Being Pregnant
Foreskin Man, An Anti-Circumcision (And Anti-Semitic?) Comic Book
A group in San Francisco are pushing for a ban on circumcisions. The latest weapon in their “intactivist” arsenal is a comic book character named Foreskin Man. He’s a blond beefcake who stands for the preservation of male genitalia.
He’s ripped but he’s not cut. OK, so there’s there that.
But the real trouble starts when Foreskin Man is pitted against an evil rabbi named Monster Mohel. The rabbi is a gruesome horrible monster from whom innocent (presumably Jewish) babies must be saved.
Not surprisingly, it’s being called anti-Semitic.
Over at The Week there’s a great breakdown of the opposing opinions. One side says this is blatantly anti-Semitic: According to J.E. Dyer at Hot Air, the case against circumcision can be made “without depicting a scary rabbi named Monster Mohel slavering over a naked infant.” The battle between an Aryan-looking anti-circumcision superhero against “a scary rabbi named Monster Mohel” makes explicit that these particular intactivists think, “the Judaic religious view of circumcision as evil and repulsive.”
On the other hand, “An activist has every right to criticize religious leaders when he thinks they are violating someone’s human rights, says Eugene Volokh at The Volokh Conspiracy. That’s true about Jewish views on circumcision, Wahhabi Muslim attitudes toward women, and the opinions of some Christian groups about homosexuality. Critics should be careful about how they frame their accusations, but others should likewise respect ‘legitimate hostility to teachings and actions that are plausibly seen as causing secular harm.’”
My two cents: I’ve actually heard some of the most thoughtful, nuanced discussions about whether to circumcise from within the Jewish community. Authors Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman have written eloquently on the topic. I know Jews who have not circumcised their sons and those who have. This is not always an easy decision. As one Jewish dad I spoke with said, “It’s not some little side-custom, it’s like, how there started to be Jews.” It’s been very meaningful to me to be a part of these conversations as I am British by birth, and it’s not customary to circumcise in my family/culture, but my husband is Jewish and American. I found conversations about circumcision with my husband and among my extended family to be intellectual, spiritual, scientific– these talks helped us form a good template for making hard parenting decisions in the future, and there will be many.
The creators of Foreskin Man do the opposite. They have closed down all of that possibility for tolerance and education. These are clearly not the people to be raising our consciousness about this issue. Also, on a purely practical note, isn’t this comic alienating one key demographic it hopes to sway? They are trying to save Jewish babies from being circumcised, but they’re anti-Semites? As a Jewish friend of mine, who found this comic completely anti-Semitic, commented, “It’s like if a bunch of Klansman got together to seriously tackle the problem of childhood obesity in the black community.”
No one is making you circumcise in the hospital these days. The American Academy of Pediatricians is neutral on the issue and recent reports suggest the number of baby boys being circumcised in America is going down. It seems that this kind of virulence isn’t necessary. We’re in such a good place to expand our idea of what’s normal. Let’s stay on that track?
Photo: Facebook/Foreskin Man
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8 Comments
Meredith commented on Jun 09 11 at 5:13 pmIt also just doesn’t make sense. It’s not like Mohels burst into the homes of unsuspecting new families and force a bris upon them. New parents who want a bris seek out and hire and pay for a mohel! The comic authors really mean to say that the new parents are monsters, but it’s easier, instead, to vilify their clerics.
Bob Loblaw commented on Jun 09 11 at 7:00 pmAll genital cutting, male or female, operates under the premise that our genitals are inherently wrong, or dirty. As far back as history goes there has been a common theme of religious officials telling people that their genitals are evil, or unclean, or that touching them or engaging in sex is evil. These sort of beliefs have caused great turmoil to many people and are still perpetuated today.
There is nothing inherently wrong or unclean about the natural penis or the natural vagina. To say otherwise, is to say that either God made a mistake, or that Mother Nature/Evolution made a mistake, depending on your beliefs.
The only circumstance in which one would feel motivated to take a sharpened stone and cut away flesh from a baby boy is one in which you believe an invisible dictator is the sky is commanding you to do so. Religion has long been the justification for barbaric behavior.
And yet you expect me to simply accept it without questioning it? I’m sorry, but Religion and Tradition can clearly be wrong.
Poncho commented on Jun 10 11 at 11:50 amMeredith, the author is not saying you shouldn’t question religion. She thinks it’s perfectly acceptable to criticize circumcision but she is saying the way this comic goes about it is completely hateful and wrong. The way the Mohel is depicted is very reminiscent of anti-Jewish stereotypes (evil vampire/demon craving helpless baby blood) and even the father is depicted as your typical money grubbing Jewish businessman.
If a Jewish fence sitter saw this comic do you honestly think it would convince them not to circumcise their child? Or so you think perhaps would it would be better to show them there is an alternative to a traditional Bris, which is Bris Shalom?
Poncho commented on Jun 10 11 at 12:17 pmOops sorry, my comment was directed at Bob! :)
merachefet commented on Jun 11 11 at 4:36 pmIt’s no coincidence San Francisco is the first city in which circumcision may be banned – in Jewish mysticism, the foreskin represents the capacity for sexual desire to overpower all aspects of a human being and a society, thereby distorting its purpose – re-creation of humanity through the chain of generations.
http://ruchoshelmashiach.blogspot.com/2011/06/on-san-fran-sicko-and-circumcision.html
Leif Harmsen commented on Jun 11 11 at 4:58 pmIt isn’t the parent’s foreskin to cut off! It is pure evil for parents to assume that they have a right to decide to cut parts off of their children for not medical reason whatsoever. It isn’t their foreskin to cut off – period. If there’s going to be a discussion, the person whose foreskin it is should be doing the discussing and make their own final decision about what body parts they want to cut off of themselves. Nobody else has that right and if they think they do, they’re wrong, and they’d better hope that their son can find it in his heart to forgive them for doing such a horrible thing.
Emilio commented on Jun 12 11 at 2:10 pmCircumcision should be legalize in the same conditions as getting a tattoo, the person must be of legal age.
Aviva commented on Jun 19 11 at 4:43 pmI appreciate the thoughtfulness of this article. Yet, it is not surprising that the comments don’t address the subject of the article – the depiction of the Monster Mohel.
The imagery used in these comics is reminiscent of the classic European and Nazi anti-Semitic propaganda. This is just another chapter in the long history of the depiction of Jews as evil. As Americans, we should not tolerate this kind of blatant Antisemitism. If we truly believe in the American ideal of religious freedom and tolerance, then we need stand up against the vilification of Jews.
If you really want to discuss the subject of male circumcision lets have a cogent discussion of the facts. Vilification of a minority group only takes away from your point.
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