Circumcision - its effects - Printable Version +- Chronic Suicide Support (https://www.chronicsuicidesupport.com/forum) +-- Forum: Other Stuff (https://www.chronicsuicidesupport.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=5) +--- Forum: Helpful References * (https://www.chronicsuicidesupport.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=21) +--- Thread: Circumcision - its effects (/showthread.php?tid=1944) |
Re: Circumcision - its effects - Dragon - 12-07-2012 Ignorance plays a major part in acceptance of the social status-quo. Saying that we didn't know better should be a valid reason for many things. Blame attaches itself to someone who knows better and goes ahead and does it anyway. Though, in our society, we are all too often blamed for doing things we didn't know the right or wrong of. Hindsight is 20-20. Re: Circumcision - its effects - nightsong - 12-08-2012 (12-06-2012, 11:46 PM)no_escape link Wrote: Sorry if I reopened old wounds for you nightsong. You're not to blame. I know you're dealing with a lot of other stuff right now too, so my apologies. Sometimes my rage and frustration just overflows.No worries, it wasn't opening up old wounds. I do feel sadness and guilt when I think about it, but not overwhelmingly so. I know that I did the best with the (no) information that I had at the time. I do appreciate your concern and consideration. Re: Circumcision - its effects - no_escape - 06-29-2013 Here's a video of an Egyptian man talking about being circumcised at age 10 and how it affected him. He talks a lot about suicidal feelings. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqsK14axa0w He also translated and wrote out the text of the video since it is long: https://ia601805.us.archive.org/28/items/sano2007_2562013/Message_from_Circumcised_Young_Man_to_History_Message_to_My_Mother.txt Some extracts: Describing the day he was circumcised Quote:and one day when i was 10 years old my mother asked me to go out of home with her, when i asked her where we are going she said we are going for a short journey and we will be back home right away, i agreed to go out with my mother because i trust her and i feel safe with her, because i know she wouldn't hurt me and wouldn't expose me to danger for any reason. Asking a doctor about restoring foreskin and trying to talk to his mother Quote:when we gone to doctor and asked him, he replied sarcastically and said : Re: Circumcision - its effects - Dragon - 06-29-2013 Interesting article that prompted me to go looking around the web for the age of circumcision in Islam. To my surprise I found there is none! While Judaism typically requires that the Bris (circumcision) be performed at around 7 days of age, Islam simply requires <?> that the male be circumcised before puberty, before joining the congregation of Islam. The reference to Judaism, BTW, is appropriate since circumcision derives from the Abrahamic tradition followed in varying degrees by Islam, Christianity and Judaism. This story, to me is horrific; to take a child who hasn't - apparently - been prepared in any way into a hospital to be circumcised is the ultimate in cruelty. Even in the most remote of the African Islamic tribes, where circumcision is considered the rite of passage from childhood to adulthood the boys are instructed - what will happen, how it will happen and of course the "joyous but painful" passage from child to adult. Re: Circumcision - its effects - no_escape - 06-29-2013 I think most people would agree that it is a cruel thing to do. And yet, they seem to have no problem doing the same thing to an infant because "he won't remember it." Does that mean it's OK to commit cruel acts on people as long as they don't remember it? Or is it that infants are not considered people? Or are we to believe that a baby doesn't feel the same pain and terror that this man describes just because they can't say so in words? Re: Circumcision - its effects - Dragon - 06-29-2013 no_escape, I *do* have to play devils advocate here a bit. There were times, from (basically) pre-history to as late as the early part of the last century where people were quite often logistically incapable of keeping a standard of cleanliness that we now take for granted (unless you live in the middle of nowhere, like I do!) I think even those who are intactivists educate parents to the need for personal hygiene. Disease, to include genital disease ran rampant among people even just 200 years ago. (Witness the flu epidemic of 1918 that killed approximately 10% of American and no, I'm not blaming that epidemic on the presence of circumcision) Circumcision as a prophylactic measure was immeasurably better than the alternatives. To turn the table on you, is it better that a child be circumcised or to experience Balanitis, HIV or cancer - all of which occur at a higher rate among the uncircumcised that the circumcised male. What I found most horrific about the incident you describe is not the circumcision itself but that the child was so unprepared for it in any means. With few exceptions circumcision is a requirement to take part in the community of Islam. Answering you questions: No, it's not 'okay' to commit a cruel act on another (whether they can remember it or not). In many societies (some even today), because of child death, children were not regarded as people until they had reached 3 - 5 years. Expanding on that, however, beyond the moral issues you bring to the table are also the religious issues, if one believes firmly that circumcision (as much as baptism) is a requirement for salvation are you and I the people to tell them they're wrong? Re: Circumcision - its effects - no_escape - 06-29-2013 (06-29-2013, 08:49 PM)Dragon link Wrote: no_escape, I *do* have to play devils advocate here a bit. There were times, from (basically) pre-history to as late as the early part of the last century where people were quite often logistically incapable of keeping a standard of cleanliness that we now take for granted (unless you live in the middle of nowhere, like I do!) I think even those who are intactivists educate parents to the need for personal hygiene. Disease, to include genital disease ran rampant among people even just 200 years ago. (Witness the flu epidemic of 1918 that killed approximately 10% of American and no, I'm not blaming that epidemic on the presence of circumcision) Circumcision as a prophylactic measure was immeasurably better than the alternatives. The so called medical benefits of circumcision are not supported by the data. An Oxford grad student tackles the medical aspect very thoroughly in this article: http://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2012/08/the-aap-report-on-circumcision-bad-science-bad-ethics-bad-medicine/ There's also a short video from a Canadian doctor addressing those claims of reduced chance of disease: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi6A7wP7dKw Quote:Answering you questions: I don't believe religious tolerance should extend to allowing people to violate children's bodies. In the West, we have no qualms about calling female circumcision mutilation, and making it an illegal practice. These people who insist that male genitals must be cut due to religion are free to cut their own when they are of age. Until that time, religion is not a free pass to do irreversible, non medical surgery on a healthy child. Re: Circumcision - its effects - Dragon - 06-29-2013 For everything you can pull up off the web, I could find a counter argument ... just as you can for anything I post. Do I agree with you in major part, yes I do. But when someone keeps coming at me with "I'm right, you're wrong" in all cases, then I don't see a lot of sense in continuing the discussion because it isn't one any more. By the way, my comment regarding current issues with disease among males came from the CDC, not a grad student. Re: Circumcision - its effects - Dragon - 07-03-2013 After a bit of thought and more discussion I realize that I owe no_escape an apology for the way I responded. I called him down for expressing an opinion that he believes very strongly in - and I completely disregarded his feelings in the issue. To add insult to injury, I exercised a "one ups man ship" that I would not have accepted from anyone. Possibly the frosting on the cake. You have my sincere and heartfelt apology for that - I never mean to hurt anyone here, intentionally or otherwise. //al Re: Circumcision - its effects - no_escape - 07-03-2013 I accept the apology and I apologize as well for escalating into a fight on one who doesn't deserve it. This is an issue where before I even open my mouth I already feel persecuted and belittled, so from the start I am on the defensive. I hate the silence that surrounds it, yet if this is how I react, is it not wise to be silent about it around me? There are better people than I am fighting to end it, and I should leave the fight to my betters instead of making enemies for no reason. At the time of the exchange I genuinely hated you, but that speaks more about me than you. I apologize for the undeserved hatred. |