Were you really hoping that your loved ones included a gift receipt this year when you opened your present?
Let’s face it. Sometimes we all question whether or not it’s "the thought that counts." Lucky for us, we live in a day and age where exchanging, store credit, and regifting are socially acceptable.
And there's a pretty high chance that you yourself have given a few duds.
If you could somehow find out in advance that the recipient of a present wouldn’t like it, would you still give them the gift? Or would you get them something else instead?
Well, there’s one gift that a lot of men aren’t thankful for this year: circumcision.
Wait, what?
That’s right. Many times we hear parents of baby boys claim things like:
"He'll thank me later."
"Do him a favor and get it done now."
"I'm saving him from being teased later on."
But as well-intended as this ‘gift’ might be when it’s given, thousands and thousands of guys aren’t thankful that they're cut, especially not once they learned what was taken from them and what the process entailed.
Never mind the fact that none of the statements above are medical rationales for circumcision, or that all of the medical "reasons" for circumcision are easily disproven using science, statistics, and logical reasoning. Forget the ethical dilemma of lack of consent. We've written on these issues elsewhere in the Little Images blog.
Let’s focus on something else instead:
Many men wish they had not been circumcised.
In loving memory of Jonathon Conte, 1981-2016.
The fact is, many men are not thankful that their parents did this to them. As more and more guys are learning what circumcision entails, more and more are saying, “I wish my parents would not have done this to me.”
There are thousands upon thousands of men who are currently restoring their foreskins to undo some of the damage and complications caused by their circumcisions.
There are hashtags like #IAMNOTTHANKFUL dedicated to men coming out and publicly saying that they do not appreciate having been circumcised.
Type “I am angry that I was circumcised” into Google and you get almost 440,000 results. View the Global Survey of Circumcision Harm and you see that side effects and emotional distress are more common than pro-circumcision advocates would have you believe. Read the testimonies of men who have used devices such as the TLC Tugger, the Senslip, or another restoration device to hear how physically and psychologically healing it is for them to take back what was taken from them without their consent.
But thankfully, this "gift" is getting less and less common.
More and more men every day are choosing to leave their sons intact, even though they themselves are circumcised. This trend will only continue rising.
Here’s the simple logic:
If you were not circumcised as a baby, and are unhappy with it, then you can get circumcised if you want to. You can make that choice for yourself, for any reason that you want, because you have given your informed consent.
If you were circumcised as a baby, and are unhappy about it, you’re out of luck. You only get one penis, and if it’s cut, you can never fully get back what was taken from you. Even though you did not consent, you’re stuck with the results.
Once they cut, there’s no undoing it. There’s no gift receipt, no returns. What you get is what you get. Too much skin taken off? Tough luck. Tight, painful erections? Oh well. Skin bridges? Deal with it. Erectile dysfunction come middle age due to keratinization of the glans? Too bad.
The only safe choice is letting him choose.
On the other hand, giving your son the gift of leaving the hospital with all God-designed parts ensures that he suffers none of the painful, embarrassing side effects above – and most of all, it respects your son’s right to bodily integrity and acknowledges God’s wonderful design for him.
So, before you drop lots of money at the hospital paying someone to cut off an important part of your son’s body, think twice. Saying ‘no’ to circumcision costs you nothing, and it’s a gift that keeps on giving.
Thousands of guys are upset that they were given this 'gift.' And they can never return it.Click To Tweet
- FGM in Kurdistan: Different culture, same reasons as MGM - July 8, 2019
- FGM and MGM: Are they similar? - December 27, 2018
- Why are men born with a foreskin? - December 9, 2018
Dave Llewellyn says
What a fabulous article! Thanks, Joseph. You are so right!
Vallery Carolus says
Brother K
Justin Perez says
Fantastic piece!
Dr .Nelson Davisson says
Let’s just call circumcision what it is: genital mutilation–end of discussion
yair apter says
thanks for such an importent article
yair from Israel
Wesley says
I was ruined by circumcision, my frenulum was completely removed, and too much skin was taken off, half my shaft is covered with scrotal skin, thick with hairs halfway up my shaft, but no feeling in my penis below the circumcision scar. Cock head sensitivity doesn’t even matter, because jerking it alone hurts like a mother fucker(Really just try rubbing it with your palm!). It takes me 1-2 hours of stroking with lube to cum, and I’ve been to the ER twice, where my penis swelled up like a balloon, and they had to give me meds to reduce the swelling! Apparently jerking for 1-2 hours can cause excess friction damage to the penis! Well hell what the fuck! am I supposed to do, when I need a release but can’t fucking cum!?
I was told by the doctor that If I didn’t cum within an hour of masturbating, to just stop. LOL I WOULD NEVER GET A SINGLE ORGASM EVER AGAIN if I did that stupid shit. I want to sue my doctor, and if I can’t do that since I’m 25 years old, I’m going to find out his name, address, and make his life a living hell. I can’t keep a girlfriend because they always say *eww your penis looks crooked and ugly* Yea that’s exactly what I want to hear after pulling out of a girl! I can’t be happy, and have a family, and I can’t even please myself a good amount of the fucking time. I am frustrated, and I’m fed up with doctors views, on how circumcision is harmless. Just because it works out for some guys, doesn’t mean the function isn’t severely damaged in others. The iceing on the cake is I blamed MYSELF! I thought it was my fault, that I was doing something wrong while masturbating, and if I stopped masturbating every other day, and stopped watching porn, my sensitivity would go up! 2 months without masturbating I go back at it, because I couldn’t stand it anymore, and It didn’t feel any different! Whether or not I can sue him, I know this can’t be fixed more than likely, and I have fallen into severe depression. Really sometimes I just want to end it all, I hate this cruel fucking world! WHY CAN’T I BE ALLOWED TO BE HAPPY!? God has abandoned me, and I say good riddance to that fake human delusion. CIRCUMCISION CAN BE MUTILIATION! The stress is actually killing me.
Joe says
There are many men that share this sentiment and empathize with you. Have you looked into Foreskin restoration? NORM.org would be a great place to start. A community that understands your pain can be very therapeutic.
Twi says
Check Foregen-foreskin regeneration with stem cells