There is a big difference. Male circumcision does not remove or,s o far as I can tell, even reduce, the man's capacity to orgasm. We do just fine, thanks. So, Joanna, don't feel too bad for your son. He'll be just fine.
By contrast, "female circumcision" is anti-orgasmic by design. The research indicates that the vast majority of women, I think the figure is in the 80% range, require clitoral stimulation to orgasm. Some can attain vaginal orgasm through g-spot stimulation alone, but this is uncommon. So-called "female circumcision" is intended to reduce if not destroy women's capacity for sexual pleasure. It si not in the same ballpark.
Why would anyone have such a thing? In Sex & Reason, an extremely interesting book I recommend to anyone interested in human sexuality, Judge Posner hypothesizes that it is a device used in polygamous societies to reduce the likelihood that women will stray while lowering the costs of having to monitor the behavior of several wives. Polygamous societies are hard are women in lots of different ways.
jks
--- joanna bujes <jbujes at covad.net> wrote:
> It's easy to protest female circumcision in africa
> -- though
> "circumcision" is a weak term -- "mutilation" or
> "castration" would be
> more accurate. After all, circumcision does not
> excise the penis, it
> only removes a bit of foreskin ...what is harder is
> to stop the practice
> in the U.S., where according to a friend it
> routinely continues in the
> case of female infants whose clitoris is deemed too
> large. Five a day,
> according to my friend.
>
> I'll find the data if anyone is interested.
>
> Oh, and No, inflicting traumatic experiences on a
> child's sexual organs
> does not seem like a good idea. Wish I had thought
> it through when my
> son was born. But I was unduly swayed by the endless
> number of
> infections I suffered when married to my first,
> uncircumcised husband.
>
> Joanna
>
> ravi wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > [as we rightly protest female circumcision in
> africa] what's the
> > left's take on the male version, practiced widely
> in the west?
> >
> > [just trying to start something new ;-)]
> >
> > --ravi
> >
> >
> > p.s: yes, it happens in places other than the west
> too...
> > ___________________________________
> >
>
http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
> >
> > .
> >
>
>
> ___________________________________
>
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>
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