I have an idea. I hope that I don't get in trouble for this...

[tammyswanson]

Okay. Since everyone likes cartoons and cartoons are popular, why not have a global "Symbol" for the fight against circumcision? I give you:

"INTACT-MAN!" Sort of like Superman, only slightly different. I don't know if Superman was also intact. He would fight against the injustice of circumcision. I figure that one part of his clothes would be a turtleneck that would be pulled up to at least his nose, obscuring his identity (sort of like Zorro, Batman and Wonder woman). He could have maybe a big "I" on the front of his shirt, or maybe a knife with an X in front of it, or a big red circle with a line through it.

He would fly over cities and towns, and whenever he would hear (with his supersonic Intact-Man ears) the distress cries of a baby in circumstraints, he would immediately beam himself into the room where the helpless baby was, and do battle with whichever doctor was going to perform a circumcision.

He could use various means to defeat the doctor, an ice-beam to freeze his hands, or maybe some glue that would tangle him up, or maybe just a mind meld sort of thing that would render him temporarily catatonic.

The episode would always end with Intact-Man saving the baby, and after a very good lecture to the parents and the medical personnel about how wrong circ is, and all the myths that are perpetuated by society and the media, they would all bow to his wisdom and take an oath to become intactivists as well.

Maybe he could have a female counterpart too.

[Fyrestorm]

I think his weapon should be a circumstraint that he can (in some sort of superhero super hero way) bind the doctors arms and legs in so he can't get to the baby and feel some of the poor baby's fear

[RidentMama]

Can I just say...I love the outfit! LOL

[thixle]

I needed that

[jessjgh1]

You better not get in trouble for that. That was great.
Send it off to Hathor, wonder if she'd take a break from breastfeeding/birthing and do a pro-intact cartoon.

Intact-Man.... He's got it all and he won't stop till every child is safe.Oh, some good tagline has to come out of that....

He needs a superpower or superweapon, too, but something that mimics the way the foreskin works would be appropriate. A weapon that unsheaths... I don't know...
And the other thing he could fight with is a good dose of logic and common sense-- perhaps there's a way to do this by hitting a dr over the head with a book and leaving a signature gift behind for the parents...
Perhaps, a baby blanket with the saying.... "babies are born perfect - IntactMan"

That was fun!

jessica

[Ron_Low]

Love it! I could totally see high-school students producing episodes of IntactMan for the school AV projects. I'd pay them, in fact.

By the way, SuperMan is undoubtedly intact because he was born on Krypton where they are very rational, and when he got here - even as an infant - nothing could cut him.

[Yulia_R]

I love the idea.

I, however, feel that the hero needs to be circ'd. So he wants to spare the boys from the pain and loss we went through. If he is intact, then pro-circ people would say that he does what he does to have more like him so he won't feel like a weirdo.

I also am not sure if I like this silly association of intact penis with turtleneck.

The idea IS great , it just needs to be thought through a bit, imo.

[Yulia_R]

One more thing to think through is that when he hear the bloodfreezing scream it's usually too late. Perhaps he can have some "informers" that would tell him ahead of time, so he can be there on time right when they tie the baby up. If you guys so the movie My Neighbor Totoro (by Hayao Miyazaki ), the informers can be something like those black small dust balls that live in hospitals or something like that.

[Yulia_R]

It really can be the most powerful intactivism idea. I absolutely love it!

Perhaps we should contact Robert Redford (movie Lions For Lambs) with this idea. He is an intactivist, so perhaps he would be willing to do something with this.

Here is his speach on youtube:

I Stand for Genital Integrity - Lions for Lambs Contest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry6gYFJLJ_k

[phatchristy]

Call me crazy, but I think the superhero should be a woman.

On multiple levels it works if it's a woman. Think about it...

--instinct to protect the young/babies
--no bias as she herself is not circumcised
--we're reaching mothers who are more likely to research circumcision, rather than the circumcised husband who thinks his is 'normal'

I also think that somehow it becomes more mainstream that way too...because as wrong as this is I've had some give me attitude that the 'anti-circumcision views' were just a 'gay thing'.

Not only that....I think you should have the super hero be a doctor.

I can invision right now, a doctor getting asked about circumcision by her patients. The doctor giving out some information, and then stepping out of the room only to magically transform into her superhero counterpart and set the record straight for the parents...informing her of the dangers, etc.

This could very *tastefully* be done from a mainstream perspective. And, not be a 'joke'. Otherwise I see people taking it as a joke.

[Ron_Low]

Originally Posted by phatchristy

Call me crazy, but I think the superhero should be a woman.

This is a great example of why fine art is never achieved by committee. He's an everyman, he's doctor, he's a she, he's cut, he's intact... where does it end? I love it.

I say the first person who gets a skit produced and onto YouTube wins! GO. GO. GO. (And it won't be me - any time soon).

If the super hero is a woman, she needs a catchy name that isn't clumsy to say. Intact Woman doesn't do it for me. The Foreskin Avenger, The "something" Defender, The Circumventor, anything that ends in "er" is a name suggesting getting something accomplished.

Please, OP, tie up these loose ends and let's get started.

Cheers,

[phatchristy]

Originally Posted by Ron_Low

This is a great example of why fine art is never achieved by committee. He's an everyman, he's doctor, he's a she, he's cut, he's intact... where does it end? I love it.

I say the first person who gets a skit produced and onto YouTube wins! GO. GO. GO. (And it won't be me - any time soon).

If the super hero is a woman, she needs a catchy name that isn't clumsy to say. Intact Woman doesn't do it for me. The Foreskin Avenger, The "something" Defender, The Circumventor, anything that ends in "er" is a name suggesting getting something accomplished.

Please, OP, tie up these loose ends and let's get started.

Cheers,

Well, I have a pocket HD camera AND a newborn boy!

Circumventor...that's actually a word LOL.

[MaryJaneLouise]

[perspective]

Originally Posted by phatchristy

Call me crazy, but I think the superhero should be a woman.

On multiple levels it works if it's a woman. Think about it...

--instinct to protect the young/babies
--no bias as she herself is not circumcised
--we're reaching mothers who are more likely to research circumcision, rather than the circumcised husband who thinks his is 'normal'

Well I actually disagree with all of these. I think men, especially Dad's just as instinctively try to protect babies/young as much as Mom's do. We have gender roles that tell men to care about one thing, and women to care about something else. But in the end, that instinct to protect is within us all.

Just because your not a guy does not mean a womans opinions on circ are not bias in some way.


In general I think this is a weird idea that could work depending on how its produced (think about how stupid captain planet sounded when they first came up with the cartoon)

But I think we are getting off message. I think the WHOLE point to a character like this is not "This Superhero will protect babies because," he's intact, or because he's circumcised, or because she is a she. It does not matter what is going on in the superhero's pants, the whole point is the message that EVERYONE should be fighting against this, and superhero's represent the most moralistic versions of ourselves. If this hero is fighting for this cause, so should we, no matter if we are male, or female, circed or intact. This should be EVERYONES cause. And if a comic like this was ever created this should be the message that readers take away.

[jessjgh1]

I thought the idea was to brainstorm ideas... play off these ideas and share even more ideas, laugh, have fun... and maybe inspire someone to put something artisitic and creative on paper (or media).

[perspective]

Originally Posted by jessjgh1

I thought the idea was to brainstorm ideas... play off these ideas and share even more ideas, laugh, have fun... and maybe inspire someone to put something artisitic and creative on paper (or media).

Exactly.

[phatchristy]

Originally Posted by perspective

Well I actually disagree with all of these. I think men, especially Dad's just as instinctively try to protect babies/young as much as Mom's do. We have gender roles that tell men to care about one thing, and women to care about something else. But in the end, that instinct to protect is within us all.

I said this, as a point of setting the stage for a typical time of RIC.

Did you know that in the wild, an animal will only put herself at risk of death for an offspring that she is nursing? Now, that is powerful stuff.

I don't know how to put it, but I know even my DH would agree with me. There's a whole set of hormones that sets us up instinctively to protect our little one. As in, it's not a 'mental' or 'emotional' thing, it's a physiological thing. If you've birthed naturally, and you're breastfeeding, you have that optimum bonding cocktail which makes you literally need your infant as much as your infant needs you.

You're connected in a way, and what hurts your baby, hurts you. Because, as my midwife puts it, pretty much every mother cries when they do the PKU testing. I do it every time, I can't stop. Hearing your newborn cry when you're it's mother is like getting your heart stabbed.

I don't know if I can put it any other way. But, for the mother, the idea of anyone doing anything harmful or painful to her LO is akin to killing her soul in a way. Unless you've experienced it, or seen it in your wife you may not understand what I mean until you do. It's a lucious cocktail of birthing, breastfeeding and postpartum hormones that do this. And, this time is typically when mothers are forced to face RIC typically in our culture.

I am certain that quite a few mothers here on MDC are going to understand what I'm saying as they will have experienced it themselves. The thing is, the mothers instinct is so strong, the women I know who have circumcised literally have to fight off their own protective instincts to allow it to happen. Because everything in your body tells you its wrong.

[Theoretica]

How about IntactaDad and his wife LactoMama

[Blu Razzberri]

Originally Posted by phatchristy

...mothers instinct is so strong, the women I know who have circumcised literally have to fight off their own protective instincts to allow it (RIC) to happen. Because everything in your body tells you its wrong...

Yes, this. I had this. My instincts were literally screaming 'NO!', but I had been scared into it enough that I was so worried about not doing it. Looking back, I can't believe I was suckered so easily. But that's why they get you when you're postpartum - you're 'easy' then.

[perspective]

Originally Posted by phatchristy

I said this, as a point of setting the stage for a typical time of RIC.

Did you know that in the wild, an animal will only put herself at risk of death for an offspring that she is nursing? Now, that is powerful stuff.

I don't know how to put it, but I know even my DH would agree with me. There's a whole set of hormones that sets us up instinctively to protect our little one. As in, it's not a 'mental' or 'emotional' thing, it's a physiological thing. If you've birthed naturally, and you're breastfeeding, you have that optimum bonding cocktail which makes you literally need your infant as much as your infant needs you.

Well of course, animals that provide milk for their young are influenced by a certain hormones so they will complete the milking period. Evolution developed this in most animals, because it was not for such a hormonal suggestion, mothers would most likely simply abandon their young after a short period of time to ensure their own survival.

I do not disagree with that. Thats biological fact. Although this period is not life long, but rather short. Time after that is simple bonding between parent and child.

The point I was arguing against is that a random man can have that same instinctual need to protect that any random woman does, especially when it comes to young.