistaken.
Related resources: