MSNBC...not horrible

[purplestraws]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540...22827#33822827

Just saw this video on MSNBC...it's not horrible.

[muttmom92]

I saw it too. I thought it was pretty good. I was disappointed that the comedian (forgot his name) ended up circing his son but I think he made it clear that it was a religious decision. He made excellent points againts circumcision.

Merideth and Ann were horrible at the end though.

[mama24-7]

anytime I see stuff like this, all I can think of is your son may not agree!!!! leave him to decide!!!!!!!!! crazy, just crazy.

sus

[Burlap the Sack]

Informative and fairly balanced, despite being so brief, but in the end that Stein fellow still had his son circumcised, even after he realized how much circumcision has done to him and how much he resents it. That just boggles my mind.

And those two at the end... Jesus, I just want to strangle them both.

[stealthmode]

I caught this this morning while my little brother was getting ready for school (he's 13). It was actually kind of cool because I got to express my opinion about it and have a discussion with him. He's a very mature kid and thought it was an interesting topic.

I found it very telling that he asked me, "did Mom and Dad have ME circumcised?"

(For the record, yes, they did. I'm quite a bit older and remember changing his diapers. I hope I didn't damage his psyche by telling him that after I expressed my objection to it!)

[Minarai]

:Puke

[GoodMomma]

Originally Posted by Minarai

:Puke

YUP! And then the ladies from the morning show talking about it after. Idiots!

[PotreroHill]

I just don't understand why he circed his son when he himself is upset about being circed It doesn't make sense to me That poor baby boy

[Papai]

Not bad at all.

And the two at end were bad, but I loved that the one lady looked at Meredith when she brought up the "Look like Dad" argument and she said, "That's not a good enough reason."

[Pumpkinheadmommy]

Not bad at all! Toned-down for a mainstream American audience, and they gave air time to Intact America. Yes, in the end the Joel's baby (and the host's baby) were circumcised, but they made it known the decision was not one they were happy about.

[SlackerDad]

This clip really illustrates how the news media (and particularly morning shows like Today, where this appears to be from rather than MSNBC) follow trends and try to match the tastes and opinions of society (or at least their viewers). Circ has dropped from 90+% to 55% according to their cite, so what better illustration than to show a guy agonising over it, delivering a lot of negative talking points, then just barely deciding to do it in the end.

One can imagine a similar segment when (assuming the trend continues) circ rates are on the other side of the median, at say 45%. Only then after agonising, the subject of the story would decide against!

It's also interesting to project things ahead further. What kinds of stories might they do when the rate is 30%? 20%? At one of those points, the talk will start to be along the lines of "a growing consensus seems to be emerging against circumcision, and some are even talking about banning the procedure".

I'd also expect that when the average person who likes to do things the conventional way (not like us here at Mothering, but we all know this is the way most people think even if they might not admit it in such terms) sees that it has become something done by a distinct minority, the trend will accelerate as conformists jump to the other side. In fact, when it does drop under 50%, saying "most parents don't circumcise these days" could actually be a great intactivist talking point to convince wavering parents.

[outlier]

SlackerDad, can I just say I love how optimistic you are about this! Next time I see a TV clip or read something that makes it seem like we're fighting a losing battle, I'm going to go back and read your post again.

[SlackerDad]

Aw, thanks noodsma!

In addition to what I mentioned already, I figure that almost all the boys born intact in this generation will vociferously oppose circing their boys, so in a couple decades we should see a pretty swift drop.