Disturbing T.V.

[calngavinsmom]

I was watching a new show the other day called Residents Life. It is basically a show that follows the lives of resident doctors. During one segment, it followed a OB/GYN intern and showed a clip of her observing a circumcision. It showed the poor little guy crying away and a flash of what they were doing.

Now, when it registered what was going on, I felt physically ill. My heart started to race and my hair stood on end.(back of my neck sort of thing) Later that same night, I was watching maternity ward(yes, I like medical shows) and it showed the beginning of a Bris ceremony. They had the sister of the baby(maybe 8 years old) carry the baby into the room. That was all I could stand to see, I had to leave the room and then my dh was happy to change it to football.

Does anyone else have such a strong reaction to things like this? I mean I know I am passionate about the issue but is this normal?

Well, I guess I know why I don't watch a heck of a lot of T.V.

Take care and thanks for listening.
Tara

[Sarah]

Your reaction is normal. What is abnormal is pople who do NOT feel that way when confronted with scenes of genital mutilation.

There are many men who recognise the harm of what was done to them who can not even bring themselves to say the WORD circumcision. They can not speak it outloud becuause they have such an extreme feeling.

I can bring myself to say it, but I hate it. I want to rinse my mouth out with bleach. it feels like a serpent slithered out. I hate that word. the sharp ssss hits twice- like two sweeping cuts. I don't know how to spell it, but the word meaning that the name sounds like the thing- like clickety clack, or tick tock, clip clop... to me, the WORD circumcision is the same as circumcision... the word sounds like how I imagine a scalpel in genital flesh sounds and I detest it with the same ferocity.

Love Sarah

[Frankly Speaking]

Sarah:

onomatopoeia: (on-no-mat-o-pee-ya) The formation or putting together of words to resemble the sounds made by the thing signified, as buzz


Just in case you wanted to know and really cared. (Pardon me while I show off my vocabulary)




Frank

[Sarah]

which would explain why annamatopia didn't get close to giving me a spell check option.

Thanks Frank- I would hav never thought to start with the letter o.

Lov Sarah

[bloodrayne]

Wow, the same exact thing happened to me! I mean, I saw the exact same parts of both of those shows! I got really upset and had to change the channel too. I feel awful just thinking about it now. I am glad I had a son, so that I was forced to confront circumcision, and make a decision on it, and now I can try to help other people realize how barbaric it is and not impose it on their poor babies.

[Linda in OZ]

I just received an email from urban rebel regarding circumcision in the Philippines. Not thinking much about it opened it up and nearly brought up my dinner. BE WARNED. I think it is tragic that people think this barbaric practice is normal, the thought of having my babies cut apart from making me ill, never occurred to me.
Linda

THIS SITE HAS DISTURBING PHOTOS
Linda

Here is a site worth looking at http://xtulepinoy.tripod.com/
Philippine Doctor Joson is fighting to stop routine male circumcision
in the Philippines.

More and more doctors are joining in the campaign to stop this evil
preatice, which causes deaths, physical and mental injuries.

[Frankly Speaking]

Thanks for posting that Linda. There is a common misconception that the US is the only country that circumcises the majority of it's males for non ritual reasons and as you have shown, this is not true. Males are circumcised in Korea, the Philipines and other parts of Asia. However, these countries circumcise at the age of 6 and older and usually with the cooperation of the victim. All of the "reasons" are the same and all are just as false as they are here. "The US is the only country that routinely circumcises it's newborns for non religious reasons." is a more truthful statement. Isreal is the only country that circumcises the majority of it's newborns for religious reasons. All other countries that circumcise for religious reasons do it to their older children with at least some participation and acquiescence from most of the victims.

The difference is that in these other countries, the victim remembers when it was done and why it was done. They usually had at least some part in it and see significance in the procedure. This is certainly not true in the US brand of circumcision. I believe this difference may make it easier to wipe it out in the US as it has been mostly wiped out in Canada, England, Australia and New Zealand. I suspect it will survive generations in those countries that do it for religious significance.




Frank

[merpk]

Frank, just being technical: "Isreal" doesn't circumcise anyone. Jews who live in Israel perform the "ritual" of bris milah.

There are some there who don't, as well.

[Quirky]

Speaking of the Philippines, I have a good friend who served there in the Peace Corps for two years. She went as a forestry specialist, but ended up doing some of everything...including working in a travelling health clinic where one of the services they offered was circumcision for adults. She has/had no medical training, just watched a couple and then off she went. I suppose it was marginally better that she was doing it under relatively clean conditions with decent instruments, but still.....blech.

ETA: the Peace Corps wasn't pushing these, it was something that people were going to do anyway.

[Frankly Speaking]

Originally posted by merpk
Frank, just being technical: "Isreal" doesn't circumcise anyone. Jews who live in Israel perform the "ritual" of bris milah.

There are some there who don't, as well.

Amy:

You understood what I was saying. To phrase it the way I did was simply a convention of speach, verbal shorthand to avoid becoming overly verbose. America still circumcises a majority of it's males but eveyone here knows that The United States government circumcises no one. What are you trying to do?




Frank

[Xenogenesis]

Dear Frank,

You also forgot to mention the fact that there is a growing trend in Israel wanting to do away with routine religious circumcision.

[Xenogenesis]

And For Pete's Sake, Frank.

Look Down.

Your Left Sock Is Slightly Turned Also . . .

[isleta]

i would feel the same way Tara! I do not have cable so I miss the medical shows.
The photos were pretty graphic, but worth checking out. I could not take seeing these images however. I have a friend who was a medical assistant in a peds office and assisted in routine circumcision. She had no problems with it and told me that the babies did not cry much because it happens so fast. Yah OK. In my moms group the Jewish families all circumcisize their sons. They tell me that if there is not a religious reason then there should be no circumcision.

[BelovedBird]

Funny that you bring up Israel as a country in this topic. In the Israeli medical establishment there is no RIC. If I expected my insurance to cover a circ they would probably look at me like a grew a second head. Noone mentioned circ in any of my three hospital births to boys. And I was in the hospital for a minimum of 48 hours with each.

Those things are all pretty much oposite to the situation in the US- the pressure from the hospital to consent to the operation, the insurance coverage. The circing of the baby in the hospital right after birth.

Just some *facts* for everyone. Coming from an actual citizen of the country being discussed.

[merpk]

Frank, wasn't trying to do anything, really. Just read the sentence, didn't feel comfortable with how it sounded, so typed the response.

And my experience is the same as BB's, BTW, though I gave birth in American hospitals: Never once did any doctor, nurse, or hospital staff even mention circumcision to me or my husband or any member of my family.

[Xenogenesis]

That's Great! You don't often hear that around here.

I imagine anyone bearing traditional Jewish names are harrassed about circumcision a lot less often by the hospital staff.

[alissakae]

blech

I used to enjoy medical shows too. I haven't had cable tv for several years now though, and I guess it's a good thing. In August I spent a week visiting my sister, and we watched some of the shows about birth while I was there. Those are enough to make you sick also, with the high percentage who get sectioned. Thank goodness we didn't get subjected to any circ scenes, it would have ruined our cheesecake.

[Xenogenesis]

T

Why do sisters eat fattening things like cheesecake when they get together? Is it a bonding thing?

You - or your parents - wouldn't happen to be of European descent? (Everyone knows the BEST cheesecake is NOT found at the local grocery store.)

[alissakae]

Our great-grandparents came over from Denmark. Does that count?

My dh and my bil both went to scout camp the same week, so I took a week of vacation to my girls and I could hang out with my sis and her daughters. I think we each gained 5 pounds that week - and we are definetly bonded!

[alissakae]

Our great-grandparents came over from Denmark. Does that count?

My dh and my bil both went to scout camp the same week, so I took a week of vacation so my girls and I could hang out with my sis and her daughters. I think we each gained 5 pounds that week - and we are definetely bonded!