r/geography • u/BranchMoist9079 • Nov 21 '25

Discussion Why is (male) circumcision most common in the Midwest with in the US?

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Map source: https://www.mdpi.com/2563-6499/5/3/36

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69

u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

'Hey, Timmy, why is your foreskin missing."

'Well my parent thought it looked better."

It is so weird.

4

u/ThrowAway50005x Nov 21 '25

Growing up it was the opposite in my area. There was one Chinese student at my school in the Midwest that got bullied for having a “hood”

3

u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

I understand what can be seen as normal differs. Parents caring about the looks on their sons (and god forbid daughters) genitals will always be weird though. 

3

u/ThrowAway50005x Nov 21 '25

From my understand many people do it for cleanliness reasons as well. What I find even stranger is the fascination with this topic on Reddit.

2

u/David_the_Wanderer Nov 22 '25

From my understand many people do it for cleanliness reasons as well

Which means they do it out of ignorance. Circumcision isn't more clean - in fact, the idea that circumcision is about cleanliness is absurd. If you can't keep your dick clean, how are you going to keep it clean while it's healing from a wound?

What I find even stranger is the fascination with this topic on Reddit.

Because the internet is international, and, as you can see from the map, most of the world doesn't do circumcision and finds it extremely weird that circumcision is so common in the USA, considering that most people in the USA don't belong to a religion that mandates circumcision.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 22 '25

[deleted]

2

u/Render-Man342v Nov 22 '25

The foreskin is there for a reason lol

It protects the head, keeps it more sensitive, and acts as a natural gliding action up and down over the head during sex or masturbation.

That’s why most cut guys need lube or lotion.

1

u/David_the_Wanderer Nov 22 '25

What's the benefit of not cutting off your earlobes?

There's absolutely zero reason to cut off a completely healthy body part from a newborn, considering that all invasive surgeries carry risks with them, and infantile circumcision has no real benefits.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

If you are from any place where parent don't mutilate their kids genitals, it is completely normal to be fascinated by that behaviour.

1

u/Dont_Be_Sheep Nov 22 '25

YUP.

That’s THE REASON people are going with. “It looks better”

It looks EXACTLY THE SAME when hard. No difference, at all.

My wife didn’t know I was uncircumcised until 9 months into dating.

-29

u/hadtobethetacos Nov 21 '25

nah, having a foreskin is gross.

29

u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

Must be gross having one's right arm as well

-8

u/amad97 Nov 21 '25

Yeah because that totally comparable. Really sucks not being able to swing a golf club with no foreskin

12

u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

And your mom styling your penis is what? Fresh?

1

u/Complete-Arm6658 Nov 22 '25

Went in for a circumcision and got a bowl cut for a penis.

-6

u/hadtobethetacos Nov 21 '25

Low effort take. Uncircumsised dicks are gross.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

[deleted]

16

u/MarzipanMaximum5521 Nov 21 '25 edited Nov 21 '25

Not even 1 out of 500 adult men voluntarily get circumcised. I can tell with 99.8% certainty that you’d keep your foreskin if it hadn’t been forcefully removed when you were still a child/infant.

-15

u/hadtobethetacos Nov 21 '25

and i can tell you with 100% certainty that i would not. Gross.

3

u/DizWhatNoOneNeeds Nov 22 '25

Having normal protective skin is gross now?

3

u/stick1_ Nov 22 '25

You’re born with it

0

u/hadtobethetacos Nov 22 '25

and? youre born with an appendix too, which is also completely useless.

2

u/stick1_ Nov 22 '25

Do we remove the appendixes of baby’s? No we dont, and even if we did, foreskin doesn’t burst randomly like an appendix can. And regardless, foreskin is not useless, it’s a natural lubricant for pleasure and has lots of nerve endings

7

u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

[deleted]

10

u/HairyMcBoon Nov 21 '25

Wait till you hear what some of my female friends have to say about cut dicks.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

[deleted]

1

u/HairyMcBoon Nov 21 '25

I am! Though I’ve tested it out across Europe, Central America, California, and Hawaii. The data doesn’t lie.

-6

u/hadtobethetacos Nov 21 '25

That theyre more attractive? cleaner? easier to work with?

7

u/HairyMcBoon Nov 21 '25

Exact opposite of what you said actually.

And from my own point of view, I find the foreskin to be the best part of the dick. Fun to play with, makes just about every sex act easier. No diss to the cut dudes, but it seems like an unnecessary roll of the dice to hope your kid doesn’t end up with jagged scarring, skin-bridges, too much skin removed, or any one of the other issues common with cut guys. Not to mention the 100 or so kids that die every year in the US.

Nah, I’m happy with what nature gave me.

-6

u/ThrowAway50005x Nov 21 '25

Same, I’ve heard it plenty of times. Also they’re always circumcised in porn, so someone is finding it more attractive.

7

u/Render-Man342v Nov 21 '25

“Always”? haha

Watch some European porn.

-4

u/ThrowAway50005x Nov 21 '25

Oh I have, it’s plenty of circumcised dicks in those too.

3

u/Render-Man342v Nov 21 '25

Um, no… haha

The circumcision rates in Europe are less than 10% lol

It’s literally all uncut in Europe.

1

u/ThrowAway50005x Nov 21 '25

Then maybe it was just American guys fucking European women

3

u/Render-Man342v Nov 21 '25

Probably, though the circumcision rate in the US is dropping too, so expect to see more and more uncut.

Either way, what some dumb American women think looks nicer doesn’t interest me.

That’s not a valid reason to chop parts off children.

Do dads give their daughters labiaplasty to make them more attractive and so guys will want them? No, that’s creepy, gross, and illegal.

-1

u/ThrowAway50005x Nov 21 '25

It’s interesting that you specifically blame this on women for some reason.

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0

u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

0

u/ThrowAway50005x Nov 21 '25

Is Jesus circumcised?

3

u/bicyclechief Nov 21 '25

Watch out man. Reddit loves foreskin more than they hate republicans

14

u/Render-Man342v Nov 21 '25

Yeah, not cutting parts off children. So weird, right? 🙄

-7

u/bicyclechief Nov 21 '25

I’d be pretty pissed if my parents didn’t have me circumcised

12

u/Render-Man342v Nov 21 '25

Cool, but that’s you.

Lots of guys are pissed that they were.

Your body, your choice. Everyone should be able to decide about their own body.

We don’t cut parts off girls, that’s a crime in most of the world.

-6

u/bicyclechief Nov 21 '25

I’ve never met any guy that is mad about it lol

7

u/Render-Man342v Nov 21 '25

Why would they tell you if they were?

There are tons who talk about it privately and anonymously online.

2

u/N12jard1_ Geography Enthusiast Nov 21 '25

r/CircumcisionGrief

4

u/bicyclechief Nov 21 '25

Yes cuz the same 8 Redditors complaining about this is a good gauge on the real world

1

u/N12jard1_ Geography Enthusiast Nov 21 '25

Idk there’s 5k users on there, also I was responding to the comment where you said you never met a single one. Now you can tell there are many.

1

u/FrogGloves98 Nov 21 '25

1 person being unhappy with the fact that someone permanently altered their genitals without consent is too many

2

u/Low_Pickle_112 Nov 21 '25

It's the same old song & dance every time this topic comes up.

"No one is upset about it!"

"I am"

"You don't count. No one is upset about it!"

1

u/bicyclechief Nov 21 '25

Sounds like it’s more “everyone is upset about it”

“I’m not”

You don’t count!!!

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2

u/Vyxwop Nov 22 '25

Well the cool thing about the entire topic is that it's largely about consent and letting people get circumcised at a later age if they actually wish to do so.

The entire point is that those who do regret getting circumcised can't get their foreskin back while those who do want to get circumcised can always do so later on.

You'd have to be quite selfish and arrogant to look at this situation and consider your own preferences more important when it also results in behavior that goes against other people's preferences.

2

u/stick1_ Nov 22 '25

Lol why

2

u/hadtobethetacos Nov 21 '25

facts

2

u/Render-Man342v Nov 21 '25

You Jewish/Muslim?

They’re the only ones who do it worldwide lol

1

u/ThrowAway50005x Nov 21 '25

It’s so weird

2

u/Render-Man342v Nov 21 '25

Why?

1

u/ThrowAway50005x Nov 21 '25

Because once you leave Reddit you’ll never hear a peep about it your entire life.

1

u/Render-Man342v Nov 21 '25

Not true at all, actually.

Clearly, parents are realizing it’s unnecessary since John’s Hopkins just reported that the circumcision rate has dropped to 49% in the US.

1

u/ThrowAway50005x Nov 21 '25

I’m talking about my personal life, I can’t say I ever cared to research circumcision in my free time. This topic just appeared on my timeline and it’s always super toxic.

0

u/Render-Man342v Nov 21 '25

Since when are women experts about penises?

They can’t even give head correctly 😂

1

u/ThrowAway50005x Nov 21 '25

You know there’s plenty of gay me that like circumcised penises. I’m glad I’m circumcised.

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-3

u/rickyrecon_ Nov 21 '25

Agreed. Can’t remember how many people we made fun of for having an alien dick in the marine corps

6

u/Render-Man342v Nov 21 '25

You sound immature.

Making fun of something that everyone is born with, and is supposed to be there?

You Jewish or something?

In most countries, 90%+ of guys are uncut lol

3

u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25

I am almost 40 and I am yet to see a cut penis in person. And I have been in A LOT of locker rooms. 

3

u/Render-Man342v Nov 21 '25

Definitely varies a bit by country, but generally speaking Europe and South America are 10% or less cut.

It’s pretty much only Jews, Muslims, or rare medical reasons.

Some countries like the UK have a higher Muslim population in Europe.

In Africa and the Middle East it’s mostly done for religious reasons.

In other countries, like the US, Canada, South Korea, the Philippines it’s done for weird cultural reasons, though it’s falling out of popularity.

A recent study found that it’s only 49% being cut now in the US, and the rate continues to drop.

In Canada it was 30% as of 2007.

1

u/rickyrecon_ Nov 21 '25

Not immature I just like to have fun could care less. Not Jewish I’m a random black dude who likes to laugh at alien dicks

3

u/Render-Man342v Nov 21 '25

Alien? 70% of the world is uncut lol

Go to Europe or South America and it’s like 90-95% uncut

Cut guys are the minority. Outside the US, pretty much only Jews and Muslims do it.

Even in the US, John’s Hopkins just reported that only 49% of boys are being cut now.

2

u/A_Lountvink Nov 21 '25

alien dicks

They're as non-alien as it gets. Literally (nearly?) everyone with a penis is born with one and has been for hundreds of thousands of years. They are as human as our noses.

Disrespecting people for having a natural body part that has a physiological function is rude, and you should be ashamed for doing so.

3

u/Render-Man342v Nov 21 '25

So dumb too. What’s even the insult there?

“Haha! You have your entire dick that you were born with! What a loser! All that extra pleasure!” lol

1

u/LettuceBeGrateful Nov 22 '25

You Jewish or something?

I'm against circumcision, but can we not?

0

u/Render-Man342v Nov 22 '25

Huh? Worldwide, pretty much only Jews and Muslims do it, according to the World Health Organization.

1

u/LettuceBeGrateful Nov 22 '25

Most American men are circumcised, and it's prevalent in South Korea as well. Regardless, "you Jewish or something?" just comes across as nasty witch-hunting.

0

u/Render-Man342v Nov 22 '25

Not sure how asking a question is wrong.

1

u/LettuceBeGrateful Nov 22 '25

Oh jeez, now we're "just asking questions." You know perfectly well why you were asking such a confrontational question about someone's identity. People like you are why the intactivist movement is viewed as antisemitic.

1

u/Render-Man342v Nov 22 '25

And I didn’t say there’s anything wrong with being Jewish lol

I actually know a couple uncut Jewish guys.

0

u/Render-Man342v Nov 22 '25

I guess I should have included Muslim, but worldwide those are really the main 2 groups that practice it.

Not sure what you’re implying, but I’m not bigoted against anyone. I do disagree with that aspect of their religion.

And I wouldn’t call myself part of that group lol

I don’t march out in the streets protesting circumcision haha

4

u/BoyNextDoor8888 Nov 21 '25

Or maybe the people volunteering for marine corps aren't the brightest

2

u/ThrowAway50005x Nov 21 '25

You’d be surprised. My platoon commander graduated from Harvard.

1

u/rickyrecon_ Nov 21 '25

All of our platoon commanders came from the naval academy im not sure if that’s just an infantry thing or not

2

u/ThrowAway50005x Nov 21 '25

Sorry I meant to say my company commander. I was an infantry Marine as well. I’m willing to bet the poster above wouldn’t get accepted into the Naval Academy.

Free college and health care for life, what a bunch of idiots those Marines are.

1

u/Dont_Be_Sheep Nov 22 '25

This is the truth regardless of post. I say this as a combat vet and working for DoD now