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Amy,
Yes, I can be a bit scattered sometimes. What
I was trying to say is that I found response
on the Q&As to the question that went along
the lines of "What is the feminist stance
on infant male circumcision?" to be slightly
too neutral.
Maybe I was reading into things a bit much.
You basically responded by saying, some feminists
are fighting it, some cling to it for cultural
reasons , but it's really a personal decision
and there are tons of perspectives on it. I was
taking issue with your response because it seemed
to me a bit shallow. That is how this practice
continues. It is constantly brushed aside and
not really dealt with or examined.
I guess from the outside it does appear to be
a fairly inconsequential thing. I know that for
me I hardly gave it a second thought until the
issue came up. I'm not saying you were consciously
brushing it aside but I feel the response posted
on your website trivializes the issue due to
what you left unsaid. And by doing so it perpetuates
to some degree the line of thinking that allows
this practice to continue. I agree that the underlying
reasons behind male and female circumcision are
very different but the end effect are quite similar.
Obviously FGM is usually far more severe but
in the end it boils down to an individual having
of part of their body taken from them for cultural
reasons or, in the case of infant male circumcision,
cultural reasons backed up by outdated medical
assumptions of fifty years past. Presently, and
for the past 30 years, the medical community
has not recommended this surgery and has viewed
it as unneeded and non-therapeutic. So why in
the year 2005 is it still acceptable for boys
to be subjected to these surgeries that have
no overall health benefit? That fact alone should
make it a breach of medical ethics. The medical
community doesn't even include in their pros
and cons the emotional harm this can inflict
nor do they consider that removing a healthy
functional body part as being a negative consequence
in itself. I think as a society we are really
thoughtless when it comes to this issue and I
guess how you ended your response to the original
question: ".. but it's really a personal
decision and thus there are tons of perspectives
on it." , with no mention of the harm inflicted,
frustrated me a bit. Although people try to deny
it. This is very much a right and wrong issue.
Claiming that it is a personal choice issue
of parents is basically saying to guys who didn't
want this done that this is perfectly fair treatment.
That they have a bit less human rights than everyone
else and they should just accept it. I think
that probably plays a part in how my BF feels,
like something happened to him that he thought
was bad, but everyone still condones it. Not
only that, it is an acceptable subject of jokes
in the media and in day to day life. I agree
that likely the majority of men don't feel violated
RIC just as a majority of women may not feel
violated by FGM in cultures were it is a widely
held cultural practice. But I think that for
guys who are from more recent generations (70s
and onward) there is a significant minority who
feel mistreated by this practice.
I was a bit surprised to find out my boyfriend's
feelings on the matter, he told me most of his
friends who had it done also feel negative about
it to some degree and wish their bodies weren't
tampered with. I guess he may be a bit sensitive
which makes him feel worse about it than most,
but that's not his fault. I think it's hard for
these guys to come out about this because it
runs a bit contrary to their socialization. It's
also a very visible thing, which probably makes
it hard for them to ignore if they do feel badly
about it.
I should mention that I am in Canada where the
rate is about 50/50 maybe less, so these guys
are not protected by a kind of cultural blindness/solidarity
from it as much as they may be in the States
(if that is where you are) Plus RIC has become
an ethical issue of debate here, which exposes
them to feeling negative about it and putting
a magnifying glass on something that many guys
would rather just bury and not contemplate. It
can't be an easy thing for someone to realize
part of their genitals are missing for no good
reason.
I just think that both male and female circumcision
do cause harm emotionally and physically and would
have liked to have seen that mentioned in your
response regarding the issue. I believe the feminist
movement is very important in fighting for social
justice and although RIC is not really a 'feminist'
issue I would have liked it to be examined with
the same critical thinking that we try to apply
to everything else. I hope my tone doesn't sound
angry or confrontational I just get a bit passionate
sometimes:)
Kat
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