# Are You Circumcised? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 14, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734 "2009-10-14T02:08:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/1 "2009-10-14T02:08:22Z")
Are you circumcised (this applies to both males and females)? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/2 "2009-10-14T02:38:15Z")
Public poll? Sorry, my pole’s not public. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/3 "2009-10-14T03:26:42Z")
why do ya wanna know? I grew up in a cold country - turtle necks are great for keeping warm ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/4 "2009-10-14T03:35:58Z")
(Guess this makes my pole public. Que sera, sera.) If I understand correctly, most American men my age (I’m 42) are circumcised and most Europeans my age are not. Maybe this is true of other ages too. Anyway, my father is European and uncircumcised, so a few years ago I asked him why he let me be circumcised as a newborn. He said “I didn’t know they were going to do it! By the time I found out it was too late.” I thought that was a good answer, but when I repeated it to my (American) mother she rolled her eyes and said “Ask him why your younger brother was circumcised, then.” :rolleyes: Without any intention of debating this, I do wonder why circumcision ever caught on. If I ever have a son I think I’ll pass. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/5 "2009-10-14T04:03:45Z")
Circumcised. Preferred by 9 of 10 gay dentists. ---
**Author:** ![SecondJudith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@SecondJudith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecondJudith)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/6 "2009-10-14T06:35:53Z")
What exactly do you mean by female circumcision? ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/7 "2009-10-14T06:39:22Z")
Considering the circumstances (no joke intended) surrounding most cases of female circumcision that I’ve heard of, it seems like a rather intrusive question, sort of like “have you ever been sexually assaulted”? Of course, the solution is then not to reply. But asking in the first place is a little… I dunno… off to me, in terms of manners. OTOH, I’m impressed to see how many Dopers are so unashamed of their, uh, packages. Me, I sort of felt like I was being asked to drop trou in public. But these guys, well, when asked, they just whip 'em right out! Amazing. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/8 "2009-10-14T06:51:23Z")
hee - **Leaper** , I’m not ashamed of my package - is yours something to be ashamed of? I still wanna know just why exactly the OP is asking. And don’t worry I won’t tell any jokes about lepers, prostitutes and tips. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/9 "2009-10-14T08:06:54Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Considering the circumstances (no joke intended) surrounding most cases of female circumcision that I’ve heard of, it seems like a rather intrusive question, sort of like “have you ever been sexually assaulted”? > > Of course, the solution is then not to reply. But asking in the first place is a little… I dunno… off to me, in terms of manners. > > OTOH, I’m impressed to see how many Dopers are so unashamed of their, uh, packages. Me, I sort of felt like I was being asked to drop trou in public. But these guys, well, when asked, they just whip 'em right out! Amazing. 😃 Meh. While I’d prefer a private poll, I would still feel the need to explain, anyways, so that would defeat the point. And we’ve discussed way more TMI topics on here before, so… Anyways, mine wasn’t for any religious reasons–in fact, I’m not quite sure why it was done. I kinda wonder if there are many others who also got it done for nonreligious reasons, and what reasons those were. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/10 "2009-10-14T08:22:14Z")
Public poll and including female circumcision in the same line? Somehow I think we can do better and get better results. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/11 "2009-10-14T09:24:05Z")
This shouldn’t be a public poll. ---
**Author:** ![kombatminipig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5ac83/32.png) [@kombatminipig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kombatminipig)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/12 "2009-10-14T12:26:24Z")
Political topic, but male and female circumcision aren’t even in the same ballpark. Poll should be male only. ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/13 "2009-10-14T13:00:06Z")
Voting on behalf of all members of the NajaDen. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/14 "2009-10-14T13:01:19Z")
What’s to be ashamed of? Most of us had no say in the matter, anyway. (Unless, of course, it was a choice you made while an adult, but still… so what?) ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/15 "2009-10-14T13:02:43Z")
> [@kombatminipig](#): > > Political topic, but male and female circumcision aren’t even in the same ballpark. Poll should be male only. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/16 "2009-10-14T13:07:47Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Anyways, mine wasn’t for any religious reasons–in fact, I’m not quite sure why it was done. I kinda wonder if there are many others who also got it done for nonreligious reasons, and what reasons those were. Just about anyone born in the U.S. from the post-WWII period until at least the 1990s had it done for completely non-religious (the population of U.S. citizens who subscribed to a circumcision-requiring religion being, still, tiny) reasons as an almost routine matter for medical or “medical” purposes. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/17 "2009-10-14T13:19:12Z")
I have no problem participating in this public poll (circumsized, by the way), but I never asked my parents why they decided to have it done to me. I don’t want to discuss my penis with them. But with you guys, no problem. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/18 "2009-10-14T13:25:19Z")
> [@An\_Arky](#): > > This shouldn’t be a public poll. It matters not to me if anonymous people on a message board know I (another anonymous person) knows I’m circumcised. ---
**Author:** ![UncleNito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/7cd45c/32.png) [@UncleNito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleNito)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/19 "2009-10-14T13:35:24Z")
I’m cut. Never missed it. American, born in 1978. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734/20 "2009-10-14T13:48:09Z")
> [@kombatminipig](#): > > Political topic, but male and female circumcision aren’t even in the same ballpark. Poll should be male only. Even politics aside, it doesn’t make any sense to put them together. Assuming, since the majority of the posters on this board are in the US, that most of the men will be circumcised, and most of the women are _not_, then you’ll get about a 50-50 result if an equal number of men & women answer. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-circumcised/513734.md?page=2)