For context, I’m circumcised and expecting a son and my wife and I are torn about the circ. We’re American so from a cultural standpoint circumcision is the default choice. Thing is, there’s no real benefit besides practicing a religion we don’t believe in, and I’m uncomfortable about cutting the tip of my son’s dick off.

On the other side, I’ve met a guy who was bullied in high school so bad for it he got a circ as an adult. Apparently crazy painful recovery. I’ve also talked to women who are generally grossed out by uncircumcised men. I don’t want to make him feel like something’s wrong with him his whole life because I was uncomfortable with the idea.

From a moral standpoint I’m against it, but from a social and cultural standpoint I feel like I should do it? It’s a crappy situation. If there’s any uncircumcised American men who want to talk about their penis I’m all ears.

Edit: I really appreciate everyone’s responses I never expected to hear from so many people. With the decision hinging on social and cultural norms it’s been really helpful to be able to take the temperature like this. I obviously need to talk to my wife, but given the overwhelming support of dick hats I don’t thing we’re going to do it. Thanks, lemmings!

  • Nanook@lemmy.zip
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    1 year ago

    Male circumcision is genital mutilation.

    If it’s your culture, your culture is dumb.

    • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de
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      1 year ago

      Except it has more upsides than downsides. In fact, except for extreme outliers there are no downsides. Not once in my life had I ever thought “I wish my parents would have not circumcised me as a baby”. From a US perspective, I think it looks better, most women think it looks better, and it saved me from cost, pain, and awkward teen years of waiting until adulthood to make the decision.

      OP, you said it yourself, really. You aren’t unhappy to be circumcised. You know at least one guy in real life who hated not being circumcised. Do you know anyone in real life; not the internet where people with negative outlooks on an issue tend to be the most outspoken, and not from all the other countries with different cultures and norms, but that you actually know that was mad about being circumcised? I work in a field that’s very… Not shy about bringing up things like this. I’ve never met a guy who wished he wasn’t circumcised.

      Nanook can go ahead and call it mutilation, trying to lump it in with a dangerous and sexual pleasure ruining practice done to women in a handful of places, but I’ll hard disagree. Mutilation is “a severe and disfiguring injury.” I don’t see circumcised as any of that, and neither do most people where OP or myself are from.

      • nullptr@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        There is like, no upside its literally you making up reasons to justify your condition lol.

        • ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de
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          1 year ago

          You’re doing the same thing, but hey, we can both start throwing links at each other to back up our points, if you’d like.

          But you know what, lets just say for the sake of argument neither dick has any medical or hygiene or STI risk differences (because there’s loads of evidence showing uncircumcised people are at a greater risk of getting those)

          I think it looks better, and most people in my country think it looks better. Personal preference? Sure. But personally, we got better looking dicks. The other medical benefits are just a bonus.

  • 6nk06@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    You can’t be bullied if everyone is uncut. And as you say it’s cultural, it makes absolutely no sense for me and I don’t understand parents who voluntarily butcher the genitals of their children. I can’t believe it still exists.

  • skmn@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    Dude I have a foreskin and it’s fucking rad. I can pinch it closed when I pee and it’ll fill up like a balloon. How could you deny your son that?

  • meKevin@feddit.org
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    1 year ago

    I’m uncut and went through my childhood and teenage years in the US. No one cared in preschool, and no one cared in the Highschool locker room, none of the women I slept with cared. It might be painful as an adult to do, but it’s a choice the person gets to make for themselves. I am grateful my parents stopped the doctors from cutting.

    • avg@lemmy.zip
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      1 year ago

      It’s painful regardless, the baby just can’t complain about it. I’m not circumcised nor are my kids, with the first kid, the nurse let out an unintentional “good” after we said no to it.

  • guy@piefed.social
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    1 year ago

    Don’t mutilate your kid. If there’s a medical reason go ahead, otherwise leave it be.
    Your son can’t put it back if you remove it, but he can remove it if you leave it. Let it be his choice over his body.

  • twelvety@fedia.io
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    1 year ago

    Frankly, it’s a bloody weird thing to do unless medically required. Leave him be.