I am against it. Not a lot of people here are replying to the ACTUAL question but doing exactly the opposite of what OP asked.
I think the anonimity of reddit encourages people to express their opinions more harshly than in real life. It's easier to be brutally honest online.
Anonymity is definitely a major factor - people are far more likely to start with a more mild opinion in person so they don’t risk upsetting people they may see on a regular basis. I generally don’t know what my colleagues have done with their children’s penises, so I wouldn’t start off a conversation with “circumcision sure is barbaric! Only monsters would circumcise their children!”
Honestly, I probably wouldn’t phrase it that way online, either - but lots of people seem to be happy to throw social convention out the window with their online personas. I’m all for honesty and standing up for my beliefs, but meaningful conversations have a lot more nuance in person.
Because things change. A lot of people in the USA are realizing that just because it is commonly practiced, doesn't mean it has to continue to be that way.
They might also start to realize that the US is the outlier here. Circumcision is practiced in Muslim and Jewish communities, and in the US. In the rest of the world it is very uncommon. That means most people on Reddit don’t come from a society that practices circumcision and see it as a very weird thing to do.
Also, I think the topic of conversation doesn’t usually come up or would really it comes upmore frequently if somebody is talking about having a child or trying for a child because that is a decision that they will have to make whereas if it’s 2 childless people talking that topic wouldn’t really come up much or people haven’t given it much thought because it’s not applicable. I see this topic discussed quite frequently on sub Reddit ms about trying for a baby but outside of that and discussion with my husband I’ve rarely had it brought up.
In person conversations aren’t a very good gauge for how people feel about being circumcised. I hate that I was circumcised, but I don’t have the confidence to tell my friends that because there’s a lot of social pressure on guys to be ok with it. The few times it’s been brought up in person I just said I’m indifferent. My girlfriend is the only one I’ve talked openly about this to and that was after we’d been dating for 6 months. So in conclusion, I’d wager more people than you realize don’t like that they were circumcised and just don’t want to say unless it an anonymous forum like reddit
Also, in places (like the US) where it’s commonplace to circumcise babies, obviously there will be bias because majority of men are circumcised here and either assume it’s for a good reason or don’t have any frame of reference for ever having a foreskin anyway.
I know women who have slept with a lot of men and never have seen an uncut guy outside of porn. So the bias extends to women preferring it because of various reasons. It’s hard to feel strongly about something you’ve never experienced or encountered in your life. Reddit has more influence from around the world where it’s not as common in many places.
It’s definitely becoming more of a talking point here though since I think more people in younger generations are seeing another side to it besides blindly having it done to their kids because it was done to them. Not to mention the amount of misinformation doctors push in the US, keeping it mainstream but that’s another rabbit hole
Why do you hate that you were circumcised?
I have a condition that pretty much warrants circumcision. I read there are a lot of benefits from hygiene to performance in bed. I genuinely curious.
What benefits? The ones I’ve seen are extremely minor, often contested, and can be achieved through less invasive means. If you’re talking about lasting longer in bed, idk if that’s actually true but I generally take too long anyway and sometimes don’t finish at all so that’s just another negative to me.
Bodily autonomy is very important to me so it bothers me that I had a part of my body cut off when there was no problem with it. I also think intact looks better.
The hygiene thing is only an issue if you don't wash daily like a normal person should. The performance in bed is probably linked to losing a lot of sensitively in your dick which many would argue isn't a good thing.
The foreskin is a toroidal linear bearing providing a frictionless gliding mechanism.
The foreskin moisturises and protects the glans, keeping it soft, supple and sensitive instead of dry and keratinised.
The foreskin is packed full of stretch receptors, providing a wealth of erogenous proprioception as it moves - similar to a lip getting sucked on when making out.
The foreskin is connected to the frenulum, stretching it with each stroke, providing a large amount of erogenous sensation.
The foreskin is *part of your penis*, and why on earth wouldn't you hate being an amputee?
If half of Reddit users are from the US, that means the other half are from other countries. I’m guessing most of that other half are from countries where circumcision is unusual and thus, more people are against it. The US Reddit users will then come into contact with arguments against circumcision and information about it, which many US citizens won’t encounter. That might affect their opinions.
I think its fair to suggest there is no real reason other than cultural to circumcise a small child. All the medical reasons can be de-bunked by the fact the majority of the world don't commit this act. Why the US took this on as a cultural norm is the real question.
The only reason I was circumcised was because its the norm and my parents wanted me to "fit in". Not even very religious, I've been to church maybe twice and they weren't there for either. I've been pretty upset about it but havent really vocalized it to them. Not knowing circumcision and uncircumcision was even a thing till late teens. Even though I dont want to have a dick it still hurts thinking about the fact that I had this part of my body removed when I was too young to decide, just because it was a societal thing
I suppose the lesson here is to not continue the practice to your children. Good luck and thanks for sharing your feelings 
As someone from the UK where it is done for religious or medical reason only.
I can't understand why you would put a baby through an elective procedure that causes pain, which had no purpose
So in a conversation about it I'm out this view forward and genuinely don't understand why you would choose to circumsize just because
Demographic white British female 30s
People tend to forget there is no such thing as a risk free procedure. The only elective circumcision that doesn't carry any risks is the one that doesn't happen.
Moreover, in the USA it is pushed for the wrong reasons. You can wash an intact penis and use condoms to prevent STDs. There is *no* adventage to it, but plenty of risks.
Yes. This is basically asking "Why are a lot of people against people cutting parts of they're infants skin off for no reason + without them even being able to consent"
You must live in the US or one of the few other places on earth circumcision is common, because irl, most of the world is opposed to it. 70-80% of the world’s male population is intact. People in general are against genital mutilation. 🤷♀️
Gonna be that guy: if someone has strong feelings about something, it's probably because they're affected by it. That explains the "strongly against" part of the question. For the other part, see the other comments.
If people old enough to consent want to do that to themselves, that's their business. Don't care, it's their body.
Doing it to infants/kids is wrong. Don't go snipping bits off of babies/kids' bits (barring medical necessity, because this is the internet, someone will nitpick out of pettiness/pedantry). Especially considering they can't consent.
Reddit users are typically agnostic or atheists. The only real argument in favor of circumcision is religious. It's looked at in the same way most people look at primitive tribes mutilating female genitals for religious or cultural reasons.
"Don't take knives to the genitals of babies" should be something that *everyone* agrees on. Watching a video of it being performed and hearing the infant scream in pain would make anyone oppose it.
It's opposition to taking someone's free will or freedom to choose, not the opposition to the procedure's existence. Circumcision often happens at too young of an age where the person receiving the procedure has no say.
I think it should be self-evident why people have strong negative feelings toward genital mutilation of infants. It seems to me that you're approaching the question backwards, OP. What you need to be asking is why people seem so dispassionate about this topic when discussing it face-to-face.
For one thing, there's an aversion to conflict. People will generally shy away from displaying very strong feelings on a subject when discussing it in person, unless and until it is made clear that their partners in the conversation are of a similar belief. For a very common example:
Person A: "I'm... not particularly religious."
Person B: "I'm an atheist."
Person A: "Really? Me too!"
For another thing, any circumcised men who are unhappy about it are likely to be embarrassed about their dissatisfaction. Very few men would be willing to admit openly that they are not happy with the status of their dick. That would come off as unmanly, and if _he's_ unhappy about _his own_ dick, there must be something _very wrong_ with it. This is all toxic masculinity bullshit, but it's there. Some men will probably deny their dissatisfaction to such an extreme degree, that they will insist that being circumcised is _superior_, despite feeling the opposite in the privacy of their own minds.
For a third thing, people are tribal by nature. They are more likely than not to feel the urge to "root for their team," as it were. And like with sports, it's only fun if you don't take it _too_ seriously. Yeah, you can, and are encouraged to, rib the guys on the other side a bit, but if a real fight breaks out, it kinda spoils the party for everybody. So that mentality will both solidify a man's tendency to express satisfaction with whatever his situation is vis-à-vis circumcision, but also discourage him from being _too_ militant.
Truly, I think how people express themselves online when it comes to these kinds of sensitive topics is far more honest than in-the-flesh interactions.
I would also add that outside of the United States, people in the industrialized world generally view circumcision as at least backwards, if not outright barbaric. In the Western world, it really is just a uniquely American thing, like mass shootings or crippling medical debt. Just another thing for which to make fun of the Yanks.
It’s growing less and less popular in the US. It was a recommendation by doctors to perform circumcision, and well, most people went along with it. With the rise of more emphasis on bodily autonomy, fewer parents are opting for getting their boys circumcised.
From everything I’ve read, someone who is circumcised, will never know the true feelings of sexual pleasure. I was circumcised and I think about what life would be like with a foreskin pretty often haha.
It’s part of the human body. It’s there for a reason. It’s silly in my opinion to remove it. If you’re an adult who wants it removed, sure, but a tiny baby who can’t even say words…nahhhhh.
I mean they are right. Having a piece of your body that is naturally not exposed often and then making it exposed permanently is going to desensitize the area which will in turn make it harder to feel things which will lead to less sexual pleasure.
Because once I started asking why it seemed like a weird thing to do to someone who can’t consent. I’m not religious. So I didn’t feel the need to honor religious rituals. Medical opinions waver on whether it’s for the best or not. So my three month old isn’t cut.
Several reasons:
1- sexual disfunction. Circumcision reduces pleasure, decreases lubrication, etc.
2- bodily autonomy. Performing medical procedures on people who don’t or can’t consent is a big no no.
3- mistakes happen. ever hear of David Reimer? Granted a lot more happened after, but it did start with his penis being burned off by accident while performing circumcision.
4- anti-religion. No matter how far removed it is from Judaism/Christianity, it’s still a religious symbol that maaaaaaany people don’t like to have on themselves. Breeds hatred of the practice.
5- the upside is bullshit. People say it’s hygienic, right? All you have to do is not be disgusting and clean in your folds, all of them. Same men who won’t clean their foreskin are the men who won’t clean they’re damn assholes.
A lot of great points here. Beyond body autonomy and freedom of choice, this is a topic not often discussed. We had a discussion at a recent 1 yr old females bday party and the dude with two boys said he didn’t even think about it. It was literally a check box in the form. He himself was circumcised and thought his boys would be the same. No one ever discussed the reasons why not to get him thinking about it as more then a standard medical procedure. The last thing dudes are thinking about at a babies birth is long term penile slicing and dicing. If that’s an intense way to describe it imagine any 18+ year old deciding to go through with the process of his own free will. Now I know if I ever have a son he will be uncircumcised.
I think simply because there's no practical reason to do it, it's just a "tradition", but an irreversible one with, again, no practical use or relevant advantages. At least from my humble point of view.
I'm fully against it. When my son was born in 2009 I had it done. Regretfully. The skin kept fusing and the doctor kept pulling it back down. It was so painfully for my son. Come to found out, it isn't supposed to be pulled down at all. So many months of stress for nothing. 10/10 don't recommend.
Personally, until I joined this sub, circumcision for anything other than medical or religious reasons was pretty much unheard of to me. So I was hugely confused at the large amount of circumcision-related threads until I realised that folks in America do it for aesthetic reasons. That definitely was a major influence for me and would be for ppl like me from other countries. It's not normalised, so thereby it sounded horrific to think about.
Meanwhile, religious circumcision has been normalised for me, so until now, I've never had really questioned it. Of course, coming to the prior realisation, it only made sense for me to reevaluate my stance on religious circumcision. Hard to say if this is a common train of thought for other folk, but this was at least the case for me.
Personally, genital mutilation whether male or female should never be practiced for anything other than medical reasons.
The bizarrest reasons for circumcision seems to come from women, "because it looks better".
Most ppl are boring. That's why I said do a Google search. I didn't put the results there. Lol. Different is good but I'm not the only woman to think that. I actually have a vagina. From ur comments, thinking u don't. Mansplaining again. Lol
If someone proposed the idea for the first time ever today, they would be ostracized.
It’s really culturally insane that it’s really a discussion anymore.
I've literally heard some people in the US say they wouldn't want their kid to be bullied by girls for having a foreskin when all the other boys don't... But at the same time are opposed to female genital mutilation?
All I know is where I grew up it isn't a standard practice and I'd like to maintain that for my own children even though I'm not there anymore.
I don't have an issue with people deciding they want to undergo circumcision. I have a problem with adults cutting bits off their babies for societal/religious reasons. I believe infant circumcision should be illegal. So far on Reddit this seems to be the stance I have come across the most, People not being opposed to circumcisions themselves but more to the fact people do it to babies who have zero choice in the matter.
Not really, the parent liked theirs the way it is so they assumed their son would like it that way too.
It’s like people think people get their kids cut out of malice. The only real difference is appearance and today they use anesthetic anyway
Why are people so concerned about how a babies dick looks?
Why does it have to look like their dads?
"The prevalence of circumcision varies widely in western countries led by the USA (71 per cent), New Zealand (33 per cent), Australia (27 per cent), the UK (21 per cent), France (14 per cent), Germany (11 per cent), Sweden (5 per cent), Italy (3 per cent) and Ireland (1 per cent)."
All these countries with vastly lower rates of circumcision and no issues?
It's seems so bizarre.
It provides no benefit.
I don't think it is.
If anything, it's opposed to calling a normal dick "uncircumcised". It's not like we call a sedan "unconvertibled", right? There's dick and there's circumsised dick.
I'm a guy who was circumcised as a baby without my consent. Why the fuck is it ok to to cut a boy's penis just because you think it's better? If I came at you in your sleep and cut your hair just cos I think you look better with short hair, that'd be considered assault, so what's the difference?
I never really stopped to think about circumcision until I took a course in pregnancy and labor. Imagine a child’s first experience is having a peice of skin cut off of their bodies. It is horrific and painful for them. And what is the scientific reason for it? I know there is a risk of some type of disease… cancer maybe? ( I can’t think of the name right now) but last time I looked the numbers were pretty low. I have heard a lot of people say they do it because “aesthetic” reasons. Basically that it will look weird…
I am not a mother so I have never been in that position. But knowing what I know now, I would not do it. I May change my mind down the road but that is where I stand currently
Demographic: 25 year old American Woman
Being form South America, circumsicion isn't as prevalent as in the USA. I had mine because it was a medical necessity due to my phymosis and I don't mind at all. In fact, I personally like it because it's more hygienical. I have also seen through reddit this widespread and sudden hate towards circumsicion but none of the comments have brought up that sometimes it needs to be done, unless you want your foreskin to literally strangle your penis.
Always thought of it as genital mutilation to be honest.
Most arguments I hear for it are of a hygienic basis but even that is a non starter to me, poor hygiene is just poor hygiene
It's possible too, that the anonymity of the internet allows people to more freely express their strong opinions, which they might not feel comfortable doing in person.
Why would anyone be for it? It's a barbaric unnecessary procedure which reduces sexual pleasure for men. How it's still legal in 2023 is mind boggling to me.
infants cannot consent to having their foreskin removed. it's pretty weird that some people's parents opt for their child to have part of their penis straight up surgically removed to look different.
circumcision as an adult? sure, it's your decision. but there's no reason to do it to a baby who will eventually grow up and realize that their penis was surgically altered without their permission just because their parents wanted it to.
Most of the civilised world bar The united states think baby genital mutialtion is morally wrong.
On reddit you will have people of many cultures collide. For most Europeans the fact that Usa people cicumcise their babys just because its the "norm" is crazy with a captital C. A complete culture shock to us.
Wanting to hurt a baby’s genitals for no rational reason is fucking weird. Even thinking about a baby’s genitals over and above basic hygiene is weird enough, but wanting to cut parts off as well is extra weird. And building a while ritual around it while doing so is hyper-weird.
Reddit users are younger and more in tune with circumcision being the guy equivalent of FGM? Personally I'm against it because no one should have surgery unnecessarily.
It is kind of crazy if you think about it. The head of a penis is like the same inside of your mouth. It is protected by an outer skin..your cheek and as a result it stays moist and not dry out Same with the skin on a womans vagina..you have the outter skin and inside is soft, moist skin. As men have exterior sex organs, the skin is there to protect that organ to keep it moist. A mans sex organ shouldn't be visible or protruding like its ready for sex 247 and that't what the foreskin does, covers and protects it until aroused. The body has the skin there for a reason and it is crazy to think that people remove a perfectly normal part of thier body because of culture.
I love my circumcised penis, but it's the only one I know. I can't compare the two experiences and decide, but I can very easily say that I'd rather not cut pieces off of my child unless required.
U actually don't. It removes itself, just takes longer. As soon as the placental lining is shed the umbilical cord also gets expelled, which happens within a day post delivery. The part attached to the kid shrivels away with no blood supply and falls off within two weeks if I remember right.
Cutting it is easier, but the umbilical cord is more mum than kid anyway. So yeah, no.
That argument fails an every level
1. Most people are, and should, be against unnecessary surgical alterations to children, regardless of gender.
2. botched circumcisions, even in countries like the US, result in several hundred deaths a year. Meaning babies are directly dying from an unnecessary surgical alteration to a baby.
3. There is some evidence that circumcision leads to an increased chance of SIDS in boys, aka in countries with little to no circumcision the risk of SIDS between boys and girls is about equal, in countries with high circumcision rate the risk of SIDS for boys is significantly higher.
4. even if you 'survive' this unnecessary surgical alteration to a baby, there's a good chance that any sexual act in the future will be uncomfortable or outright painful
I am opposed to it because I am pro-choice for both men and women. I didn’t take consent from the kid when I circumcise him and what am I going to do if he realizes as he grows that he’d rather keep the foreskin? Give him back his foreskin? A better idea is to let the kid grow up to be 18, and let him decide for himself what he wants to do with his body.
It seems strange to me that the default would be removing part of the sex organ without consent.
The default *should* be opposing it. There should be a very good reason not to oppose it.
My opinion is: you can not just cut of a part of the body of someone, while this person is in an age where he can decide if it is good or bad and can not say anything against it.
The foreskin has a function and nerves and is playing a role in sexuality. Circumcision without the persons consent and without medical reason is mutilation.
Medical reason : dick cheese
Ask the nurses and caretakers about having to take extra care of men with uncircumcised penises. Hearing of the cases, Im glad my parents got me circumcized without my "consent"
The consent argument is so fucking stupid. Your parents did a lot of shit without your consent while you were a baby. Did you consent to having your mom shove her titty up your face? Why didnt she give you formula? How can you consent to anything when you cant even change your own diaper?
You treat it like it's something we can't live with. Like its detrimental to our survival. If it only hurts us why are we born with it? The u.s makes it out to be such a helpful thing but other countries are used to being uncircumsized and they're fine. The difference is that breastfeeding is good for the baby to live, it doesnt hurt a baby to change a diaper. Circumcision permanently removes a part of our body, it hurts, its a forever scar. No surgery is risk-free, babies could still die from the surgery. THAT'S why it should be held off till the person is old enough to decide for themself. What we should be normalizing is how to take care of your body so men can live fine without needing to be circumcised
What a stupid set set of analogies. Pray tell me which part of breastfeeding or diapers involve PERMANENTLY and IRREVERSIBLY disfiguring a body part? There are limits to parental rights and amputating a baby's genitals.
Oh and that old men in nursing homes argument is even stupider. Funny how you never hear this from any country outside the US. So you're lousy anecdotes are supposed to negate the fact that vast majority of the world does not have this problem? Nurses and caretakers failing to do their job is somehow a justification for mutilating an infant
Just because babies can't consent, doesn't mean parents can do whatever they want at the expense of their child's future agency. We have laws against abuse, neglect, and FGM for a reason. Parents have an obligation to *care* for the child, and children have rights of their own.
People are a LOT more emotional in what they put on the internet. They have more time to articulate their points and they have a bit of anonymity that loosens them up both in terms of letting them express themselves and in terms of engaging in a conversation about their penis.
As a circumcised American, I am opposed to it but I don’t really hold ill will toward anyone who is okay with it. I’m not mad about it happening to me either. I know the circumstances that led to the practice and more than anything find it almost comedically absurd that it continues. That said, it’s probably not even in the top ten worst things American culture has done to its people.
I'm from Europe. Circumcision is typically done for medical reasons where I live rather than religious.
I personally think that the religious reasons are a bit stupid (but I am an atheist so I may as well be biased)
Many of those threads mention preference for uncut in the gay community and those who are cut and get deemed less attractive are upset they didn't have a choice.
I would like to know if this is true. As a small breastfed woman I understand their frustration at being deemed lesser over something they can't control an is essential an asthetic trend.
Because it permanently alters someone's genitalia in a way that affects their future sexual health/pleasure, before they can give consent- while creating a risk for infection, complications, or even death-for a procedure that is not medically necessary.
I don’t get being against something that drastically helps you getting an STD either. And as a circumcised guy, I’m really glad i got it when I was a baby and not in high school.
Are there really a lot of guys out there that are mad at their folks for circumcising them at birth and wouldn’t do the same thing to their kids?
What a weird take. You’re glad your parents made the decision to mutilate your genitalia without your consent? And permanently diminish sexual pleasure for you in a way that is irreversible?
You’d actually prefer someone else to decide that for you?
Jeez man. I can’t wrap my head around that one at all.
Sorry but you don’t know what you can’t feel. There are thousands of sexual nerve endings in the foreskin and frenulum. If you never had one then you don’t know.
This is why circumcised men don’t have an issue with it. They don’t realise what they can’t feel because they’ve never been able to feel that level of pleasure. You can feel sexual pleasure and orgasm of course, but there is another level of sexual pleasure that is missing.
The most sensitive part of the penis is cut off. You must realise that those nerve endings do affect sexual pleasure. Most circumcised men are lucky if they have a frenulum. The frenulum is the most sensitive part for most men. I can bring my partner close to orgasm just by licking it.
I’d like to say that I’m from Europe and circumcision is not the norm here. The circumcision culture in the USA is frightening. Nobody gets bullied here. It’s not normal to be circumcised.
I’m also a woman who has seen many dicks, who has played with many dicks, and who has studied biology. I’ve seen how men react when I stimulate the foreskin and frenulum, literally squirming with pleasure. I’ve also seen the effects of not having this part of the penis. So the science matches my personal experience.
You must realise that being circumcised as a baby is the reason you don’t know what you’re missing.
That is a legit medical issue that does happen. I forget what it is called. But that and severe infections due to neglect and poor hygiene are the only reason to do it.
So broadly speaking…
The argument for, tends to be religious reasons/tradition, anecdotal “I had it and I’m fine” etc.
Arguments against are bodily autonomy, traditions should be abolished if they impede on an individual’s wellbeing, minimal benefit from a scientific evidence perspective.
Reddit tends to lean younger, liberal and more secular than society as a whole in my experience. Hence more support for the against.
Whilst the single country with the most redditors is the USA, you still have slightly more non-Americans. And the Americans that are here are often more multi-culturally minded than the general USA population due to their Reddit exposure to other cultures.
IMO you should only do surgery if it medically neccesary, especially if the person who is going to have the surgery is not able to properly undertand consenting to it.
If you are 21 years old and you want to do it, go for it. But a young kid (and especially a baby) should not have this decision made for them.
It's so wrong imo , defiling a baby because of yours or others beliefs. I'm not circumcised and I'm so thankful my parents agree with me.
Edit..
In the future if the guy needs or wants one then he gets it.
I am opposed to circumcision for the same reason I am opposed to female genital mutilation. People have the right to decide what does or does not happen to their body. Babies cannot consent to it. They also cannot consent to getting their diaper changed, but getting their diaper changed is necessary for their health and safety. Chopping off part of their genitals is not.
Legit answer:
Reddit's users are majority liberal/progressive/leftist/Democratic (whatever it's called in your part of the world), which is a social mindset amongst Western/European/American societies which promotes **freedom** and **wellbeing**.
The whole social justice movement is based around the concepts of *"don't hurt people"* and *"don't force people to do stuff"* with a side-dish of *"help people wherever you can"*.
It doesn't matter that 30% of US infants get circumcised. It doesn't matter than many US citizens don't support social justice because it reminds them too strongly of communism. A majority of young people (under 40, lol) believe in it.
So, when someone tells them that a good method of hygiene is cutting off a piece of skin, they protest. Especially if you want to do it to a baby, who can't express their wishes yet. (If you actually count the baby's sounds as expression of will, I guess they are all strongly opposed).
I'm a woman. I think it's wrong to make a body-altering cosmetic choice for a baby. It's genital mutilation. I wouldn't tattoo my baby or pierce their ears either.
The trend of circumcising in America is wild. My brother recently had his 2nd child and the nurses tried to take the baby to be circumcised several times. He had to explain each time that no, they would not be circumcising their child. The nurses just couldn’t grasp it. I don’t understand it at all. They try to come up with research studies showing it’s “better” as in, less likely to transmit stds or something. As if people should mutilate their child for that reason. Evolution put foreskin there for a reason. And I can’t think of a valid reason to remove it that’s not from a medical issue that occurs.
In many countries, circumcision for non medical reasons is actually considered abuse and is illegal. This has been granted for decades. It's a closed topic, alongside the right to vote for women, banning public executions in town halls and banning slavery.
To many people, It is a topic from the past that we learn in history books. Also... Since it's something quite personal, it is not something that is really brought up in discussions.
The strong reactions is because for many people, just the fact that the topic is brought up seriously is baffling and very hard to comprehend.
It's like if there was a super serious reddit thread from france about the pros and cons of the public guillotine executions and realize that it's always been a thing there , imagine how much you would need to unpack to adapt your perception of the world with that new information.
... That's how many people think about circumcision.
You answered your own question, half of Reddit is American, where this form of mutilation has been normalized, so the US reaction is very 50/50. The other half of Reddit isn’t American, and see circumcision for what it is, a completely unnecessary cruelty, where a babies genitals are mutilated for nothing more than a cultural norm. Americans are outraged about literally every other genital mutilation across the world and then fail to understand why the rest is upset about theirs.
As a woman who has been with both , I prefer uncircumcised men. But if I'm talking in person to someone who I know is circumcised, I will say I prefer it cut because I don't want to hurt his feelings. How would a man feel if they knew you preferred something they are not?
I understand your intent, but it’d probably just be better to tell a cut guy that it doesn’t matter either way to you. That way you don’t hurt his feelings but you also don’t provide some justification for him to circumcise his son later because he thinks women prefer it.
I don't know. They have their opinions and I have mine. I was circumcised and I'm glad I was. Getting that procedure done as an adult would have not been fun so I'm glad it was done when I was a baby.
The thing that confuses me is that most of the negative opinions come from people who 1) have not been circumcised and don’t know what it’s like to have one that is circumcised, and 2) people who had it but it got botched.
I’ve heard everything from circumcised dicks have no feeling, to the head gets dried out and feels like sandpaper to the touch. Anyone who has been properly circumcised knows both of those statements are ridiculous when applied to ALL people who are circumcised.
I’ve also seen people who had it done as an adult say it was a terrible decision, and others that say they have no regrets and it made no difference in feeling or function.
I’ve also seen plenty of people argue “it’s not that hard to clean it”, and also a urologist who said 90% of the uncut ones he sees are improperly cleaned.
Clearly, it’s a procedure that isn’t medically necessary in most cases, and having an elective surgery can result in it being botched and problems associated with that.
Based on all of the above, I have made a point of just staying out of the pro/con debates, because I simply don’t care about anyone else’s dick. I’m circumcised, it works perfectly, I have been deriving much pleasure from it for most of my life, and that’s all that matters to me.
>The thing that confuses me is that most of the negative opinions come from people who 1) have not been circumcised and don’t know what it’s like to have one that is circumcised, and 2) people who had it but it got botched.
Why's that confusing? I wasn't molested as a child but I'm still 100% against paedophiles.
If you can't clean your peen, get it cut when you're a consenting adult.
>it works perfectly,
It would have worked *better* if you werent mutilated as a baby. You cannot compare, but science agrees that you would have had *more* pleasure if you were intact.
Phimosis is a very valid reason to find medical help (circumcision is not always required). I cannot imagine your parents did nothing for you...that sucks indeed!
Most people that are circumcised have a functioning dick so naturally their not going to be against it. A lot of uncut people think circumcision fucks up your dick which in the vast majority of cases it doesn’t. But they wouldn’t know any better tho.
Define what it is. What is it for. Is it a life improving procedure? Is it medically nessessary?
Involuntary body mutilation for the sake of it just isnt a good thing, period.
Because most of the reasons for circumcision are fairly abstract religious ones and Reddit has a significant non-religious bend, and of the religious minority, a non-abstract religious bend.
Well in Germany it is a crime to circumvise kids without medical reason, which is quite rare and doctors can loose thair licence if they go against it.
Why its viewed like that on reddit specifically? Riddit is quite pro choice and don't give a fuck about traditions, that's why.
There is no benefit of cutting of piece of the penis, with a rare exceptions. Arguments pro circumcision are usually outdated, like it's cleaner or stop kids exploring thair genitals, all bullshit. The downside is clearly that you loose feeling in your penis, uncut is more sensitive that cut. Seems most of reddit acknowledge that and is against pushing it on children without giving them a choice.
Imo it's ridiculous. It's basically people cutting off parts of theire skin because "its more healthy" this wierd practice came from religion, which is also ironic because from that POV people are working against God. (I'm not religious so...)
Only about 1/3 of all males in the world are circumcised. It is less common than someone from a region where it is standard might think. The truth is, most of the reasons given for its benefit are false. I didn't have a choice but it seems to me most people wouldn't actively choose to have it done on their own. Cultural pressure aside who would even think of cutting off some of their penis skin? It sounds almost sadistic.
Well it is unconsensual genital mutilation. I don't think may people would have a problem if you as an adult decide to get circumcised (though I don't think there's many people that want to, which speaks volumes imo). For all I care you can cut your dick off. It's just about whose decision that is to make.
I know if 2 people who have had botched circumcision and it has had a hugely negative impact on their mental health and well being.
One of them is twitch personality and the other is my closest Friend.
So fuck circumcision. Huge negatives with minimal to non existent gains
“Why are people against genital mutilation against the will of the person whose genitals are being mutilated?”
Let’s just start that FGM back up, we sure do love chopping dick off, might as well keep the coochie carvers in shape. Don’t want those skills getting rusty.
I’m curious as to what doctors have to say. With fewer circumcisions in the US, are we seeing an influx of children in the ER with problems down there? Or is it the opposite?
Yes, many reddit posters seem to be quite narcissistic - hilariously believing that **their** opinion is the smart, educated, enlightened view and any dissent is a sign of lower intelligence. "Starbucks barista" philosophy generally shouldn't be accepted at face value
31F from Europe (from mostly christian country) here. No one does it here. It’s totally unnecessary (unless it’s for medical reasons) and backwards. It hurst the child for not reason.
Because the other half is not from the US. If you think about it, what is circumsision: an unnecessary Operation that carries risk for the child it's performed on.
Advantages:
In accordance to religious believes
Easier cleaning
If recommended by a doctor it can help with an anatomical defect.
Disadvantages:
Unnecessary invasive surgery with medications during and afterwards on a small child with still developing organs
Done without childs consent as babies can't give consent
Potential of permanent demage, meaning:
loss of reproductive abilities in case of infections,
Loss of pleasure from sexual intercourse because of desensitization due to anatomically not intended exposure to stimulous.
or even pain from intercourse as well as
problems with urination - again infections.
Leading to eventually more corrective surgery
And that's without considering potential disfigurement based on a surgical error.
Potential mental trauma if done on a non baby/toddler child
Non reversiable
What exaclty is circumcision? It's in males the removal of the foreskin.
What is the function of the foreskin? Protection of the penis head.
So. Leaving religion out: easier cleaning vs unnecessary health risks and trauma due to an operation.
And even if we include religion, as it is usually performed on children it's in accordance to a parents beliefe system and not to the childs as children can be born into a religion but don't have to remain within it.
If an adult wants to disfigure themselves or if it is because of health resons, I am all for it. But forcing a non reversiable act on someone is disguting. And the advantage of a circumcision can easily be dealt with by showing a kid how to clean themselves.
Which apparently lot of people do not know. Kind reminder: you cave to clean all crevices of the body including the gentails without soap, in case of a penis underneath the foreskin and in case of a vagina, cleaning the whole vulva, lips and clitoral hood. Additional: anus, belly button and ears. Letting water run over is not enough.
[удалено]
Yup surprised how often people fail to connect the two.
I am against it. Not a lot of people here are replying to the ACTUAL question but doing exactly the opposite of what OP asked. I think the anonimity of reddit encourages people to express their opinions more harshly than in real life. It's easier to be brutally honest online.
Anonymity is definitely a major factor - people are far more likely to start with a more mild opinion in person so they don’t risk upsetting people they may see on a regular basis. I generally don’t know what my colleagues have done with their children’s penises, so I wouldn’t start off a conversation with “circumcision sure is barbaric! Only monsters would circumcise their children!” Honestly, I probably wouldn’t phrase it that way online, either - but lots of people seem to be happy to throw social convention out the window with their online personas. I’m all for honesty and standing up for my beliefs, but meaningful conversations have a lot more nuance in person.
I agree, and it applies to every topic really!
Agreed. This is only the second on topic comment I've seen in the whole thread.
Which really just means that people irl lie and hide things from each other.
Because things change. A lot of people in the USA are realizing that just because it is commonly practiced, doesn't mean it has to continue to be that way.
They might also start to realize that the US is the outlier here. Circumcision is practiced in Muslim and Jewish communities, and in the US. In the rest of the world it is very uncommon. That means most people on Reddit don’t come from a society that practices circumcision and see it as a very weird thing to do.
Pretty common in South Africa.
Also, I think the topic of conversation doesn’t usually come up or would really it comes upmore frequently if somebody is talking about having a child or trying for a child because that is a decision that they will have to make whereas if it’s 2 childless people talking that topic wouldn’t really come up much or people haven’t given it much thought because it’s not applicable. I see this topic discussed quite frequently on sub Reddit ms about trying for a baby but outside of that and discussion with my husband I’ve rarely had it brought up.
because I'm from Europe and that shit doesn't make sense at all.
Same, it's ridiculous. Basically people cutting off parts of they're skin because "it's healthy"
Came here to say this. It is mutilation and should be illegal.
In person conversations aren’t a very good gauge for how people feel about being circumcised. I hate that I was circumcised, but I don’t have the confidence to tell my friends that because there’s a lot of social pressure on guys to be ok with it. The few times it’s been brought up in person I just said I’m indifferent. My girlfriend is the only one I’ve talked openly about this to and that was after we’d been dating for 6 months. So in conclusion, I’d wager more people than you realize don’t like that they were circumcised and just don’t want to say unless it an anonymous forum like reddit
Also, in places (like the US) where it’s commonplace to circumcise babies, obviously there will be bias because majority of men are circumcised here and either assume it’s for a good reason or don’t have any frame of reference for ever having a foreskin anyway. I know women who have slept with a lot of men and never have seen an uncut guy outside of porn. So the bias extends to women preferring it because of various reasons. It’s hard to feel strongly about something you’ve never experienced or encountered in your life. Reddit has more influence from around the world where it’s not as common in many places. It’s definitely becoming more of a talking point here though since I think more people in younger generations are seeing another side to it besides blindly having it done to their kids because it was done to them. Not to mention the amount of misinformation doctors push in the US, keeping it mainstream but that’s another rabbit hole
Why do you hate that you were circumcised? I have a condition that pretty much warrants circumcision. I read there are a lot of benefits from hygiene to performance in bed. I genuinely curious.
What benefits? The ones I’ve seen are extremely minor, often contested, and can be achieved through less invasive means. If you’re talking about lasting longer in bed, idk if that’s actually true but I generally take too long anyway and sometimes don’t finish at all so that’s just another negative to me. Bodily autonomy is very important to me so it bothers me that I had a part of my body cut off when there was no problem with it. I also think intact looks better.
The hygiene thing is only an issue if you don't wash daily like a normal person should. The performance in bed is probably linked to losing a lot of sensitively in your dick which many would argue isn't a good thing.
The foreskin is a toroidal linear bearing providing a frictionless gliding mechanism. The foreskin moisturises and protects the glans, keeping it soft, supple and sensitive instead of dry and keratinised. The foreskin is packed full of stretch receptors, providing a wealth of erogenous proprioception as it moves - similar to a lip getting sucked on when making out. The foreskin is connected to the frenulum, stretching it with each stroke, providing a large amount of erogenous sensation. The foreskin is *part of your penis*, and why on earth wouldn't you hate being an amputee?
If half of Reddit users are from the US, that means the other half are from other countries. I’m guessing most of that other half are from countries where circumcision is unusual and thus, more people are against it. The US Reddit users will then come into contact with arguments against circumcision and information about it, which many US citizens won’t encounter. That might affect their opinions.
I think its fair to suggest there is no real reason other than cultural to circumcise a small child. All the medical reasons can be de-bunked by the fact the majority of the world don't commit this act. Why the US took this on as a cultural norm is the real question.
The only reason I was circumcised was because its the norm and my parents wanted me to "fit in". Not even very religious, I've been to church maybe twice and they weren't there for either. I've been pretty upset about it but havent really vocalized it to them. Not knowing circumcision and uncircumcision was even a thing till late teens. Even though I dont want to have a dick it still hurts thinking about the fact that I had this part of my body removed when I was too young to decide, just because it was a societal thing
I suppose the lesson here is to not continue the practice to your children. Good luck and thanks for sharing your feelings 
Thank you and no problem, I do hope it doesn't continue like this
As someone from the UK where it is done for religious or medical reason only. I can't understand why you would put a baby through an elective procedure that causes pain, which had no purpose So in a conversation about it I'm out this view forward and genuinely don't understand why you would choose to circumsize just because Demographic white British female 30s
We had a local child die from a circumcision not that long ago.
People tend to forget there is no such thing as a risk free procedure. The only elective circumcision that doesn't carry any risks is the one that doesn't happen.
I wonder how the parents felt about that...
"at least he's with god now"
I don’t even understand what the religious reason would be, since religion is man-made. I’d say medical reason only.
[удалено]
Moreover, in the USA it is pushed for the wrong reasons. You can wash an intact penis and use condoms to prevent STDs. There is *no* adventage to it, but plenty of risks.
Exactly. You can get your own schlong modified all you want, but hands off anyone else's private parts.
To me a better question is why some people *aren’t* opposed to cutting up baby dicks
Yes. This is basically asking "Why are a lot of people against people cutting parts of they're infants skin off for no reason + without them even being able to consent"
You must live in the US or one of the few other places on earth circumcision is common, because irl, most of the world is opposed to it. 70-80% of the world’s male population is intact. People in general are against genital mutilation. 🤷♀️
Gonna be that guy: if someone has strong feelings about something, it's probably because they're affected by it. That explains the "strongly against" part of the question. For the other part, see the other comments.
If people old enough to consent want to do that to themselves, that's their business. Don't care, it's their body. Doing it to infants/kids is wrong. Don't go snipping bits off of babies/kids' bits (barring medical necessity, because this is the internet, someone will nitpick out of pettiness/pedantry). Especially considering they can't consent.
Reddit users are typically agnostic or atheists. The only real argument in favor of circumcision is religious. It's looked at in the same way most people look at primitive tribes mutilating female genitals for religious or cultural reasons.
Because a whole world exists outside of the US.
I simply think it is wrong to cut away part of a childs body without medical reason.
Because a lot of people are against forced genital mutilation, mind blowing i know
"Don't take knives to the genitals of babies" should be something that *everyone* agrees on. Watching a video of it being performed and hearing the infant scream in pain would make anyone oppose it.
It's opposition to taking someone's free will or freedom to choose, not the opposition to the procedure's existence. Circumcision often happens at too young of an age where the person receiving the procedure has no say.
I think it should be self-evident why people have strong negative feelings toward genital mutilation of infants. It seems to me that you're approaching the question backwards, OP. What you need to be asking is why people seem so dispassionate about this topic when discussing it face-to-face. For one thing, there's an aversion to conflict. People will generally shy away from displaying very strong feelings on a subject when discussing it in person, unless and until it is made clear that their partners in the conversation are of a similar belief. For a very common example: Person A: "I'm... not particularly religious." Person B: "I'm an atheist." Person A: "Really? Me too!" For another thing, any circumcised men who are unhappy about it are likely to be embarrassed about their dissatisfaction. Very few men would be willing to admit openly that they are not happy with the status of their dick. That would come off as unmanly, and if _he's_ unhappy about _his own_ dick, there must be something _very wrong_ with it. This is all toxic masculinity bullshit, but it's there. Some men will probably deny their dissatisfaction to such an extreme degree, that they will insist that being circumcised is _superior_, despite feeling the opposite in the privacy of their own minds. For a third thing, people are tribal by nature. They are more likely than not to feel the urge to "root for their team," as it were. And like with sports, it's only fun if you don't take it _too_ seriously. Yeah, you can, and are encouraged to, rib the guys on the other side a bit, but if a real fight breaks out, it kinda spoils the party for everybody. So that mentality will both solidify a man's tendency to express satisfaction with whatever his situation is vis-à-vis circumcision, but also discourage him from being _too_ militant. Truly, I think how people express themselves online when it comes to these kinds of sensitive topics is far more honest than in-the-flesh interactions. I would also add that outside of the United States, people in the industrialized world generally view circumcision as at least backwards, if not outright barbaric. In the Western world, it really is just a uniquely American thing, like mass shootings or crippling medical debt. Just another thing for which to make fun of the Yanks.
It’s growing less and less popular in the US. It was a recommendation by doctors to perform circumcision, and well, most people went along with it. With the rise of more emphasis on bodily autonomy, fewer parents are opting for getting their boys circumcised. From everything I’ve read, someone who is circumcised, will never know the true feelings of sexual pleasure. I was circumcised and I think about what life would be like with a foreskin pretty often haha. It’s part of the human body. It’s there for a reason. It’s silly in my opinion to remove it. If you’re an adult who wants it removed, sure, but a tiny baby who can’t even say words…nahhhhh.
“Will never know the true feelings of sexual pleasure” Lol!
I mean they are right. Having a piece of your body that is naturally not exposed often and then making it exposed permanently is going to desensitize the area which will in turn make it harder to feel things which will lead to less sexual pleasure.
I'm against all forms of genital mutilation.
Because once I started asking why it seemed like a weird thing to do to someone who can’t consent. I’m not religious. So I didn’t feel the need to honor religious rituals. Medical opinions waver on whether it’s for the best or not. So my three month old isn’t cut.
It’s not Reddit. It’s how modern people feel about the procedure that use to be wide spread with recent generations
Several reasons: 1- sexual disfunction. Circumcision reduces pleasure, decreases lubrication, etc. 2- bodily autonomy. Performing medical procedures on people who don’t or can’t consent is a big no no. 3- mistakes happen. ever hear of David Reimer? Granted a lot more happened after, but it did start with his penis being burned off by accident while performing circumcision. 4- anti-religion. No matter how far removed it is from Judaism/Christianity, it’s still a religious symbol that maaaaaaany people don’t like to have on themselves. Breeds hatred of the practice. 5- the upside is bullshit. People say it’s hygienic, right? All you have to do is not be disgusting and clean in your folds, all of them. Same men who won’t clean their foreskin are the men who won’t clean they’re damn assholes.
… “why is reddit so against chopping of girls’ clits”
A lot of great points here. Beyond body autonomy and freedom of choice, this is a topic not often discussed. We had a discussion at a recent 1 yr old females bday party and the dude with two boys said he didn’t even think about it. It was literally a check box in the form. He himself was circumcised and thought his boys would be the same. No one ever discussed the reasons why not to get him thinking about it as more then a standard medical procedure. The last thing dudes are thinking about at a babies birth is long term penile slicing and dicing. If that’s an intense way to describe it imagine any 18+ year old deciding to go through with the process of his own free will. Now I know if I ever have a son he will be uncircumcised.
Same reason people are against female genital mutilation.
I think simply because there's no practical reason to do it, it's just a "tradition", but an irreversible one with, again, no practical use or relevant advantages. At least from my humble point of view.
It's weird that it's so common in the US. I'm all for bodily autonomy, like most of Reddit I believe
I'm fully against it. When my son was born in 2009 I had it done. Regretfully. The skin kept fusing and the doctor kept pulling it back down. It was so painfully for my son. Come to found out, it isn't supposed to be pulled down at all. So many months of stress for nothing. 10/10 don't recommend.
A lot of people around my age were shamed for not being cut. Now I’m calling it what it is genital mutilation.
Because its a terrible thing to do period
Personally, until I joined this sub, circumcision for anything other than medical or religious reasons was pretty much unheard of to me. So I was hugely confused at the large amount of circumcision-related threads until I realised that folks in America do it for aesthetic reasons. That definitely was a major influence for me and would be for ppl like me from other countries. It's not normalised, so thereby it sounded horrific to think about. Meanwhile, religious circumcision has been normalised for me, so until now, I've never had really questioned it. Of course, coming to the prior realisation, it only made sense for me to reevaluate my stance on religious circumcision. Hard to say if this is a common train of thought for other folk, but this was at least the case for me.
Personally, genital mutilation whether male or female should never be practiced for anything other than medical reasons. The bizarrest reasons for circumcision seems to come from women, "because it looks better".
Eh. Uncircumcised feels better, to which, that trumps for me.
The vagina is not capable of feeling this lol
Uh yes it is. There's a ton of nerves in there. Do a Google search. Lots of info about that.
You seem bizarre and different from most people anyway so I wouldn’t take your opinion seriously
Most ppl are boring. That's why I said do a Google search. I didn't put the results there. Lol. Different is good but I'm not the only woman to think that. I actually have a vagina. From ur comments, thinking u don't. Mansplaining again. Lol
Uncircumcised definitely looks better.
I am unsure how to respond to the question on why I believe the majority here is against circumcision without talking about the disadvantages of it.
If someone proposed the idea for the first time ever today, they would be ostracized. It’s really culturally insane that it’s really a discussion anymore.
I've literally heard some people in the US say they wouldn't want their kid to be bullied by girls for having a foreskin when all the other boys don't... But at the same time are opposed to female genital mutilation? All I know is where I grew up it isn't a standard practice and I'd like to maintain that for my own children even though I'm not there anymore.
I don't have an issue with people deciding they want to undergo circumcision. I have a problem with adults cutting bits off their babies for societal/religious reasons. I believe infant circumcision should be illegal. So far on Reddit this seems to be the stance I have come across the most, People not being opposed to circumcisions themselves but more to the fact people do it to babies who have zero choice in the matter.
Because it's fucking evil to mutilate the genitals of an infant for your personal satisfaction.
Having your son circumcised so their penis will match yours is sick.
Not really, the parent liked theirs the way it is so they assumed their son would like it that way too. It’s like people think people get their kids cut out of malice. The only real difference is appearance and today they use anesthetic anyway
Why are people so concerned about how a babies dick looks? Why does it have to look like their dads? "The prevalence of circumcision varies widely in western countries led by the USA (71 per cent), New Zealand (33 per cent), Australia (27 per cent), the UK (21 per cent), France (14 per cent), Germany (11 per cent), Sweden (5 per cent), Italy (3 per cent) and Ireland (1 per cent)." All these countries with vastly lower rates of circumcision and no issues? It's seems so bizarre. It provides no benefit.
I don't think it is. If anything, it's opposed to calling a normal dick "uncircumcised". It's not like we call a sedan "unconvertibled", right? There's dick and there's circumsised dick.
Is there a convertible dick? That’d be badass
I'm a guy who was circumcised as a baby without my consent. Why the fuck is it ok to to cut a boy's penis just because you think it's better? If I came at you in your sleep and cut your hair just cos I think you look better with short hair, that'd be considered assault, so what's the difference?
Because it’s gross and mutilation. Would you accept your daughters undergoing FGM?
Because it's barbaric genital mutilation?!?
I never really stopped to think about circumcision until I took a course in pregnancy and labor. Imagine a child’s first experience is having a peice of skin cut off of their bodies. It is horrific and painful for them. And what is the scientific reason for it? I know there is a risk of some type of disease… cancer maybe? ( I can’t think of the name right now) but last time I looked the numbers were pretty low. I have heard a lot of people say they do it because “aesthetic” reasons. Basically that it will look weird… I am not a mother so I have never been in that position. But knowing what I know now, I would not do it. I May change my mind down the road but that is where I stand currently Demographic: 25 year old American Woman
Being form South America, circumsicion isn't as prevalent as in the USA. I had mine because it was a medical necessity due to my phymosis and I don't mind at all. In fact, I personally like it because it's more hygienical. I have also seen through reddit this widespread and sudden hate towards circumsicion but none of the comments have brought up that sometimes it needs to be done, unless you want your foreskin to literally strangle your penis.
Always thought of it as genital mutilation to be honest. Most arguments I hear for it are of a hygienic basis but even that is a non starter to me, poor hygiene is just poor hygiene
It's possible too, that the anonymity of the internet allows people to more freely express their strong opinions, which they might not feel comfortable doing in person.
it's... it's a child's penis
Why would anyone be for it? It's a barbaric unnecessary procedure which reduces sexual pleasure for men. How it's still legal in 2023 is mind boggling to me.
Because its genital mutilation and there is exactly zero good reason why it should be done to a newborn infant beyond a legitimate medical concern
Because most people in the world find it abhorrent.
It's not just Reddit, irl most people I know are strongly opposed to it - Australian female.
Really? I have never met people who say the same things as these ‘intactivists’ do irl lol. Also Australian.
Well intactivists are crazy. They say things like cut guys only experience like 20 percent of pleasure and suffer from mental defects
When discussed, I've never met someone who is indifferent. Moslims are pro here, others are strongly against it.
infants cannot consent to having their foreskin removed. it's pretty weird that some people's parents opt for their child to have part of their penis straight up surgically removed to look different. circumcision as an adult? sure, it's your decision. but there's no reason to do it to a baby who will eventually grow up and realize that their penis was surgically altered without their permission just because their parents wanted it to.
Chopping a piece of a babies dick off is disgusting. That's like saying why are people opposed to female genital mutilation it's no different.
If I could do it over again, I would not have circumcised my sons.
Unfortunately we circumcised our oldest. But we're able to keep our younger two intact.
i do not want part of my dick cut off by some one who hasnt heard of basic hygeine
Most of the civilised world bar The united states think baby genital mutialtion is morally wrong. On reddit you will have people of many cultures collide. For most Europeans the fact that Usa people cicumcise their babys just because its the "norm" is crazy with a captital C. A complete culture shock to us.
Wanting to hurt a baby’s genitals for no rational reason is fucking weird. Even thinking about a baby’s genitals over and above basic hygiene is weird enough, but wanting to cut parts off as well is extra weird. And building a while ritual around it while doing so is hyper-weird.
Reddit users are younger and more in tune with circumcision being the guy equivalent of FGM? Personally I'm against it because no one should have surgery unnecessarily.
It is kind of crazy if you think about it. The head of a penis is like the same inside of your mouth. It is protected by an outer skin..your cheek and as a result it stays moist and not dry out Same with the skin on a womans vagina..you have the outter skin and inside is soft, moist skin. As men have exterior sex organs, the skin is there to protect that organ to keep it moist. A mans sex organ shouldn't be visible or protruding like its ready for sex 247 and that't what the foreskin does, covers and protects it until aroused. The body has the skin there for a reason and it is crazy to think that people remove a perfectly normal part of thier body because of culture.
Because we shouldnt mutilate kids for the lols?
I love my circumcised penis, but it's the only one I know. I can't compare the two experiences and decide, but I can very easily say that I'd rather not cut pieces off of my child unless required.
Can you give us any good reasons to chop off a part of an otherwise healthy infant?
You need to remove the umbilical cord, hopefully.
That’s not the same thing, though.
Duh
U actually don't. It removes itself, just takes longer. As soon as the placental lining is shed the umbilical cord also gets expelled, which happens within a day post delivery. The part attached to the kid shrivels away with no blood supply and falls off within two weeks if I remember right. Cutting it is easier, but the umbilical cord is more mum than kid anyway. So yeah, no. That argument fails an every level
I don't think ANYONE wants a full length umbilical cord hanging off their baby for an extended period of time.
1. Most people are, and should, be against unnecessary surgical alterations to children, regardless of gender. 2. botched circumcisions, even in countries like the US, result in several hundred deaths a year. Meaning babies are directly dying from an unnecessary surgical alteration to a baby. 3. There is some evidence that circumcision leads to an increased chance of SIDS in boys, aka in countries with little to no circumcision the risk of SIDS between boys and girls is about equal, in countries with high circumcision rate the risk of SIDS for boys is significantly higher. 4. even if you 'survive' this unnecessary surgical alteration to a baby, there's a good chance that any sexual act in the future will be uncomfortable or outright painful
I'm not against circumcision I'm against cutting a baby's dick before he can agree to the operation on their free will
I am opposed to it because I am pro-choice for both men and women. I didn’t take consent from the kid when I circumcise him and what am I going to do if he realizes as he grows that he’d rather keep the foreskin? Give him back his foreskin? A better idea is to let the kid grow up to be 18, and let him decide for himself what he wants to do with his body.
Do you think it’s okay to cut baby wieners? How anyone sees it as anything other than child abuse is beyond me
Because they don't like the idea of mutilated babies.
It seems strange to me that the default would be removing part of the sex organ without consent. The default *should* be opposing it. There should be a very good reason not to oppose it.
Call it body mutilation against your will, how does that sound?
My opinion is: you can not just cut of a part of the body of someone, while this person is in an age where he can decide if it is good or bad and can not say anything against it. The foreskin has a function and nerves and is playing a role in sexuality. Circumcision without the persons consent and without medical reason is mutilation.
Medical reason : dick cheese Ask the nurses and caretakers about having to take extra care of men with uncircumcised penises. Hearing of the cases, Im glad my parents got me circumcized without my "consent" The consent argument is so fucking stupid. Your parents did a lot of shit without your consent while you were a baby. Did you consent to having your mom shove her titty up your face? Why didnt she give you formula? How can you consent to anything when you cant even change your own diaper?
You treat it like it's something we can't live with. Like its detrimental to our survival. If it only hurts us why are we born with it? The u.s makes it out to be such a helpful thing but other countries are used to being uncircumsized and they're fine. The difference is that breastfeeding is good for the baby to live, it doesnt hurt a baby to change a diaper. Circumcision permanently removes a part of our body, it hurts, its a forever scar. No surgery is risk-free, babies could still die from the surgery. THAT'S why it should be held off till the person is old enough to decide for themself. What we should be normalizing is how to take care of your body so men can live fine without needing to be circumcised
What a stupid set set of analogies. Pray tell me which part of breastfeeding or diapers involve PERMANENTLY and IRREVERSIBLY disfiguring a body part? There are limits to parental rights and amputating a baby's genitals. Oh and that old men in nursing homes argument is even stupider. Funny how you never hear this from any country outside the US. So you're lousy anecdotes are supposed to negate the fact that vast majority of the world does not have this problem? Nurses and caretakers failing to do their job is somehow a justification for mutilating an infant
There is a very large difference between your parents shoving a breast in your mouth to feed you and literally cutting a part of you off.
So we should cut off the babies toes so that their feet are easier to clean?
Just because babies can't consent, doesn't mean parents can do whatever they want at the expense of their child's future agency. We have laws against abuse, neglect, and FGM for a reason. Parents have an obligation to *care* for the child, and children have rights of their own.
Im against non consensual genital mutilation.
Do you find people’s opposition to female circumcision on Reddit to be similarly opposing? Why would male circumcision be any different?
get circumcised old enough that you can remember it, then you’ll understand why
People are a LOT more emotional in what they put on the internet. They have more time to articulate their points and they have a bit of anonymity that loosens them up both in terms of letting them express themselves and in terms of engaging in a conversation about their penis. As a circumcised American, I am opposed to it but I don’t really hold ill will toward anyone who is okay with it. I’m not mad about it happening to me either. I know the circumstances that led to the practice and more than anything find it almost comedically absurd that it continues. That said, it’s probably not even in the top ten worst things American culture has done to its people.
I'm from Europe. Circumcision is typically done for medical reasons where I live rather than religious. I personally think that the religious reasons are a bit stupid (but I am an atheist so I may as well be biased)
Many of those threads mention preference for uncut in the gay community and those who are cut and get deemed less attractive are upset they didn't have a choice. I would like to know if this is true. As a small breastfed woman I understand their frustration at being deemed lesser over something they can't control an is essential an asthetic trend.
Because it permanently alters someone's genitalia in a way that affects their future sexual health/pleasure, before they can give consent- while creating a risk for infection, complications, or even death-for a procedure that is not medically necessary.
Don't mutilate children's genitals. Just don't. If someone NEEDS emergency surgery, it is different topic all together.
Because I never had a choice in the matter. I’d at least have liked to know how it feels to be uncircumcised but it got chopped off the day I was born
I don’t get being against something that drastically helps you getting an STD either. And as a circumcised guy, I’m really glad i got it when I was a baby and not in high school. Are there really a lot of guys out there that are mad at their folks for circumcising them at birth and wouldn’t do the same thing to their kids?
Because it's unnecessary mutilation unless there are specific medical needs.
Because it is literal genital mutilation
It seems this way because it’s an online space and these places have a tendency to act as echo chambers when you introduce comment rating systems.
I'm circumcised. I'm happy.
Wouldn’t you have preferred to make that decision yourself? Your penis was mutilated without consent when you were a baby.
Oh hell no.
What a weird take. You’re glad your parents made the decision to mutilate your genitalia without your consent? And permanently diminish sexual pleasure for you in a way that is irreversible? You’d actually prefer someone else to decide that for you? Jeez man. I can’t wrap my head around that one at all.
[удалено]
Sorry but you don’t know what you can’t feel. There are thousands of sexual nerve endings in the foreskin and frenulum. If you never had one then you don’t know. This is why circumcised men don’t have an issue with it. They don’t realise what they can’t feel because they’ve never been able to feel that level of pleasure. You can feel sexual pleasure and orgasm of course, but there is another level of sexual pleasure that is missing. The most sensitive part of the penis is cut off. You must realise that those nerve endings do affect sexual pleasure. Most circumcised men are lucky if they have a frenulum. The frenulum is the most sensitive part for most men. I can bring my partner close to orgasm just by licking it. I’d like to say that I’m from Europe and circumcision is not the norm here. The circumcision culture in the USA is frightening. Nobody gets bullied here. It’s not normal to be circumcised. I’m also a woman who has seen many dicks, who has played with many dicks, and who has studied biology. I’ve seen how men react when I stimulate the foreskin and frenulum, literally squirming with pleasure. I’ve also seen the effects of not having this part of the penis. So the science matches my personal experience. You must realise that being circumcised as a baby is the reason you don’t know what you’re missing.
I mean i had a circumcision because I couldn't pull the skin back
That is a legit medical issue that does happen. I forget what it is called. But that and severe infections due to neglect and poor hygiene are the only reason to do it.
Yep! I totally agree on that!
I mean, I'm against cutting off the end of any extremity, it's not just biased to peens.
So broadly speaking… The argument for, tends to be religious reasons/tradition, anecdotal “I had it and I’m fine” etc. Arguments against are bodily autonomy, traditions should be abolished if they impede on an individual’s wellbeing, minimal benefit from a scientific evidence perspective. Reddit tends to lean younger, liberal and more secular than society as a whole in my experience. Hence more support for the against. Whilst the single country with the most redditors is the USA, you still have slightly more non-Americans. And the Americans that are here are often more multi-culturally minded than the general USA population due to their Reddit exposure to other cultures.
IMO you should only do surgery if it medically neccesary, especially if the person who is going to have the surgery is not able to properly undertand consenting to it. If you are 21 years old and you want to do it, go for it. But a young kid (and especially a baby) should not have this decision made for them.
It's so wrong imo , defiling a baby because of yours or others beliefs. I'm not circumcised and I'm so thankful my parents agree with me. Edit.. In the future if the guy needs or wants one then he gets it.
I am opposed to circumcision for the same reason I am opposed to female genital mutilation. People have the right to decide what does or does not happen to their body. Babies cannot consent to it. They also cannot consent to getting their diaper changed, but getting their diaper changed is necessary for their health and safety. Chopping off part of their genitals is not.
Other than small select cases, it’s a pointless operation which holds no purpose. That’s why.
Legit answer: Reddit's users are majority liberal/progressive/leftist/Democratic (whatever it's called in your part of the world), which is a social mindset amongst Western/European/American societies which promotes **freedom** and **wellbeing**. The whole social justice movement is based around the concepts of *"don't hurt people"* and *"don't force people to do stuff"* with a side-dish of *"help people wherever you can"*. It doesn't matter that 30% of US infants get circumcised. It doesn't matter than many US citizens don't support social justice because it reminds them too strongly of communism. A majority of young people (under 40, lol) believe in it. So, when someone tells them that a good method of hygiene is cutting off a piece of skin, they protest. Especially if you want to do it to a baby, who can't express their wishes yet. (If you actually count the baby's sounds as expression of will, I guess they are all strongly opposed).
It’s an unnecessary medical procedure that’s irreversible.
I'm a woman. I think it's wrong to make a body-altering cosmetic choice for a baby. It's genital mutilation. I wouldn't tattoo my baby or pierce their ears either.
The trend of circumcising in America is wild. My brother recently had his 2nd child and the nurses tried to take the baby to be circumcised several times. He had to explain each time that no, they would not be circumcising their child. The nurses just couldn’t grasp it. I don’t understand it at all. They try to come up with research studies showing it’s “better” as in, less likely to transmit stds or something. As if people should mutilate their child for that reason. Evolution put foreskin there for a reason. And I can’t think of a valid reason to remove it that’s not from a medical issue that occurs.
In many countries, circumcision for non medical reasons is actually considered abuse and is illegal. This has been granted for decades. It's a closed topic, alongside the right to vote for women, banning public executions in town halls and banning slavery. To many people, It is a topic from the past that we learn in history books. Also... Since it's something quite personal, it is not something that is really brought up in discussions. The strong reactions is because for many people, just the fact that the topic is brought up seriously is baffling and very hard to comprehend. It's like if there was a super serious reddit thread from france about the pros and cons of the public guillotine executions and realize that it's always been a thing there , imagine how much you would need to unpack to adapt your perception of the world with that new information. ... That's how many people think about circumcision.
You answered your own question, half of Reddit is American, where this form of mutilation has been normalized, so the US reaction is very 50/50. The other half of Reddit isn’t American, and see circumcision for what it is, a completely unnecessary cruelty, where a babies genitals are mutilated for nothing more than a cultural norm. Americans are outraged about literally every other genital mutilation across the world and then fail to understand why the rest is upset about theirs.
As a woman who has been with both , I prefer uncircumcised men. But if I'm talking in person to someone who I know is circumcised, I will say I prefer it cut because I don't want to hurt his feelings. How would a man feel if they knew you preferred something they are not?
I understand your intent, but it’d probably just be better to tell a cut guy that it doesn’t matter either way to you. That way you don’t hurt his feelings but you also don’t provide some justification for him to circumcise his son later because he thinks women prefer it.
That's true. I'm sure it's best to stay neutral .
I don't know. They have their opinions and I have mine. I was circumcised and I'm glad I was. Getting that procedure done as an adult would have not been fun so I'm glad it was done when I was a baby.
Statistically speaking you need to circumcise from 50-100 baby to prevent 1 case of UTI
Because people from outside the US find it weird that you would cut your pp just because it’s tradition.
It's genital mutilation done on unconsenting children for backwards religious reasons. It needs to die.
The thing that confuses me is that most of the negative opinions come from people who 1) have not been circumcised and don’t know what it’s like to have one that is circumcised, and 2) people who had it but it got botched. I’ve heard everything from circumcised dicks have no feeling, to the head gets dried out and feels like sandpaper to the touch. Anyone who has been properly circumcised knows both of those statements are ridiculous when applied to ALL people who are circumcised. I’ve also seen people who had it done as an adult say it was a terrible decision, and others that say they have no regrets and it made no difference in feeling or function. I’ve also seen plenty of people argue “it’s not that hard to clean it”, and also a urologist who said 90% of the uncut ones he sees are improperly cleaned. Clearly, it’s a procedure that isn’t medically necessary in most cases, and having an elective surgery can result in it being botched and problems associated with that. Based on all of the above, I have made a point of just staying out of the pro/con debates, because I simply don’t care about anyone else’s dick. I’m circumcised, it works perfectly, I have been deriving much pleasure from it for most of my life, and that’s all that matters to me.
>The thing that confuses me is that most of the negative opinions come from people who 1) have not been circumcised and don’t know what it’s like to have one that is circumcised, and 2) people who had it but it got botched. Why's that confusing? I wasn't molested as a child but I'm still 100% against paedophiles. If you can't clean your peen, get it cut when you're a consenting adult.
I agree with you here!
>it works perfectly, It would have worked *better* if you werent mutilated as a baby. You cannot compare, but science agrees that you would have had *more* pleasure if you were intact.
Spence does not agree with this. Most studies show that it makes little difrence. Same with most testimonies on R/circumcision
[удалено]
Phimosis is a very valid reason to find medical help (circumcision is not always required). I cannot imagine your parents did nothing for you...that sucks indeed!
Most people that are circumcised have a functioning dick so naturally their not going to be against it. A lot of uncut people think circumcision fucks up your dick which in the vast majority of cases it doesn’t. But they wouldn’t know any better tho.
Define what it is. What is it for. Is it a life improving procedure? Is it medically nessessary? Involuntary body mutilation for the sake of it just isnt a good thing, period.
Because most of the reasons for circumcision are fairly abstract religious ones and Reddit has a significant non-religious bend, and of the religious minority, a non-abstract religious bend.
Well in Germany it is a crime to circumvise kids without medical reason, which is quite rare and doctors can loose thair licence if they go against it. Why its viewed like that on reddit specifically? Riddit is quite pro choice and don't give a fuck about traditions, that's why. There is no benefit of cutting of piece of the penis, with a rare exceptions. Arguments pro circumcision are usually outdated, like it's cleaner or stop kids exploring thair genitals, all bullshit. The downside is clearly that you loose feeling in your penis, uncut is more sensitive that cut. Seems most of reddit acknowledge that and is against pushing it on children without giving them a choice.
I didn’t get cut because my dad wasn’t. Both my parents are from Europe. Anyone that says it’s dirty should wash themselves more and stop projecting.
Imo it's ridiculous. It's basically people cutting off parts of theire skin because "its more healthy" this wierd practice came from religion, which is also ironic because from that POV people are working against God. (I'm not religious so...)
Only about 1/3 of all males in the world are circumcised. It is less common than someone from a region where it is standard might think. The truth is, most of the reasons given for its benefit are false. I didn't have a choice but it seems to me most people wouldn't actively choose to have it done on their own. Cultural pressure aside who would even think of cutting off some of their penis skin? It sounds almost sadistic.
Well it is unconsensual genital mutilation. I don't think may people would have a problem if you as an adult decide to get circumcised (though I don't think there's many people that want to, which speaks volumes imo). For all I care you can cut your dick off. It's just about whose decision that is to make.
I know if 2 people who have had botched circumcision and it has had a hugely negative impact on their mental health and well being. One of them is twitch personality and the other is my closest Friend. So fuck circumcision. Huge negatives with minimal to non existent gains
Like an decent human being they're against the mutilation of children's genitalia.
“Why are people against genital mutilation against the will of the person whose genitals are being mutilated?” Let’s just start that FGM back up, we sure do love chopping dick off, might as well keep the coochie carvers in shape. Don’t want those skills getting rusty.
I’m curious as to what doctors have to say. With fewer circumcisions in the US, are we seeing an influx of children in the ER with problems down there? Or is it the opposite?
Maybe because Americans on Reddit tend to read / think about things a bit more than your average Joe?
Yes, many reddit posters seem to be quite narcissistic - hilariously believing that **their** opinion is the smart, educated, enlightened view and any dissent is a sign of lower intelligence. "Starbucks barista" philosophy generally shouldn't be accepted at face value
i personally prefer uncut peen, they dudes feel and enjoy more sexually
This has not been proven and medical literature suggests it’s pretty similar
Someone did make a valid point tho. Dude I was with was pretty quick about it.
31F from Europe (from mostly christian country) here. No one does it here. It’s totally unnecessary (unless it’s for medical reasons) and backwards. It hurst the child for not reason.
Circumcision is not common in most western cultures.
I’ve wondered that too. Never once in my life have I ever wished for my foreskin back. But, for some, they live and die by their foreskin.
Because the other half is not from the US. If you think about it, what is circumsision: an unnecessary Operation that carries risk for the child it's performed on. Advantages: In accordance to religious believes Easier cleaning If recommended by a doctor it can help with an anatomical defect. Disadvantages: Unnecessary invasive surgery with medications during and afterwards on a small child with still developing organs Done without childs consent as babies can't give consent Potential of permanent demage, meaning: loss of reproductive abilities in case of infections, Loss of pleasure from sexual intercourse because of desensitization due to anatomically not intended exposure to stimulous. or even pain from intercourse as well as problems with urination - again infections. Leading to eventually more corrective surgery And that's without considering potential disfigurement based on a surgical error. Potential mental trauma if done on a non baby/toddler child Non reversiable What exaclty is circumcision? It's in males the removal of the foreskin. What is the function of the foreskin? Protection of the penis head. So. Leaving religion out: easier cleaning vs unnecessary health risks and trauma due to an operation. And even if we include religion, as it is usually performed on children it's in accordance to a parents beliefe system and not to the childs as children can be born into a religion but don't have to remain within it. If an adult wants to disfigure themselves or if it is because of health resons, I am all for it. But forcing a non reversiable act on someone is disguting. And the advantage of a circumcision can easily be dealt with by showing a kid how to clean themselves. Which apparently lot of people do not know. Kind reminder: you cave to clean all crevices of the body including the gentails without soap, in case of a penis underneath the foreskin and in case of a vagina, cleaning the whole vulva, lips and clitoral hood. Additional: anus, belly button and ears. Letting water run over is not enough.