A different perspective

[3f5csc]

First of all, I'd like to say that I am in no way grieving over my state of being. As a circumcised male, I grew up believing that I was normal and my fellow circumcised males were also normal. The sheer sight of an uncircumcised penis brought up feelings of confusion and disgust. When I was younger, my friends and I would sometimes bring up the subject of those unfortunate enough to be sporting an uncircumcised member. It was often brushed off as unfortunate and weird, both in aesthetics and function. I guess that's what happens when you're in the minority, you're just misunderstood.

I've lived in New England all my life. I'm 19 years old and was born during a time when the procedure was considered normal for newborn boys. I guess I've always been curious what the scarring meant; one of my earliest memories was when I was a little kid, and I would think that the exposed glands resembled an ice-cream cone of sorts. Strange to think, but it's true. Another one of my earliest memories is when I was very young, I'd say 6 or 7, I went to summer camp for the first time. All of us would change before going swimming in the lake. One of my counselors started changing next to me, and in my curiosity I looked over and saw that his penis was uncircumcised. I was sort of dumbfounded, because that was the first time I had seen such a thing. I thought that he was a different breed of person. And I guess subconsciously I was jealous, because he seemed intact. And natural. Wow, I didn't realize it fully at the time, but I certainly do now. He is in fact, intact, and natural.

Last year I took a gap year between my senior year of high school and my first year of University. I was lucky enough to live a full school year abroad in Switzerland, which I discovered to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. School over there was great; I made many interesting new friends and had to engage myself in a foreign environment. It definitely prepared me for college here, as I find myself much more independent and responsible than before. I quickly discovered one aspect of school over there to be less than satisfactory: the after gym class showers. In contrast to the attitudes in the States, I found that in Europe showering after any form of physical activity is sort of a universal code for being a clean person. While it's not mandatory, my host mother assured me that any guy who just deodorizes and leaves after gym is pegged, in lieu of a better word, a dirtbag. So, with my prudish American behavior at the forefront, I had to force myself to undress and shower with dozens of my classmates. For the first time in my life, I felt humiliated. In the States, it's the uncut guy who is scrutinized. But in Switzerland, it's the circumcised guy. I was the minority, and I was probably spoken about. Unbeknownst to them, I was simply an American born in the early 90s. Needless to say, I did not enjoy showering after gym class. It made me feel inferior somehow.

Well, I thought I'd share that story with you. It's taken me nearly 20 years to realize that I am not happy with the most vital part of my person. Even back in the States, with all of the information I've obtained through the internet, I wish to have my foreskin back. It's uncomfortable as is, and I feel like I've missed out on many things. Thank you very much for listening, and it's reassuring to know that there are people and resources out there that can help me regain a sense of fullness.

Cheers

[admin]

First of all, I'd like to say that I am in no way grieving over my state of being. As a circumcised male, I grew up believing that I was normal and my fellow circumcised males were also normal. The sheer sight of an uncircumcised penis brought up feelings of confusion and disgust. When I was younger, my friends and I would sometimes bring up the subject of those unfortunate enough to be sporting an uncircumcised member. It was often brushed off as unfortunate and weird, both in aesthetics and function. I guess that's what happens when you're in the minority, you're just misunderstood.

I've lived in New England all my life. I'm 19 years old and was born during a time when the procedure was considered normal for newborn boys. I guess I've always been curious what the scarring meant; one of my earliest memories was when I was a little kid, and I would think that the exposed glands resembled an ice-cream cone of sorts. Strange to think, but it's true. Another one of my earliest memories is when I was very young, I'd say 6 or 7, I went to summer camp for the first time. All of us would change before going swimming in the lake. One of my counselors started changing next to me, and in my curiosity I looked over and saw that his penis was uncircumcised. I was sort of dumbfounded, because that was the first time I had seen such a thing. I thought that he was a different breed of person. And I guess subconsciously I was jealous, because he seemed intact. And natural. Wow, I didn't realize it fully at the time, but I certainly do now. He is in fact, intact, and natural.

Last year I took a gap year between my senior year of high school and my first year of University. I was lucky enough to live a full school year abroad in Switzerland, which I discovered to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. School over there was great; I made many interesting new friends and had to engage myself in a foreign environment. It definitely prepared me for college here, as I find myself much more independent and responsible than before. I quickly discovered one aspect of school over there to be less than satisfactory: the after gym class showers. In contrast to the attitudes in the States, I found that in Europe showering after any form of physical activity is sort of a universal code for being a clean person. While it's not mandatory, my host mother assured me that any guy who just deodorizes and leaves after gym is pegged, in lieu of a better word, a dirtbag. So, with my prudish American behavior at the forefront, I had to force myself to undress and shower with dozens of my classmates. For the first time in my life, I felt humiliated. In the States, it's the uncut guy who is scrutinized. But in Switzerland, it's the circumcised guy. I was the minority, and I was probably spoken about. Unbeknownst to them, I was simply an American born in the early 90s. Needless to say, I did not enjoy showering after gym class. It made me feel inferior somehow.

Well, I thought I'd share that story with you. It's taken me nearly 20 years to realize that I am not happy with the most vital part of my person. Even back in the States, with all of the information I've obtained through the internet, I wish to have my foreskin back. It's uncomfortable as is, and I feel like I've missed out on many things. Thank you very much for listening, and it's reassuring to know that there are people and resources out there that can help me regain a sense of fullness.

Cheers

Thanks for sharing. This not showering in school is a recent thing in the US, and you can thank your local priest and your local pedophile for inspiring irrational delirium about letting anyone staff a shower room.

[EliteDoomer]

No doubt that must have been an unsettling experience. We deserved to be as intact and whole as they are. The vast majority of males on this Earth will not have to face the hells that we faced and do face today.

Educating oneself about the horrors of genital mutilation, as a victim of the malpractice, is quite difficult but the rewards of knowledge are worth it.

I hope you stick around and give tissue expansion a real chance. What was will not be again yet with what remains, we can adapt :)

---ED

[wulfboi]

I quickly discovered one aspect of school over there to be less than satisfactory: the after gym class showers. In contrast to the attitudes in the States, I found that in Europe showering after any form of physical activity is sort of a universal code for being a clean person. While it's not mandatory, my host mother assured me that any guy who just deodorizes and leaves after gym is pegged, in lieu of a better word, a dirtbag.

In my High School we never showered after gym class. It was just slap on some deoderant and head off to our next class.
We did shower after swimming however, but, that was once in a blue moon as my school didn't have a pool. Even then, it was always very much a case of cover oneself.

[Not-B-Angry]

You found the right place! I too have found myself in a situation where I was the only cut person! Yikes! I know the feeling. Worse was that I already felt bad about it (as I always have since early childhood). Even though everybody tried to tell me I was "normal" I knew inside that I was missing something that they were all ignoring.

I'm glad you found your way here. You have found a supportive place where people understand your quest for wholeness!

[3f5csc]

Thanks for your responses. While my interest (or shall I say resentment) over my own circumcision has waned in recent weeks, my desire to restore certainly hasn't. I feel that I want to find the time, but I have to wait for that right moment, the time when school, work, rehearsal and everything else doesn't feel too overwhelming to start a new project. From what I hear, restoring it quite the project. This wouldn't be something I could do half-halfheartedly. To cover my glans would be ideal. It takes time though. And patience. I think I could do it.

Well, who knew that genital mutilation was such a hot topic on college campuses these days! Yesterday, I ate lunch with two of my friends in the cafeteria. We got on the subject of genital mutilation in certain cultures, and how religious attitudes and tradition play a role in such rituals. One friend said, "Yes, and how some people condone mutilating females is beyond me!" I instantly got caught up in the heat of the moment and replied, "Well the same happens for men, too." Both guys feel silent. What could I possibly mean? They asked me. "What are you talking about?" I replied matter-of-factly, "male circumcisions happen everyday." OK, so I've come to the conclusion that most guys, in believing that what has been done to them is normal, either disbelieve or brush off the notion that circumcision is, yes, a form of genital mutilation. I gave them the basic overview: "The foreskin contains 50% of the area of the penis. It plays a vital part in how we males should function, sexually." Now, I've never witnessed this before, but what I got from just those two facts was sheer embarrassment and awe. Now, you can imagine, I felt like a fool. Not only was I questioning the subconscious bane of my own mind, but possibly those of my friends in addition. And I felt weird. Over informed. Rebellious. It's crazy isn't it, how there is this prevalence in our country- an 80% rate amongst European-American males- and the idea that it isn't natural just sounds so foreign, so bizarre? My friend ended the conversation by saying, "Well, Jesus was circumcised. So I guess lots of people want to follow this example." I stabbed a nail in the coffin and replied, "Yes, true. Very true."

Thank you for sticking with me. It feels good to be listened to.

Tonight three of my guy friends and I ate dinner together. These are some of my closest friends, and I admire them very much. Over the course of the evening, we led a lengthy and profound discourse on human sexuality. We went around the table talking about society's expectations on the male role in everyday life. Men who find other men attractive but identify as heterosexual, and the concept of androgynous person all came up tonight. As a side note: It's great having such open-minded fellas in your life. To continue: It was my turn to add to the discussion. Now, this time I didn't have many inhibitions concerning what I was about to say. Some pretty crazy stuff was already said, so I guess the next thing was tame by comparison! "I think a muzzle has been placed on male sexuality during the past 70 or so years," I said. "I think when society places its hands on the innocent, when it wanders uninvited on the private life of a male, and plucks from him the ability to exercise his right to exist as a complete functioning organism, then we've done ourselves a great disservice." This is the gist of what I said, by no means verbatim. "Well my friends, what I'm referring to is circumcision." It's prevalent indeed--all three of my friends share the same scar as I--and it's controversial. My statement did unsettle them. But it did intrigue them. "Over the years, the exposed glans become keritanized. This reduces sensitivity, thus limiting pleasure." The facts are obvious. You all know them. But most other guys don't. One thing that I'm proud of that happened that night: we all pledged to leave our own children intact.

The social implications of male circumcision in our country are interesting. If I had the time (or energy), I would like to study it further. The concept of togetherness, of shared attributes among males: Does this bring us closer together? Can the scarring lead to reduced interest in the female sex? I'm only speaking for myself when I say that sex is not something that tops my list. And it disturbs me a bit when I think that it could be a result of my tight circumcision. However, I can't complain when I think of all the wonderful opportunities that await me outside of the sexual realm. So due to this, I refuse to be angry. I can only be hopeful for what lies next in terms of realization the ultimate goal: becoming whole again.

[asdfjklmeh1]

My friend ended the conversation by saying, "Well, Jesus was circumcised. So I guess lots of people want to follow this example." I stabbed a nail in the coffin and replied, "Yes, true. Very true."

So is Weird Al Yankovic. His point?

This is where pro-cutting American Christians really tend to drop the ball.

Some people miss the point of Christ's bodily suffering. By Christian theology, Jesus bore the weight and sins and sufferings of man (including circumcision) so that we don't have to! There is a reason that the Gentiles didn't need circumcision to be inspired into faith--because the Old Covenant (including circumcision) was done away with by the formation of the New Covenant.

It doesn't take a theologian to recognize a poorly formed excuse.

If all else falls through and they try to continue with their poorly grounded religious nonsense, whip out Galatians 5:2-4, or Philippians 3:2, or even Colossians 3:9-11.