Why do Americans get circumcised ? I understand that for the Jewish faith it's a religious thing, but I don't understand (as a Brit) why most American guys get it done ? I've heard arguments about cleanliness, but I clean myself several thoroughly so that's not an issue. So why ? Not judging it, not being critical, just interested in why ? There's no sensation like having your foreskin tugged. And the way a girl's butt cheeks draw my skin back as I ease on in there .... best go jerk off now.
Why it became common practice in the first place, I can't answer. But the main reason it's done now is to maintain the status quo. Since a cut penis is what looks "normal" to the average female in the united states, parents are afraid if they leave their son uncut they will look abnormal. I've heard things from girls like "that's just not how it is supposed to look..." in reference to an UNcircumcised penis. Of course this couldn't be farther from the facts, that's exactly how it's supposed to look, but since most males are circumcised these days people around here now call that normal. I for one am glad that I was left uncircumcised, but due to it I try to never let any other males see it, since it's ridiculed and made fun of here. They'll never know what they're missing out on, but I guess sex feels pretty good either way so they don't really care.
I have two sons...both grown now , but i had them done when they were babies because of CLEANLINESS......one was getting urinary infection because the urine would puddle beneath the foreskin....and the other the foreskin was too tight to draw back to clean him when I bathed him. And it began in the Bible days as a religious ritual .
Andy2004 - You are 38, which means you were born about 1969. If you were born in the UK before 1950, there is a likelihood that you would be circumcised, since over half of Brits were, up until National Health abruptly decided not to pay for it in the early 1950s. Your father probably is circumcised, if he is from the upper classes. That is the way it was - if you were in public school you were cut (or it would be an entrance requirement); if not, probably uncut. Prince Charles was, and his sons probably are now (although Diana did not want it done). I grew up in a wealthy New England town and I would say that 99% of the boys were circumcised. A boyhood friend of mine was not, and at about age 10 we compared penises, and he inquired why mine was different. I explained what i knew (not a lot), and six months later he proudly showed me his circumcised penis. Peer pressure is a part of it, as it is in the UK, where it is now a rarity to see a cut penis, except on Moslems or Jews. Here are the reasons why over 75% of American men are circumcised (and 90% of those with mothers who attended college): 1. Health reasons - some boys (about 15%) cannot retract their foreskins, and need the operation to correct it. Others get repeated infections under their foreskins, and it is done for that reason. There is also conclusive evidence recently published that an uncut penis is 50% more likely to get an STD than a cut penis - studies done in Africa and New Zealand. 2. Appearance - in America, there is a common feeling that the cut penis looks better than the "rocket ship" or "one eyed snake" look of an uncut penis. To display the head of the penis at all times is sexy, since that is the seat of the man's pleasure. 3. Tradition - aside from Jewish and Moslem religious tradition, if your father and brother are cut, you want to look like them, and your sisters, who inevitably see their brothers nude, get used to seeing the cut look of the male penis. They believe that is just the way it is and should be. Many American women have never seen an uncut penis. 4. Sexual performance - I believe (as a cut guy with a lot of sexual experience) that the circumcised penis gives both partners better sex. The glans is not as sensitive as in uncut penises, and premature ejaculation is less of a problem. The coronal ridge of the glans frictions along the vaginal walls on both the inthrust and outthrust, and provides better sexual arousal sensations for both male and female than the uncut penis, where the foreskin often slides back over the glans on the outthrust. In recent years, there has been a slight movement not to circumcise at birth in the US, and now perhaps only 60%-65% of newborns have it done, with non-circumcising parents choosing to wait to see if problems develop. There also is an increasing immigrant population in the US, largely from countries with no tradition of circumcising, such as Mexico and China. But with the recent studies, I predict that this will change, and the circumcision rates in the U.S. will go back up. And currently over 50% of Hispanics in the US are cut, as are many second generation Chinese -Americans. (Koreans and Filipinos already have a near 100% circumcision rate in their home countries). Now you know.
circumcision was originally done to keep boys form masturbating. same with keloggs cereal. nowadays circumcision is still done because of tradition, because its the norm... just like most guys have short hair or dont wear high heels (which were originally made for men but thats another story). as you said, cleanliness isnt an issue for most guys (though in case of infection its sometimes necessary)
A cynical, but probably correct, answer as to why it is done today is that health insurance pays for it, and it is an easy way for physicians to make a fast buck, in contrast to the UK, where the practice ended when the health service stopped paying. As Allonym noted, it was recommended toward the end of the 19th century as a way to keep boys from masturbating. Then it became a social class thing, to distinguish natives from the "unwashed masses" immigrating from southern and eastern Europe. Now it is again a social class thing, but this time it is the lower classes who mutilate their newborn.
I really appreciate everyone's replies and that nobody took offence. Willow Jon I think you're referring to old testament aren't you ? I'm also not sure that sex is better for both partners because of being cut. I also have grave doubts about the cleanliness argument - I suspect the stats like most medical stats were loaded in one particular direction or done in countries where it's hard to stay clean because of environment. But I take what you all said on board.
Johnstme - Where did you ever get the idea that it is the 'lower classes" who circumcise today? That is crazy. Ask Prince Charles.
Johnstme - A recent University of Chicago study found that 80% of white males are circumcised, and 89% of white males whose mothers have attended college. Not exactly the"lower classes". 67% of blacks are cut, and 54% of Hispanics (are these your "lower classes"?). In the well to do New England town where I grew up, about 99% of the boys I grew up with were circumcised. Nor were they the "lower classes". Your assumptions are flawed.
Liguana - some people have reported that in some areas of the U.S. the circumcision rate is declining slightly, for several reasons: 1. Some parents decide to "wait and see" of there are any problems with the uncut penis as the boy matures, before deciding to have the operation done. 2. Also, some HMOs do not cover it now, so parents do not do it for financial reasons. 3. Some babies (like my nephew's boys) were homebirthed, and it was not convenient to circumcise them at that time. 4. Some areas of the U.S., like Los Angeles, have a large immigrant population, with immigrants from places like Mexico which do not have a tradition of circumcising. Almost 50% of the residents of LA (legal and illegal) are from Mexico and Latin America, and the circumcision rate here is under 50%. However, to answer an earlier post, it is the "lower classes" here which are more likely to leave it uncut.
