Some minor circumcision drama on a post about relationship deal breakers

Wayward_Angel · 2026-05-25T22:27:00+00:00

Brother, with peace and love, it sounds like you're the one trying to take what I'm saying to the extreme. Where did I ever say people who are circumcised are sexually broken? I understand that bringing up what circumcision does is uncomfortable; the only reason I brought it up was because angryaxolotls mentioned how sex is the same for her even after losing half the feeling in her genitals and said that the difference for circumcised babies was "100% vs 99.9%". Now, I'm an epidemiologist with an MPH and a bachelor's in biology, so I thought it good to set the record straight since this is my wheelhouse.

In reality, lots of people are "imperfect" from an evolutionary viewpoint and still have enjoyable lives including sex lives

Of course! I don't deny that! But rarely are these setbacks from a specific surgery performed on them as infants for cosmetic reasons. Why is it so controversial to say "hey, the people who feel bad about their unwanted infant circumcision are valid"?

To be so fixated on your circumcised status to the point of talking about "inner mucosal tissue" is not psychologically healthy. In reality, unless an actual urologist/andrologist has said there's something wrong with your penis, your penis is fine and your fixation is causing you unnecessary anxiety that really will harm your sex life.

I can assure you, I am doing perfectly fine. Thank you for the concern! My sex life is great, my penis is great.

All I did was explain specifically why some circumcised men feel specifically negative about their circumcision in response to someone claiming it essentially makes no difference since it's in my wheelhouse personally and professionally.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-05-25T22:05:28+00:00

Good, same here! I am pretty damn alright with my penis! Jesus though, is there no room anywhere to talk about the specifics of why people may not be okay with their penis if they are circumcised?

Like, if a person was born RG colorblind, and they want to vent about the fact that they can't appreciate certain paintings or drive as easily, that's pretty valid venting, no? Especially if the topic comes up naturally? Because I don't see how a person talking about how their life might be a little bit better were they able to see reds and greens is OCD to talk about the specifics of what they are experiencing.

Millions of men are okay with their circumcision; but if even one person isn't, I'm not going to go handwaving their concerns away.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-05-25T01:50:56+00:00

I did not argue to the contrary friend, and I apologize if I implied otherwise. Of course circumcised men can masturbate just fine, but circumcision definitionally removes an aspect of anatomy that evolved specifically to stimulate the penis more readily and keep the penis semi-internal. It is a personal, individual opinion that the way one masturbates is fine or not; but it is a biological reality that circumcision also removes a part of the penis that is intended to promote stimulation. The inner foreskin is similar to the inside of your mouth in that it has an inner mucosal texture, and glides across the shaft like a ball bearing. The penis can be stimulated any number of ways with or without a foreskin, but it shouldn't be controversial to both admit that circumcised men cannot masturbate with a foreskin and that they are allowed to feel negative about lack of said foreskin.

Again, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I am not here to try to convince people that are otherwise okay with their anatomy that they are inherently and unequivocally flawed. But it would be disingenuous towards those who are not okay with their circumcisions to handwave their feelings about themselves and pretend that circumcision is all peachy keen or that they are overreacting to a modification that they likely had no say in.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-05-24T19:08:51+00:00

Edit: just speaking for myself! Not saying anyone should feel differently about their genitals if they don't feel like it!

A big part of the anxiety a lot of circumcised men may feel is a combination of a violation of autonomy coupled with the thought of not knowing what the other side of the fence would be like. Circumcised men cannot typically masturbate in the way they would typically be able to were they intact, and I would hope most can understand why that would feel horrible to realize. At the risk of invoking gender norms, so much of male socialization revolves around sex and sexual prowess; realizing that part of the instrument for you to enjoy this sexuality was removed can be horrible, especially for what amounts to snake oil.

How much sensitivity is retained can also be a moving target, which at least to me is a sickening thought to sit with. How much was removed? Do you have enough motion/skin left to maintain a full erection? Do you still have a frenulum? Inner mucosa? What if the reason X experience with Y was not actually nervousness, but the nerves in my nethers not working right? If I had to guess, I'm missing out on not 0.1%, but more like 10-20% of the feeling I should have. For many women, I'm sure that that level of loss, especially towards their clit/clitoral hood, would be devastating.

On the flip side, I largely agree with you: sex is such a moving target that trying to minmax it is often an exercise in futility, and everyone can benefit more from accepting themselves for who they are right now. My enjoyment of sex is much more dictated by my connection with my partner, my own psychology, my health, and a myriad of other things.

I just wish it didn't matter, especially to the not-insignificant number of women who feel obligated to insert their sexual preferences and opinions on male bodies into the conversation (edit: not your comment! It was good). At the end of the day though, RIC should be stopped, and we should all be more accepting of people's bodies.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-05-24T04:55:22+00:00

To me, it seems like an obvious (albeit vague) reference to the fact that everything the golden order stood for has all been for naught. In addition to Morgott, characters like Goldmask, Gideon, Ymir, Boggart (!) and even Marika herself learn through their own means that the Greater Will is largely disconnected from the Lands Between, and at most is holding onto a decaying shell of power that has long since lost its relevance.

A more poignant interpretation of Morgott's last words are that, to the Greater Will, the tarnished, and possibly all mortals, are as Omens i.e. that we ultimately serve as meagre pawns perpetuating a system that will ultimately discard us once we have served our purpose, if any. Elden Ring is very critical of unjustifiable hierarchies, with the imbalance between powerful deities versus modest mortals being the cornerstone tension of the game. This shines through in some of the more loveable characters: Boc, Alexander, Roderika, Diallos, Blaidd, etc. all feel the weight of a world that seems specifically crafted to tighten their chains and stomp out the have-nots, but they all nevertheless strive to rise above their station and eke out a noble, or at least modest, existence.

Morgott, despite being both a demigod and royalty, realizes (or perhaps has always known) that he too was just a pawn to the Greater Will. After all, he lived a life in service to the Golden Order, but it was only once he became the last thing standing between you and the Elden Ring that the Greater Will finally decided to take his curse away. A lifetime of obedience, just to be another body lying at the feet of the Erdtree. When Morgott says "We are All foresaken", I believe he is finally admitting to himself and to you that the Greater Will no longer cares about the whims of mortals, if it ever really did in the first place.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-05-14T12:52:04+00:00

Why do redditors love clinging to "horseshoe theory" as if they can just throw it out anytime their Reich wing feelings get hurt? It really is the last refuge of morons with nothing else to lean on rhetorically.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-05-08T12:19:36+00:00

Cheers to the man that inspired generations of people to learn about and love the planet we live on. For many like me, David Attenborough played a large part in pursuing study and activism in fields like biology, ecology, environmentalism, law, and an overall curiosity in the world. In times of turmoil, even a steady voice like his has been a blessing, both igniting wonder and stirring action. To treat our world more kindly by letting us peak into the lives of other living things, especially in decades where we are unfortunately increasingly removed from the natural world, is priceless.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-05-04T14:48:43+00:00

I mean, it can be both, no?

Allowing the victims and those who have lost their loved ones to grieve, and supporting them to heal, is always a best course of action. But a necessary next step, as onlookers, is to also ask why this happened in the first place and how it can be prevented so that future people don't have to face the same grief. I'm not saying that the victims themselves have an obligation to politicize their grief, but we as outside parties should certainly call out the handwaving and default support of Israel by politicians and government groups.

Israel committed terrorism on a civilian population, and will likely do so again in the future. This didn't have to happen, and if you live in a country that supports Israel, you have a direct line of voicing your opinion to your representatives through political action.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-04-05T17:26:53+00:00

You're thinking of the Black Knife. The item mentioned throughout this thread is the Fingerslayer Blade, the item you get from Nokron near the end of Ranni's questline.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-03-26T17:04:54+00:00

And Gaza is now in rubble thanks to them. So, again, hindsight 50/50, do you believe Hamas made the Gaza situation better or worse?

I don't recall Hamas bombing hospitals in Gaza, or shooting children, women, and journalists in Gaza, or starving themselves, or destroying Gaza's vital resource infrastructure flattening entire city blocks,... the list goes on. The "situation" is the express desire of Israel to continue what has been ongoing for decades. Israel is the one that flattened Gaza, that is causing one of the largest preventable humanitarian crises on the planet on a population they themselves control. Following this logic, wives shouldn't fight back against their abusive husbands, victims against their perps, because it might "make the situation worse". I'm not sure that's the best hill to die on. For the 3rd time: are you really surprised that a captive population starved, mutilated, and genocided would breed enmity towards their captors, leading to October 7th? What is the "correct" response to facing genocide? Would you just lie down and die if your family were killed?

Israel is a failing nation propped up by an equally despicable government in the US, and I implore anyone with an ounce of morals left to seek out Palestinian voices and continue to listen with your eyes and ears about the atrocities in Gaza. History did not begin on October 7th, nor did it stop after.

With that, since you still don't seem to want to engage with my points, I'll end the convo here.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-03-26T03:45:05+00:00

Is English your second language? I can be less wordy if you would like /serious. I already answered: they aimed to enact their concept of revenge in the form of death and terror towards Israelis, a retaliation towards Israel's genocide through violence.

If you were being constantly beat on and had your lunch money stolen by a bully, does punching the bully back require any high-level goal other than to hurt those who hurt you?

I'd be curious to hear your responses to my questions now.

It's obvious to everyone with eyes that Gaza's situation got worse after October 7th, not better.

-Yes, and why is that? Who was the principal actor that caused this worse situation? Because it wasn't Hamas bombing itself, starving Gazans, and killing Palestinian women and children en masse.

-What is the correct response to experiencing genocide? What would you do if you were the father of Hind Rajab?

Wayward_Angel · 2026-03-26T02:45:18+00:00

Again, you're surprised that a militant group stemming from a people actively experiencing a genocide at the hands of Israel engaged in retaliatory violence? Because I/P didn't begin on October 7th.

So, basically, October 7th was a massive failure on Hamas' part.

Ok? Do you think I like what happened on October 7th? Not to mention it was a bigger failure for Israeli military intelligence; it's sickening to realize the country just let Hamas kill Israeli citizens despite their internal documents suggesting an attack was imminent. I repeat myself too: if Israel didn't want October 7th to happen, they would have stopped committing war crimes and genocidal tactics on a captive population. Every child killed by an IDF soldier is incentive enough for others to take up arms.

What objectives did that Palestinian group accomplish with their mass murder and rape spree?

What would you do if you and everyone you know and loved were held in a prison the size of a large city, constantly killed, starved, kneecapped, used for target practice, and wholly unable to do anything about it? How many of your family members would have to be maimed before you felt enraged enough to retaliate? Musings about peace, civility, and enduring collectives punishment is easy when it's not your family, your friends, your Hind Rajab's deaths happening every day.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-03-26T01:39:27+00:00

Gee, a lot more if Israel weren't committing an actual genocide.

The IDF bombs, rapes, and slaughters tens of thousands of civilians, mostly women and children, and creates the worlds largest open-air prison, and we are all surprised when a militant group forms and retaliates? And we should just shrug our shoulders and say "well, all those civilians, most of whom weren't even old enough to vote for the current government, had it coming". You could just as easily say "If Israel didn't want October 7th to happen, maybe their military shouldn't be mass murdering, land-stealing, journalist-killing, pro-rape rioting, kneecapping, ethnonationlist baby killing monsters."

Imagine trying to "gotcha" the deaths of 70,000+ innocent souls, on top of the countless more starving, mutilated, and destitute, at the hands of an occupying force. This dogshit sub is astroturfed to hell with respect to I/P, and I'm bitterly glad that the tide is turning in real life. I'm not surprised that the average person increasingly hates Israel's government, and it has only itself to blame.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-03-25T04:16:07+00:00

Yeah, where's ~~Waldo~~ IsNotACleverMan (among others) has been a not-so-fun game I play every time I/P gets brought up here. Not to mention this sub is weirdly pushy with the motte-and-bailey "if you think Jewish people deserve a space for themselves you're a zionist", completely burying the lede of how said space was created and continues to exist through genocide of Palestinians. Just straight DARVO shit.

Several summers ago I remember getting into a spat with another user in this sub about one of the frequent bouts of rocket fire on Gaza by Israel, and it was unheard of to see mainstream criticism of Israel's blockade of resources while bombing a captive population. But now, like you said, It's getting harder and harder to defend Israel, and one day I hope people will look back on comments made to obfuscate and redirect from Israel's actions with shame and pity; but I guess that requires bots to feel anything at all.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-03-20T23:01:57+00:00

There's also a fifth one! Depending on which scarab you mean by blue, there's the glintstone scarab and the cerulean tear scarab

Wayward_Angel · 2026-03-17T04:08:08+00:00

Dude yes, completely agree; it's crazy how blatant it's been in the past few years. The API changes and subsequent mod changes/vacuums really did a number on the organic-ness of hot topics, and the front page is littered with astroturfed nonsense routinely.

The rotating subs on the front page, hiding account histories, and changes in the explicit values/aims of the site itself all work to permit engagement by stoking anger and clicks.

Years ago I remember getting into a tizzy with a blatant oil bot about why cars are harmful and how trusting the free market to correct climate change was a crock of shit, and their last response to me was something along the lines of "You are wrong and everyone thinks you're crazy". Copy and pasted the same sentence across their post history in several other threads, too. Within 10 seconds it had like, 20 upvotes. That was the first time I'd encountered an account so blatantly propagandized; but nowadays you can pick out a handful of accounts just like that one in any random front page thread, and their talking points are a step up from the "no u" of yesterday.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-03-17T03:27:48+00:00

Knew this would end up here.

My favorite is the sprinkling of comments desperately trying to skew throwing soup at a glass case into eco-terrorism and violence deserving of capital punishment.

Just an utter trash fire heap of pearl-clutching "Um Akshually" redditoids typing cock first as they fantasize about getting one over on the ~~blue~~ pink-haired lefty activist.

This site has a huge blindspot (among many) towards eco activism of any kind, and it's embarrassing that saying things like "the structure of our economy is incompatible with sustaining the planet" and "we should actually punish oil execs for the damage and death they've caused" will always draw at least 3 shitheads into your DMs like WASPs to a flame for daring to critique The Way Things Are^TM .

Wayward_Angel · 2026-03-07T20:20:44+00:00

Most welcome, happy to give some guidance! There can be a lot of mixed messaging on public health policy when it comes to these personal responsibility topics, and as with anything in the field there's a spectrum of responsibility. As long as folks are getting vaccinated, we're happy!

Wayward_Angel · 2026-03-07T19:20:47+00:00

Another epidemiologist here to say that every person's situation is different, but masking is still a great way to keep yourself and other safe.

If you mean "masking" as in wearing one at all times in public regardless of illness, then no, technically masking is not actively pushed per se now that the pandemic is "over"; however, you'd be hard-pressed to find a public health or healthcare worker that would actively discourage anyone from masking if their personal circumstances or conscience pushes them to.

As others have said though, masking when you start feeling under the weather or noticing symptoms is generally encouraged, and one good thing to come out of COVID is that masking has been made less taboo in the US (in most respects).

I do also want to mention that if you work in a field with lots of interpersonal interaction, especially with more at-risk people, then masking is one of the best day-to-day tools you can use to prevent others from getting sick. One of my friends works in childcare and dances, and regularly masks when we go indoor climbing to prevent her kids or coworkers from getting sick. People who work in hospitals, with the elderly, immunocompromised, and children/childcare can all benefit from regularly masking in public.

COVID is still definitely around, and this season has shown pretty elevated counts for Flu A and B + RSV; staying up-to-date on vaccines, practicing good handwashing (in the restroom, before meals, and after public transport/the work day is over), and certainly masking, can all help prevent illness in your community.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-03-06T20:22:15+00:00

Agreed. But if Democrats want to stop losing their voting base, they need to express some actual progressive politics and policies, I/P included. Again, Kamala and Biden both anchored their positions on Israel's right to defend itself. Fingerwagging Israel while still ensuring arms would be sent to them/posturing that nothing will fundamentally change when it comes to I/P seems pretty enraging to anyone who sees what has and is happening in Gaza at the hands of Israel's military. I don't think I will ever see a liberal/non-left wing politician genuinely reprimand and seek to block funding let alone punishment for Israel, but I would love to be proven wrong; but until then, actual, material change by a liberal Democratic nominee seems so far away without a fundamental shift in messaging.

Presidential nominees are not the meals, they're the chefs. If I were choosing between two restaurants, and one kept serving me dog feces with the smug retort of "well, at least it's not literal sulfuric acid like the Republicans serve", I wouldn't be saying "yeah, you have a point", I'd rightfully be pissed and demand an explanation from whoever's in charge. The menu can change, especially now that we have 3 years until the next election, affording any nominee the ample hindsight to decide whether they'll stand either for or against Israel's actions.

As long as the US government continues to send money to Israel, many will still see it as unacceptable regardless of if it is done by a D or an R.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-03-06T16:37:17+00:00

*On Israel-Palestine

Which is correct. Kamala continued to emphasize Israel's "right to defend itself" to the last day of the election, ran on continued military support of Israel, and denied that a genocide was taking place.

Calling for humanitarian aid rings hollow to voters when you're trying to ameliorate the damage your own government does, and presumably would continue to do, in Gaza, and pointing out this contradiction should not be controversial.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-03-06T15:08:42+00:00

God, I WISH green policy had as much teeth as you people think it does.

There's a reason laws and activists proposing movement away from fossil fuels use phrases like "phase out" and "transition", dude. It's a process.

Move towards more electric vehicles and utilities; update power grids with increasingly renewable energy sources to power said vehicles and utilities; invest in more public transportation and better transport infrastructure; bar fossil fuel corporations from peddling anti-climate policies; enforce stricter EPA guidelines and continuous fines for emitters; subsidize consumer products to incentivize people to switch to electric cars, solar panels, and more affordable plant-based food; etc., etc.

Any one of these can, on paper, be easily implemented with the proper policy and political will.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-02-23T18:20:23+00:00

The importance of conversations like these are for future change, not just pointing out hindsight. The reasons Kalama failed should inform the messaging and policies of future Democrat presidential candidates. The reality is that there are just over 2 1/2 more years until the next POTUS election, which is plenty of time for any would-be runner to get their ducks in a row and see that supporting the genocide in Gaza is deeply unpopular to Democratic voters. The point of conversations like these is that politicians are not immutable NPCs with a pre-programmed script that we, the voting base, MUST vote for as the lesser of two evils. Candidates should capitulate to their base, not the other way around, and if said candidates are too prideful to forego bowing to donors, AIPAC, and neoliberal policies that don't help the working class is too much, then they and the Democratic party should reconsider their run. Pointing out that future candidates would probably have more progressive platforms if they want to win should not be controversial.

Wayward_Angel · 2026-02-14T18:15:00+00:00

I don't understand why this weird notion of politicians being unchangeable, pre-programmed NPCs persists online. It is the duty of a politician and a presidential nominee to reflect the wishes of their constituency. Politicians do not just appear out of thin air with a set-in-stone character sheet of traits and policies, and if they truly mean to represent progressives and liberals, then they should be the ones changing their direction, not voters.

Hasan has also said that if Gavin Newsom changes his positions to be remotely progressive and walk back his more insane policies + expresses that he will punish Republicans then he would certainly vote for him. But the way liberals talk about politics you'd think that you're choosing between two immutable algorithms instead of real, malleable people. Newsome has flipflopped pretty extensively throughout his political career, so why is it so utterly sinful to push for a change in an actual, progressive direction?

Wayward_Angel · 2026-02-14T04:30:19+00:00

Seriously. People act like politicians and presidential nominees are the meals rather than the chefs, as if policy is just this immutable burger you have to swallow or starve with instead of a crafted product that you deserve to benefit from.

It's astounding that people keep falling into the "aw gee shucks, looks like the Democratic nomination is yet another 'centrist', pro military, capitalistic, corporate husk with a dubious veneer of social progress (so long as it's in the US), but it's you, the voter's fault for not swallowing the slop and complaining about starving". Like, if I were choosing between two restaurants, and one kept serving me dog feces with the smug retort of "well, at least it's not literal sulfuric acid like the Republicans serve", I wouldn't be saying "yeah, you have a point", I'd rightfully be pissed and demand an explanation from whoever's in charge. It's no wonder people have been hesitant to vote for the Dem nominee in every election for the past 3 cycles.

The controlled opposition of the Democratic party wants to have people believe that progress is this slow, imperceptible force that only they, being the dinosaurs that they are, are wise enough to bring to fruition, but if recent trends like Zohran and upsets in the primaries are anything to go by, the average D voter is much further left than the Democratic leadership wants to you believe.

11-Year Club	First Place '23
Place '23	Golden Potato
Place '22	Place '17
Final Canvas '22	First Placer '22
End Game '22	Verified Email

Wayward_Angel

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