Circumcision: How does it work?

[Salty]

The hygiene argument is absurd.

Women hide their genitals inside their body, right? Sometimes they can get infected, right? Is the solution: hack up their genitals so they can more easily apply soap? Well why not?

If a guy doesn't know to peel back and wash his foreskin then, much like drugs, he doesn't deserve it.
Also, like drugs, I blame the parents.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

What gets called "female circumcision" is cutting out the clitoris, right? That's not "circumcision", that's roughly equivalent to cutting off dicks.

[Salty]

Or at least the tip.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Never had any kind of infection in or around my junk, and still have my foreskin.

You ever see the arguments they used for it back in the day?

I saw one once that said something to the effect of in case Nazis come back they won't be able to tell who's Jewish or not. Which is probably one of the dumbest reasons I ever heard.

Bathe. Don't screw French hookers. If you have to screw French hookers use a condom. Taking care of an ant-eater isn't rocket science.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

Yeah. The good part.

ETA: That was in reply to Alty. I'm waiting for the mailman to bring me a damn power cord for my laptop and doing phone internet, so I can't quote.

As far as male circumcision goes, probably the ONLY thing in favor of it is that "everybody else does" and you don't want your kid to feel like a freak in gym class. Which is no reason at all, really.

[P3nT4gR4m]

Yeah. The good part.

NO!! ITS THE EVIL PART THAT TURNS WOMEN INTO WHORES!!!

[tyrannosaurus vex]

The hygiene argument is absurd.

Women hide their genitals inside their body, right? Sometimes they can get infected, right? Is the solution: hack up their genitals so they can more easily apply soap? Well why not?

If a guy doesn't know to peel back and wash his foreskin then, much like drugs, he doesn't deserve it.
Also, like drugs, I blame the parents.

It isn't as absurd as it sounds. Circumcised people have a 60% lower chance of contracting HIV than non-circumcised people for example, all other things being equal. This has the added effect of lowering HIV risk in women who have sex with circumcised men. Obviously 60% lower isn't "safe," and it's a far lower benefit than safe sex and proper hygiene, but those options aren't always available to people.

In the West we have the luxury of seeing circumcision as a matter of personal (or parental) discretion, and that's great. But Most of the world's population lives in the developing world, and they struggle with a lot more in those places. Circumcision is arguably more important there, where sex is rarely protected and rape is a lot more common than here. There are social workers doing a fairly good job of convincing even grown men of getting circumcised, considering that many people there view circumcision as inherently antithetical to their tribal identities. It isn't as simple to just "choose" circumcision in those places as it is here, because of social stigma and strongly traditional societies.

[LMNO]

I thought that HIV study was debunked?

[tyrannosaurus vex]

I thought that HIV study was debunked?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumcision_and_HIV#Estimated_impact_of_circumcision_programs

I'm not certain of the 60% figure (although I've heard that from numerous sources including a dedicated story on NPR, recently), but it's recognized that there's a noticeable reduction in risk of HIV transmission - albeit that assumes general hygiene is poor to begin with.

[The Johnny]

I would think that its more FUN for missionaries to focus on cutting up african dick instead of worrying about the raping that goes on.

Also, this only (supposedly) adressess the males infection rate, when i have heard that women are more propense to getting infected by transmissible diseases during sex than males are.

[tyrannosaurus vex]

I would think that its more FUN for missionaries to focus on cutting up african dick instead of worrying about the raping that goes on.

Also, this only (supposedly) adressess the males infection rate, when i have heard that women are more propense to getting infected by transmissible diseases during sex than males are.

Of course they focus on the rape as well, but they shouldn't focus on that at the expense of other tools. Getting raped is terrible, I would imagine. I can't think getting raped and becoming infected by HIV because of it could be anything but much, much worse. And females being more susceptible than males to STDs is true for HIV, I don't have any idea about other diseases, but that's just a fact of biology and we can't ignore it just because we wish it wasn't true. There is no comparably simple procedure for women that produces the same health benefits as circumcision does for men (and women secondarily).

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I would think that its more FUN for missionaries to focus on cutting up african dick instead of worrying about the raping that goes on.

Also, this only (supposedly) adressess the males infection rate, when i have heard that women are more propense to getting infected by transmissible diseases during sex than males are.

Of course they focus on the rape as well, but they shouldn't focus on that at the expense of other tools. Getting raped is terrible, I would imagine. I can't think getting raped and becoming infected by HIV because of it could be anything but much, much worse. And females being more susceptible than males to STDs is true for HIV, I don't have any idea about other diseases, but that's just a fact of biology and we can't ignore it just because we wish it wasn't true. There is no comparably simple procedure for women that produces the same health benefits as circumcision does for men (and women secondarily).

From your wikipedia article:

Dowsett (2007) questioned why it was just males that were being encouraged to circumcise: "Langerhans cells occur in the clitoris, the labia and in other parts of both male and female genitals, and no one is talking of removing these in the name of HIV prevention."[23]

I know the reason why no one is suggesting it. Because it's a stupid solution.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Never had any kind of infection in or around my junk, and still have my foreskin.

Human viruses don't often infect the Welsh.  It's a compatability thing.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Never had any kind of infection in or around my junk, and still have my foreskin.

Human viruses don't often infect the Welsh.  It's a compatability thing.

What about the Irish?

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Never had any kind of infection in or around my junk, and still have my foreskin.

Human viruses don't often infect the Welsh.  It's a compatability thing.

What about the Irish?

Despite rumors that Irish people can breed true with actual people, I am fairly certain that most microbes that target humans will not survive in the hellbroth of bile and cheap whiskey that Irish people use as a bloodstream.