WOW: One of the most thought provoking videos I've ever seen...

[pdx.mothernurture]

http://asp.noterik.com/video/michael/CIRCUMCISION.mov

Everyone should see this.

It is a sort of video blog program, produced by Michael Schaap, a journalist and filmaker based in Amsterdam, Holland. It's about 35 minutes long, and FREE. There is footage of circumcisions, both medical and ritual. It's probably the most powerful piece on this topic I've ever seen.

Mother, Why Was I Circumcised?

13 01 06 11:33 by macdocman

I decided to do a post of a program I made a year ago for Dutch public broadcaster VPRO. It was never shown abroad and I think you might find this interesting. Be aware: contains some unpleasant footage. And, eeh, it's 35 minutes. But it has great subtitles!

duration: 35:07 filesize: 130,9 Mb
Quote from the original Press release:

This is the first time that a (critical) film about the circumcision of boys has been made in the Netherlands, and this broadcast led to a strong public debate. In this broadcast, a number of questions are put to the MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali, which she subsequently put to the Minister of Health. (Ayaan Hirsi Ali is the controversial Dutch MP who made the film ‘Submission’ with filmmaker Theo van Gogh, who was subsequently murdered by a muslim fanatic). On Friday, 17 December 2004, the Minister decided to exclude the circumcision of boys from the Dutch National Health insurance scheme. 90% of the circumcisions were carried out for religious, rather than health reasons.

http://www.macdocman.com/

Please, share your comments here as well as on his website.

Thanks,

Jen

[pdx.mothernurture]

Anyone watch this yet?

Jen

[mamamillet]

Watched it thanks for sharing. It was very upsetting at times to watch. It seems like such a non-decision. I do not get why it continues to be legal!

[morning glory]

I'm trying to download it right now but I only have dial up and its going veeerrrryyyyy ssssslllllllloooooooowwwwww......ly

Once I've watched I'll post.

Casey

[Minky]

I will have to go to the college campus where I can put my laptop on high speed. I will never get 130 megs on dial up. People will need to use the phone!

[USAmma]

I will watch it this evening. It's probably not appropriate for kids to watch over my shoulder.

[Leiahs]

I just finished watching it. It was difficult...I was horrified and in tears at points, but I felt like he raised a lot of good questions for people to think about. I felt like it mostly dealt with religious circumcisions (especially at the end, he directed himself specifically to Jews and Muslims), but it's certainly applicable to Americans as well. His message, "Think again." There were a lot of familiar comments and arguments from NOCIRC and others (and I saw Mothering made it on the shots of places on the internet to go find info!), and basically it is just definitely something that would hopefully make people THINK. That is our society's problem, the majority of us just don't stop to think about it.
Wish I could say more, but my own precious little boy is waking up.

[Galatea]

I can't make the video work. It loads, and the bar fills up all the way, but there is no video or sound. Just a white screen. Any clues?

ETA: I looked at the comments and someone named "Jen" put up a very pro-circ argument. I rebutted most of it, but maybe someone else wants to chime in?

[Minky]

Did you safe the file to your PC or just try to run it?
You would have to have one hell of a broadband connection to just clik the link and have it work.

[Galatea]

I just waited for the gray bar to fill up completely (5 mins or so) and then pushed play and nothing happened. The bar moved as though it were playing, but then did not actually play.

[pdx.mothernurture]

I posted the link to the video all over the place. A dozen messageboards, at least. I was so impressed, I went a little crazy, lol. So...it seems a lot of people are having trouble accessing it. I was able to download it, and will be putting it on a DVD as a "hard copy" and perhaps make a few to lend out. If all else fails, I'd be happy to "share". But I think if you're patient, and maybe try to access it during 'off' times over the next couple days, you should be able to view it/download it yourself. (You do need Quicktime.)

[USAmma]

I just watched it and it's very powerful. I can't get the image of the blood pouring out of that baby out of my mind. Or the 9 month old who was screaming like that. Ugh!

BTW I downloaded it to my computer before I played it, and I played it in RealPlayer.

[DahliaRW]

Just watched it. It totally made me want to cry for all those poor boys, some of that footage was horrific! And can I say "it looks nicer" is the stupidest reason EVER! And that dad who was intact and wouldn't have it done, geesh, think of what you're doing to your poor son. That really got my blood boiling. And the thought of a circ center made me want to puke. Doctors making thier living mutilating babies, that's just wrong.

[LadyMarmalade]

I have dial up, so it will take too long for me to download, but I'm going to subscribe to the thread so I can watch it next time I visit my parents (they have broadband).

[mamajo2004]

I watched it

I also posted it on another message board - it got a few views, but nobody replied :

[MonicaS]

I have DSL and got the whole white box moving tab thing, too. How would I download it onto my puter, instead of click the link? I am so computer illiterate, it seems.
Basically, how do I do this...

BTW I downloaded it to my computer before I played it, and I played it in RealPlayer.

[colaga]

Sunflower_mommy, thank you for posting that link!
One thing is on my mind though.. if muslims circumcise without pain relief how in the world that poor boy (about 10? years old) was able to even smile once his foreskin was cut away? Or do you think he had been given something for the pain?

[Tinijocaro]

I used Quicktime and saw it immediately- no downloading or waiting for a bar to load.

The thing I liked best about it was the chat the man had with his mother- Why did you do this to me? This is a conversation that will very liely be happening a lot in the coming years in this country, and I think it drives that point home.

[pdx.mothernurture]

Originally Posted by MonicaS

I have DSL and got the whole white box moving tab thing, too. How would I download it onto my puter, instead of click the link? I am so computer illiterate, it seems.
Basically, how do I do this...

Instead of clicking, right-click or control-click and your browser should bring up a little menu with one of the choices being, "download linked file" or "save linked file". Choose that, and it should download to your desktop.

HTHs,

Jen

[pdx.mothernurture]

Originally Posted by colaga

Sunflower_mommy, thank you for posting that link!
One thing is on my mind though.. if muslims circumcise without pain relief how in the world that poor boy (about 10? years old) was able to even smile once his foreskin was cut away? Or do you think he had been given something for the pain?

At age 10, he's probaby retractile...which means, no forced retraction/trauma to the glans. So, that's part of it. I remember with that part of the video specificially, I had to go back a few times because I missed what the narrator was saying. When I did, I believe there was a flash of him with an momentary unpleasant look on his face.

It is also possible they do sometimes use a bit of anesthetic---if the operator is a licensed doctor. But you have to keep in mind that with many of these later circs, it's a 'coming of age ritual' in which the boy is *expected* to maintain his composure and not cry, because he's 'becoming a man'.

Jen