# One small cut for man not kind **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 25, 2005, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781 "2005-06-25T09:53:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Alsoran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Alsoran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alsoran)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/1 "2005-06-25T09:53:40Z")
Why in the name of all that is reasonable do US hospitals routinely mutilate baby boys? If only 1 in 100,000 go wrong surely this is too many. All medical opinion agrees that this is not necessary for any health reasons. So why why why? All of the scare mongers should be aware that all of the medical myths are mitigated by simple cleanliness. If it were true then the male populations of UK, Australia (where mutilation is not a comon practive) would be halved and guess what, they are not. I understand the covernant made between god and the sons of etc. and I cannot argue against faith so please no religious battles. The rest of you - especially the men - stop with the chop chop. Thankyou Please make fun of my spelling. It will help me learn ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/2 "2005-06-25T10:12:20Z")
I’ve never understood why they did it either. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/3 "2005-06-25T10:12:33Z")
I’ve never understood why they do it either. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/4 "2005-06-25T10:29:23Z")
I’m glad it was performed on me, and to be honest, don’t remember feeling a thing! So 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Alsoran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Alsoran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alsoran)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/5 "2005-06-25T10:33:30Z")
> [@ParentalAdvisory](#): > > I’m glad it was performed on me, and to be honest, don’t remember feeling a thing! So 😛 You might have felt different if you were told it was going to be done when you were 10 years old or so - given the choice you would not choose to have part of your gentitals with 20-30% of the sensory nerve endings associated with male orgasim chopped off. If you were one of the thousands who were damaged to the point of disfunction you may have a different opinion. Imagine you are the parent of a perfect boy, you let loose a doctor on him, he comes back disfigured beyond repare - nice start to father son relations. Gary ---
**Author:** ![Liz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/liz/32/17737_2.png) [@Liz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liz)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/6 "2005-06-25T11:10:48Z")
I don’t understand it, either. It almost seems to be some bizarre cosmetic alteration that serves no purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Kitchen\_Wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Kitchen\_Wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kitchen_Wench)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/7 "2005-06-25T11:55:13Z")
My poor nephew suffered from the results of a crappy circumcision. Apparently, the foreskin wasn’t removed completely, and later tried to grow back. I didn’t personally see his penis by that time, but my bro said the skin was trying to _strangle the head of his penis_. So they had to lube it up with vaseline and manually pull the skin back after every bath. For at least a year. Poor little guy. He’s 15 now, and said his penis is fine (and he has a very personal and intimate relationship with it). I worried for the longest time that he’d have problems later in life. And for the American people who go on about natural weiners being “unclean,” why the hell can’t they teach their kids how to wash an uncut penis??? Are we that f\*cking lazy? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/8 "2005-06-25T11:58:59Z")
Count me in the “I don’t understand it at all” brigade. And as for those who say you should remove the foreskin because it has no function - you need to, well, use a bit more imagination 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/9 "2005-06-25T11:59:03Z")
This subject is brought up here at least once a year (the curse of JDT, I suppose) and it almost always ends up getting ugly. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/10 "2005-06-25T12:05:26Z")
Mine’s gone. Don’t remember it so I don’t miss it. I really don’t see what the big deal is either way. ---
**Author:** ![Q.N.Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3da27b/32.png) [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/11 "2005-06-25T12:44:47Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > This subject is brought up here at least once a year (the curse of JDT, I suppose) and it almost always ends up getting ugly. Yup. Here we go again. I think it’s a dopey custom too. The medical justifications for doing it are largely trumped up. The mothers and fathers I’ve talked to who did it 'fessed up that they did it for these reasons: 1. Dad is cut and for some reason, it’s important to Dad for son’s weenie to look like his. 2. Mom thinks uncut weenies are gross. Maybe she saw some when she was dating, or maybe she just heard the scare stories about how dirty they are. All she knows is, she doesn’t want to do it with an intact guy 'cause it’s yucky, and doesn’t want her son getting rejected or made fun of for it. 3. Just because every other boy is circumcised, and the potential to be made fun of in the showers after junior high gym class. Even they admit that these reasons are pretty dumb, but hey, the kid doesn’t suffer much and won’t remember it. And they don’t know anyone who regrets the loss of their foreskin. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/12 "2005-06-25T13:04:48Z")
According to [this](http://www.cirp.org/library/statistics/USA/), as of 2003 about 55% of male newborns were circumcised. Sure, it’s a weird custom. Its also fairly harmless: the majority of men in the U.S. are circumcised, and I don’t recall widespread complaints from the proud owners. Aren’t there more important things to be upset about? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/13 "2005-06-25T13:06:37Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Aren’t there more important things to be upset about? You’d think so. ---
**Author:** ![Q.N.Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3da27b/32.png) [@Q.N.Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.N.Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/14 "2005-06-25T13:12:00Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Aren’t there more important things to be upset about? Penises are of major importance to at least 50% of the population. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/15 "2005-06-25T13:47:31Z")
> [@Alsoran](#): > > You might have felt different if you were told it was going to be done when you were 10 years old or so… I may have replied different had the OP started off with 10 year old boy chopping. Which would be pretty weird. If it’s going to get cut, it’s gotta be when your a new born. Or if you’re older, the kids consent, not the parents demand. All IMHO of course. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/16 "2005-06-25T14:10:53Z")
It’s not that routine-- parents ask for it. Or rather, dads ask for it because they want their kid to be just like them, and they weren’t paying attention in childcare class. That being said, I know a guy who had to get cut at age 18. His recovery time was brutal… ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/17 "2005-06-25T14:35:38Z")
**Alsoran** , please do a search on this topic and you’ll find more threads than you’d get in a 600-count Egyptian cotton king-size sheet on sale at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. You’ll also realize who JDT was, why he’s a legend among us old-timers, and why the groans about threads like this. As for the OP, my baby nephew got it done when he was about fifteen hours old this winter. He was mildly fussy for about half a day and now he’s happy as a clam. Meh. ---
**Author:** ![DrLoveGun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@DrLoveGun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrLoveGun)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/18 "2005-06-25T16:05:33Z")
My son, the infamous **Tinkleberry** was snipped at 3 months. We actually had some serious debate on this issue, and I was ok with him being unsnipped until a series of bladder and urinary tract infections put us in the hospital for 6 days. After thousands of tests, the drs solution? Circumcision. Since then, no more problems. So for some, it is a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/19 "2005-06-25T16:20:14Z")
There’s always the Tug Ahoy. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781/20 "2005-06-25T16:53:27Z")
From a childless female point of view, I have only seen one that wasn’t snipped and it scared the hell out of me - I thought something was wrong with it. (I was much younger.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-small-cut-for-man-not-kind/309781.md?page=2)