James Agee
Let Us Now Praise Famous Men
.
"What words do you not yet have? What do you need to
say? What are the tyrannies you swallow day by day and
attempt to make your own, until you will sicken and die
of them, still in silence?"
Andre Lorde
The Transformation of Silence Into Language and
Action
Circumcised? Intact?Glad? Sorry?
Why?
How has being circumcised or intact affected your life?
How do you feel about it?
When -- and how -- did you first realize that part of your penis had -- or had not been -- cut off? What was your reaction? How did you feel about it then? How do you feel about it now?
How do you feel about the person who circumcised you?
How do you feel about your parents for having you circumcised -- or keeping you intact?
If you were circumcised as a baby -- even for "religious" reasons -- would you rather that the person who circumcised you had been stopped, by force if necessary?
What, if anything, would you give to have your foreskin intact, just as if you had never been circumcised, if that were possible?
What, for you, has been "the circumcision experience"?
Circumcised as an adult? Better? Worse? How?
If you are intact, would any amount of money induce you to part with your foreskin -- and if so, how much? If not, why not? What, for you, has been "the foreskin experience"?
If someone had started to circumcise you when you were a baby, even at your parents' request -- even for "religious" reasons -- would you want him or her to have been stopped, by force if necessary?
Do you think that circumcision without consent of the circumcised should be outlawed?
What, if anything, do you think should be done about -- or to -- those who cut off healthy foreskins of children and babies?
What is the heaviest -- most extreme -- foreskin or circumcision "thing" you ever experienced, witnessed, or heard about?
Do you have any thoughts about why anyone would want to cut off a baby's (or anyone else's) foreskin or why anyone would want a baby's (or anyone else's) foreskin cut off?
Is there something deep in your heart you want to express?
If you are a woman, what are your thoughts and feelings about -- your experience with -- the male foreskin, male circumcision, and/or female genital mutilation?
Please respond freely, in detail. Heavy, "unprintable," anonymous OK. Confidentiality respected absolutely. All responses welcome, appreciated.
Responses will be added to this website -- but only with your permission -- anonymously (unless you specify otherwise) in the hope that they stimulate further inquiry and encourage and empower others to speak up as well.
John A. Erickson
qsmd@datasync.comIf you would rather respond by regular mail, my mailing address is:
1664 Beach Blvd. #216
Biloxi, MS 39531-5351
USA