muslim_pakistani_guy: wtf?? How is that relevant

Comes up every flamewar.

Tatsuma: Now, I think we can mostly all agree here that it's a barbaric practice that must stop.

It's sort of not quite in the same stadium--male circumcision is on the 50 yard line, and the female version is way the hell out in the parking lot somewhere. Far more severe.

muslim_pakistani_guy: Do all pecker threads turn into discussions about cutting clitorises?

Yeah, they do. Always gets conflated by someone--usually it starts as a troll, but you know how flamewars are.

muslim_pakistani_guy: What do you mean.. people actually support it?!?

The usual flamewar is that it's a barbaric muslim practise (because most of the first-world examples are in muslim communities), to which the usual counter is that it's mostly an *African* tribal practise that was adopted by some african muslims--and it gets worse from there.

Tatsuma: In places like Egypt, more than 90% of women are "circumcised" and the same % believe that men prefer women that way (which might actually be true in Egypt) and want their daughters to be like that as well!

There was a book by...I want to say Heinlen, about a guy who gets cryogenically frozen and then gets thawed in the future, who's about to get laid when the chick he's about to roger gets freaked out because he's 'mutilated'--because the practise is unheard of there.

Sex seems to bring up some really freaky attitudes in this world, doesn't it?

muslim_pakistani_guy: But its not even allowed in Islam

It is, however, a tribal custom in certain parts of Africa that has been subsumed within the frame of Islam in those areas--that is to say, the people who do it identify themselves as Muslims, and continue to do that practise; they then emigrate to...where was the last example in the news, Britain?...and import doctors/shamans/whatnot from their previous residence to perform the operation there--upon which there arises a Big Stink.

Tatsuma: yup, there are some here and a lot in the world

Not too many on Fark outside of the trolls, though.

Tatsuma: I don't think I ever heard about asians having such practices, although I could be wrong

Look up "foot binding" for a similar sort of practise--though rather than expressing sexual dominance, it's a more generalized form. Used to be practised in China all the time; I think it was outlawed early last century--at least, *officially* outlawed.

/Though I'm pretty sure I saw a fetish website for it once.

Tatsuma: You can see it's fiction, cause even in the future, you can be sure there will be two things: Coca Cola and Jews.

For Jews, you'll want Niven, IIRC. I seem to vaguely recall that there was a significant Jewish presence in a few of his books.

Also, stop explaining my points before me, in a clearer manner.

Heheheh. And to think, I'm doing it on one pot of coffee, with "Convoy" stuck in my head.

Tatsuma: Oh, there are some. As I said, it's in the name of culturalism

Ah, I see what you're getting at there. I'm not sure if that's an actual held belief, or more a devil's advocacy/borderline trolling thing--but then, I'm not generally the one arguing with those folk, so I haven't kept as close an eye on their arguements.

Thorak: why we've been cutting off foreskins for eons.

And don't give me that "cleanliness" crap either. It's called "bathing". It takes an extra 20 seconds in the shower to clean properly.

True, but we've only had indoor plumbing for a couple hundred years now.

Aside from the Romans, but what did they ever do for us?

Tatsuma: I told you, I don't want you to share kinky websites with me

*shrug* Neither you nor I can stay the infinite variety and myriad wonders of Rule 34.

/Of course I know about foot binding, sheesh. I wasn't saying women had it easy over there, I was saying that particular option wasn't popular.

Oh, I know. I was just pointing out that the kink ran along a different path there.

Thorak: I can think of worse ways to spend 6 days.

Remember, if you clean it for more than three scrubs, you're playing with it.

/It's mine, and I'll clean it as hard and as long as I like!

elchip: I can think of better ways to spend it, too...

Having someone else clean it for you?

Giving it a real spit and polish job?

Tatsuma: Oh, on Fark, you can be sure SOMEONE is going to hold a retarded opinion

I think that's a law of physics for the Internet in general.

dillenger69: The age old debate rages on ...

Shouldn't there be a badger in there for that snake?

Thorak: Granted. But mutilating your pecker, for only a very small cleanliness (and no health) benefit? Doesn't seem justified, frankly.

Better'n getting a yeast infection in there....

I can understand religious reasons, but it's still a mutilation. Definitely not as damaging as FGM, by any means, but that's like saying punching a baby isn't as bad as poking it with hot irons.

Branding is practised by some peoples, as well. And if you read up on your tribal markings, you'll find even worse--for instance, again from Africa, there are certain peoples who incise a cut into the skin, then fill the wound with ash before closing it, thus resulting in a raised scar.

They get some pretty cool designs going with that, actually; I'm sure that the next big teenage/young adult rebellion sign will be a modification of that.

21-7-b: i wonder if this is solely because of a loss of sensation increasing control, or whether there is another factor involved?

Less likely to have traces of various fluids being kept in close proximity to mucous membranes for extended periods of time, I'd wager.