[ ARC forum 2 ]
Written by Damian at 19 Jun 2005 11:22:44: Re: foreskin
As an answer to: Re: foreskin written by Ivan at 19 Jun 2005 01:26:26:
Hi again Ivan,
Thanks for these "insightful" comments - 'It keeps stuff off the glans, whatever may come by.' The mind boggles at just what may come by in your trousers but I'd say that was pretty limited in most cases.'Just as eyelids keep stuf out of the eye, and open up as needed.' With respect, eyelids are retracted for most of the day to allow us to see. Their retraction is a vital function to the 'normal' operation of the eye. You would hardy suggest to someone whose eyeyilds were sealed shut, "Oh, that's OK. At least they are keeping your eyes clean!" In a similar way, every man MUST be able to retract his foreskin to clean his penis. Whether smegma is 'healthy' for a penis or not, it does not smell 'pleasant' and for most people it is undesirable. It's like brushing your teeth - hardly vital for survival, but socially and for one's personal hygiene utterly important!
'You seem to think that your glans is kept cleaner by letting it rub constantly against your 'underwear skids' or whatever else might be about there, and that you have no need for a daily cleaning (which by the way, should for all genitals be by a clean water rinse).'When exactly did I suggest that circumcised men do not need to clean their genitals daily? As Floyd has pointed out, it is impossible for some uncut men to achieve this and, as an organ that produces mucous and constantly sheds dead skin, the glans and inner foreskin need to be washed regularly - cut or uncut. And by the way, 'skids' are a rarity in my underwear!
How do you imagine a circumcised man who has a daily shower/bath does NOT clean his genitals as a consequence? Sir, the effort alone to achieve this would be incredible!
I am not attempting to colour or change in any way your feelings about circumcision. We are all entitled to our opinions. As I have stated before, I am not a supporter of routine infant circumcision and feel the practice of performing this on a child without anaesthetic (as it was done for decades in the US and elsewhere) is something close to barbaric! For me, circumcision is either a medical necessity for men who cannot comfortably retract their foreskins, or a rite of passage for a person who wants to take it on as a body "modification" (NOT a mutilation) in the same way as someone might have a tattoo or piercing. As such, it ought to be decided upon by the individual and NOT his parents. That it makes the penis cleaner or easier to keep clean is unarguable.