# Men! Cover your nutsack, for god's sake! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 28, 2003, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676 "2003-03-28T01:32:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/121 "2003-03-30T06:10:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duke \* > \*\*Gender may have “nothing to do with it” in your eyes, **Mockingbird** , but I find it interesting that you have taken it upon yourself to tell someone of another gender what they should and shouldn’t be offended by, and that any attempts by that person to disagree are met with claims of “stupid Puritan whining.” > > And, as for hijacking the thread, hey, you’re the one who tried to start a flame war here. The OP’er didn’t attack anyone on this board, but you saw fit to attack her. > > PS. I’m still going to need some convincing that you didn’t change your username as a result of, not just **Lynn** , but **Coldfire** , **Esprix** , and indeed half the Board singed your hide over actions you admit were wrong but never bothered to apologize for. \*\* I owe you nothing. I put a post in MPSIMS when I changed my handle. Um… I owed and owe DDG nothing. Esprix, and my other detractors are more than welcome to tell someone who cares. This is far from a flame war. And I find it so interesting when someone like you, a self-appointed knight in tinfoil armour, decides they must take me on for the maiden fair. After all, it isn’t possible she could handle herself. ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/122 "2003-03-30T14:03:41Z")
> [@](#): > > After all, it isn’t possible she could handle herself. Which she has, and beautifully. You, on the other hand, have gone from being a poster I thought was kind of swell to being a whining, mewling bore. Rather, to bearing the APPEARANCE of a whining, mewling bore. Perhaps in person you’re engaging and swell. It’s not coming across on here at all. Your insistance that a woman who doesn’t want to see some 65-year-old’s dangly-ball old man scrotum unexpectedly is “puritanical” is so far outside the realm of reasonable expectation as to be hilarious…if your earnestness wasn’t so fucking pathetic. Have fun watching your scrotum writhe…my desire to never ever see that as long as I live is not puritanical; it’s **aesthetic**. Assface. Go ahead and either ignore this (as you obviously did my ‘unfurled labia’ post earlier in the thread) OR to post about how little my opinion matters to you. It won’t change the fact that you, in this thread, have displayed nothing but shrill petulance. ---
**Author:** ![Sapphire\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sapphire\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapphire_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/123 "2003-03-30T14:58:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hamadryad \* > Your insistance that a woman who doesn’t want to see some 65-year-old’s dangly-ball old man scrotum unexpectedly… Exactly! Now, if this 65 year old geriatric had strolled (hobbled?) up to her and had just _asked_ to show her his “dangly-ball old man scrotum”…well, this thread wouldn’t exist, I’m sure. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/124 "2003-03-30T15:02:31Z")
**Rubystreak,** throughout this thread, you have referred to your sighting of “an old man’s scrotum” and “an elderly scrotum.” I first thought your horror was due to the age of the scrotum, but it seems you were equally horrified by the sight of a (presumably) younger man’s penis. I wonder under what set of circumstances an accidental viewing of scroti/peni would be pleasing? As I once asked a woman who informed me that I had a hole in the crotch of my jeans, “Why were you looking at my crotch?” ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/125 "2003-03-30T15:22:26Z")
> [@](#): > > **Rubystreak** , throughout this thread, you have referred to your sighting of “an old man’s scrotum” and “an elderly scrotum.” Because this is the scrotum which touched off the OP (as 'twere). Uhm, duh. > [@](#): > > I wonder under what set of circumstances an accidental viewing of scroti/peni would be pleasing? I’d take a stab at “never,” and reiterate that _old man scrotum_\* was the type mentioned in the OP. [sub]\*the first person who starts humming “Old Man River” gets a gold star on his/her report card.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/126 "2003-03-30T15:29:29Z")
As a “by the way,” a few years ago I had a houseguest, whom I had only known for a couple of days,\* stay on the couch. When I got up in the morning, he was still sound asleep and his (flaccid) yin-yang was hanging out the front of his boxers. I got my husband to ask him to please put that thing away (I did not ask him myself because I wanted to avoid embarassing him). I wasn’t **afraid** of his yogurt-slinger, and I wasn’t afraid that Gawrd would strike me dead for catching a glimpse of his wang; I just didn’t particularly want to see a (practically) stranger’s limp cock first thing in the morning. \*He was a FOAgoodF, whose judgement I trusted - and still do ---
**Author:** ![Sapphire\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sapphire\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapphire_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/127 "2003-03-30T15:34:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hamadryad \* > \*_Because this is the scrotum which touched off the OP (as 'twere). Uhm, duh.I’d take a stab at “never,” and reiterate that old man scrotum_ was the type mentioned in the OP. > > [sub]\*the first person who starts humming “Old Man River” gets a gold star on his/her report card.[/sub] \*\* I would, but the thought of stabbing an elderly scrotum to make the Old Man River is just…wouldn’t it be moldy by then?? Maybe it should be Old Man Swamp. Old Man Radioactive Sludge Waste? I’ll shut up now. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/128 "2003-03-30T15:50:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mockingbird \* > \*\*And I find it so interesting when someone like you, a self-appointed knight in tinfoil armour, decides they must take me on for the maiden fair. After all, it isn’t possible she could handle herself. \*\* A knight, hey, I outrank those guys by several degrees. I ain’t defending anyone here, just calling you on it. If you attacked a male poster in the same petulant way, I’d be in here just the same. And what **Hamadryad** said. And as for your “grass apology” for your earlier behavior: apologies don’t mean shit if you turn around and keep pulling the same things all over again. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/129 "2003-03-30T19:18:42Z")
“Hooterville”? ( :: looks around him :: ) No hooters round here, more’s the pity. And wherever my opinion comes from, I stand by it. In our society as currently constituted, we have a right to Freedom From Unsolicited Genital Exposure. It is neither unreasonable nor puritanical to suggest that some body parts are best reserved for the gaze of one’s nearest and dearest alone. I’ve run into the occasional unleashed scrotum myself, and while the experience has hardly scarred me for life, it’s not one I would chalk up as positive, either. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/130 "2003-03-30T19:28:32Z")
**Mockingbird** , kindly fuck off. If not wanting to see some stranger’s naughty bits makes me a Puritan, then send me to Salem and call me Ann Putnam. ---
**Author:** ![SparrowHawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@SparrowHawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SparrowHawk)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/131 "2003-03-30T20:20:39Z")
First of all, I want to say I came into this thread thinking it was about tanning booth safety. (Seriously. I understand they have these little… er, cocksocks, for their male customers to protect the fragile bits from UV radiation. I think that is so cute.) Second, I would like to say that even though I share **Mockingbird’s** insouciance regarding my own viewing proclivities, I don’t endorse berating someone else for not sharing them. _De gustabus_ and all that, you know. If it’s silly to get revolted over an unintentional flash it’s even sillier to get condemnatory about someone else’s revulsion. The thing that’s bothering me now, and sorry for the probably hijack, is that people seem to be implying that this was necessarily more revolting simply because the unsuspecting gentleman was older. Than they are, anyway. As if only body parts blessed with dewy young freshness are worth looking at and nothing attached to a droopy, hobbling 65 year old (!) could be cherished. This guy was taking the trouble to work out; he probably takes care of himself and is not hobbling and hopefully has someone who cherishes his gonads besides himself. Okay, okay, I realize even the younger friend’s flash was unwelcome, and people have said that emotional closeness is what makes this particular bit worth any attention. (Well, emotional closeness and the astounding light show.) But we had an older model at my drawing class a few weeks ago (female), and I there was some grumbling and eye-rolling which disgusted me a great deal more than the sight of anybody’s scrotum or labia. Yeah, she was wrinkled and droopy. She was also a former dancer, a _damn_ good model and a beautiful and graceful woman. If people want to be disgusted by strange scroti in general, fine, but being disgusted by aged scroti simply because they’re aged bothers me. Maybe I’m just crabby 'cause I’m missing my drawing class this morning to study for a hideous math test. Grr. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/132 "2003-03-30T20:29:36Z")
I’ll add to the current trend in this post… I know a young (18) man who got upset,and actually came to me to vent because he’d seen a female friend’s breasts. She,apparently felt like he was her brother,and it was within her comfort zone to change her top,and bra with him present. She’s an amply busted young thing (17),yet he was upset. He said quote “She’s not my girlfriend,and I don’t want to see them!” The point I’m making is,male or female,people get upset seeing errogenous zones exposed unexpectedly. This is especially true if the person who is exposing themselves is a stranger,and it’s somehow worse if it’s accidental. (The polite horror factor kicks in.) I personally don’t want to see any male’s genitals,with the exception of my husband. I don’t have a problem being in the same room as friends who are changing clothes,but I’ll still turn aside,just as I did in the High School girl’s locker rooms. Even though everyone is stripping stark naked,you turn your gaze aside,to give them a little bit of privacy,it’s respectful. What \*\* Mockingbird \*\* fails to acknowledge,is that there are “social boundaries” that we are raised with,that govern our reactions to events. We are raised with the idea that we don’t expose “those areas” to anyone who isn’t a doctor,our parent’s if we are very young,or our lover if we are sexually active. It is reasonable to expect that we won’t see a stranger’s “sexual equipment” randomly in public. It is also reasonable to be upset if you do,no matter if it’s a young child “exploring” or an older gentleman. I’ve had to find a young boy’s mom,and let her know her little guy was proud of his maleness. We both realized that he did not yet understand that kind of discretion,and she handled it well. It still made me feel…odd though. This excludes,of course,(with good reason) nursing mothers. The breasts are serving a non-sexual purpose in that case. I still think that whenever possible,the mother should use an appropriate “throw/shawl/blanket” to be discreet,but I can understand on a hot summer day,in the park with your other children how any cover would be too much. In any case,it’s fairly reasonable if you think about it,that a woman with a very young baby might be breastfeeding,and so when she does,it shouldn’t be a shock. I don’t think **Rubystreak** was at all unreasonable in her reaction. She felt it would mortify the man if she told him,(and she’s probably right) and so could not. She was still politely horrified,on the man’s part,and for herself. She needed an outlet,and so she came here. **Rubystreak** I do think you should let your friend know,that maybe he needs to buy swim trunks that have a set of built in underwear. If you can’t tell him this,maybe your friend could. I’d let him know before his “trouser snake” gets some sun though. ---
**Author:** ![Venoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c4cdca/32.png) [@Venoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Venoma)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/133 "2003-03-30T20:54:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zabali\_Clawbane \* > \*\*I’ll add to the current trend in this post… > I know a young (18) man who got upset,and actually came to me to vent because he’d seen a female friend’s breasts. She,apparently felt like he was her brother,and it was within her comfort zone to change her top,and bra with him present. \*\* _blinkity blink blink_ What kind of family does SHE have? My brothers have never seen my hooters (that I know of. And if they did, I’m glad I don’t know.) Change my shirt? Sure. Bra? Maybe if it’s UNDER the shirt. and even then it’s a ‘guys, turn around’ sort of thing. FTR, I have been laughing out loud for 10 minutes reading this thread. ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/134 "2003-03-30T21:05:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rubystreak \* > \*\* > the writhing human lava lamp that is The Scrotum. \*\* Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. ---
**Author:** ![SparrowHawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@SparrowHawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SparrowHawk)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/135 "2003-03-30T22:00:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zabali\_Clawbane \* > **This excludes,of course,(with good reason) nursing mothers. The breasts are serving a non-sexual purpose in that case. I still think that whenever possible,the mother should use an appropriate “throw/shawl/blanket” to be discreet,but I can understand on a hot summer day,in the park with your other children how any cover would be too much. In any case,it’s fairly reasonable if you think about it,that a woman with a very young baby might be breastfeeding,and so when she does,it shouldn’t be a shock.** Well, a guy pissing on the sidewalk is using his tool for a non-sexual purpose, too, so I don’t think that’s exactly the criterion we’re looking for. Nursing mothers don’t bother me and I have been one. I did use a blanket, being raised with that particular boundary. Even when I lived in France, where nursing and non-nursing boobs were flashing free in the sun at beaches and neighborhood pools, I kept 'em covered. But I wasn’t offended by those who didn’t. Everybody’s raised with social boundaries, but we aren’t all raised with the same ones. Doesn’t mean I think anybody should be free to flash anything they choose, only that I wasn’t raised to be horrified by it, I guess. I am studying, really I am. Oh, and **Zabali** , if you hit the spacebar after you type a comma, my eyes will thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Consuela\_Bobuela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Consuela\_Bobuela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Consuela_Bobuela)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/136 "2003-03-30T22:24:40Z")
I hope nobody decides to give Ruby tickets to see “Puppetry Of The Penis”. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/137 "2003-03-30T22:27:49Z")
I think _The Writhing Scrotums_ would make quite a good band name (late punk, probably I would say). ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/138 "2003-03-30T23:51:20Z")
Thanks to everyone, **Duke** , **Hamadryad** , \*\* Steve, \*\*, **Zabali** , **Daerlyn** , and \*\*Guinastasia \*\*for helping me point out that **Mockingbird** was overreacting a tad to my mostly humorous vent. I don’t feel like such newbie now, having been backed up in my first Pit thread ever. I’d like to assure everyone that the age of the scrotum in question was not the reason for my horror, though it did make me feel bad for the guy. I’m sure he wouldn’t be happy to know he was flashing the whole gym. As for my younger friend, I think I will get my gay guy friend to tell him if the trouser snake leaves it’s nest again this summer. Now that I’ve thought about it, I think a goodly portion of my horror is sympathetic embarrassment for the guy in question. Perhaps it is an assumption on my part that they would be mortified that their goodies were out. I don’t think so, though. The world is not full of Mockingbirds and vasyachkis. Thank god. **Duke** , I would be honored to have you as my knight in tinfoil armor any day.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/139 "2003-03-31T00:56:25Z")
**Rubystreak,** sympathetic embarrasment is worthy, generous and completely understandable. I, being a somewhat elderly guy, am quick to take offense when words such as old or elderly are used in a condemnatory way. I’m glad that you qualified the source of your horror. ---
**Author:** ![ReuvenB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@ReuvenB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReuvenB)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676/140 "2003-03-31T01:21:13Z")
Bumblebee Tuna! (I wonder if anyone will get that…) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-cover-your-nutsack-for-gods-sake/164676.md?page=8)