Thursday, August 07, 2003

I wrote a post containing the following dialogue to a discussion group that exchanges views on the sayings of Jesus found in the Gospel of Thomas, basically just to stimulate more dialogue. It didn't work.

"Male circumcision serves the same purpose as female circumcision. To render the sex act less sensitive, and thereby such activity is less likely to become addictive. The desire is still there, but with circumcised men they don't get as much pleasure from the the act of coitus because there is too much scar tissue, much less the shame of being humiliated and defiled.

With the removal of the foreskin, the glans get exposed to the open air, and it is constantly rubbing up against rough clothing all the time it dries out and becomes tough as leather. It's a cruel thing to do to male beings because many circumsized men become bitter and cruel and use their penises like weapons to punish and express violence rather than instruments of love and affection. They'd rather make war than love. As insensitive as men can be some time, and there is no blame in their feeling used, women are happy to see them go to war just to have them gone. Besides, there's always the chance the husband will get killed or maimed, and there's always a little extra money coming in when that happens... and fresh meat.

Of course, circumcision is good for women. Most of them never feel anything down there anyway, and all they do it for is to have babies so at least somebody will always love them, and to control men, So, it's better just to remove the clitoris and major labia during early childhood so they won't get all cocky and start thinking
they special."


I didn't get much response to this post except from a woman who is obviously not a hedonist even though I seem quite sure she has not been circumcized. Since I didn't get any response from any men at all, I thought I'd try this circumcision rap on another group in a thread about shamans. Pretty much the same story but with a few fillip's difference


"Yeah, this is a very disenchanted pov. Everyone knows you can become a shaman in no time at all simply by going to a couple of weekend seminars.

Of course, being "wounded healer" probably helps. But, its not that big a deal. A "wound" such as circumcision is usually enough, and may exist as the original thought process involved in it's development among primitive tribes.

I've found that most circumcized men ignore thinking about the fact that circumcision is performed on men for the same reason it is performed on women. To limit the amount of sexual pleasure available to the victims of this brutal ritual, so they will not become addicted to a life of pleasure outside tribal law, but will be driven by the resulting anger and frustration to find fulfillment using other, more socially approved activities like war, politics, and moneychanging. I.E., the intent to create and entire tribe of shamans.

Between the disfigurement itself, the debiliitating numbness of scar tissue and the helplessness of being deliberately traumatized in this way at an early age, circumcision lasts an entire lifetime... and beyond.

Circumcision for women, the removal of the clitoris and minor labia, is no big deal and usually prevents a lot of heartache for the societies that practice such things. Most women never really feel anything down there anyway, and if they do, their response to such feelings usually brings disgrace to their own person, and even more to their husbands. This is what Jesus was referring to when he said that to enter the Kingdom of God women had to become like men.

To suggest that maiming is necessary to become a shaman is usually promulgated by those who have experienced such a debilitating trauma and want to set forth their shameful experience as the ring-pass-me-not for an otherwise healthy and joyous people."

Yes, I did write the above to stimulate response. Circumcision seems more popular in America with men. I've never heard of it being performed ritually on women here, unless as some holdover from first-generation immigrants who continues the practice.

To get only one response from over a thousand people seems a little unusual. I sense a lot of shame-based ignoring going on here.