[ ARC forum 2 ]

Who is kooking the book?

Written by Paul B. at 27 Oct 2001 14:34:19:

As an answer to: Re: Who is the kook? written by Jim at 27 Oct 2001 08:47:40:

>> I'm sorry that my practical, level-headed, based-on-experience point-of-view upsets you.

I was going to ignore this, but . . . sigh! I think it is your substitution of a based-on-point-of-view experience for any "based-on-experience point-of-view" that really upsets us.

> Worldwide statistics show that the realworld need for circumcision is about 6 in 100,000.

Sorry Jim, but this is rather extreme. Maturity-onset Diabetes is in most societies, only too common and chronic recurrent Candidal balanitis a significant problem. Whilst assisting with a circumcision for just this indication last week, I was thinking about it. What might you offer this fellow by way of alternative? Presumably he has used creams as necessary, and tried his best to achieve diabetic control, but this is not always 100% do-able. Would he really be keen to use a device to achieve permanent retraction?

Certainly if he was shall we put it, intellectually disposed, he might, but to be brutally honest, not everyone is. And to be even more provocative, remember that with less-than optimally controlled diabetes he is likely to be in, or by his sixties, impotent anyway, so the sexual benefits of a functional foreskin (he had no phimosis, indeed only partial coverage anyway) are moot!

If you were to settle for 6 in 1000, perhaps that might be better.

> That the fellows who come here with questions are among the six is indeed very improbable.

Apart from the denominator under the "six", I agree.

> It is highly unlikely also that you were among those six,

Ditto.

> if you wish to continue believing that you were, that's fine. Just don't get your fantasy mixed up with reality.

My sentiments in essence. AJ has spent vastly excessive efforts attempting to convince others that his personal choice is the only valid one, but negligible effort explaining why he even needed to take any action in the first place and I also keep thinking "methinks the fellow protests too much".


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