Ep. 310: American Circumcision: Preference or Cultural Hypnosis? [REMASTERED]

When & why did circumcision begin (it’s not what you think)? What are the arguments for it & what are the experts saying? Sugar water instead of anesthetic?? Brendon Marotta is a filmmaker whose feature-length documentary, American Circumcision, won multiple awards & can be found on Amazon & YouTube. In this episode, we talk about the surprising history of circumcision, the practice today, parental consent & why this is so hard to talk about, but female circumcision isn’t.  This episode originally aired March 13, 2023. If you like this episode, you’ll also like episode 293: THE SECRET LIVES OF MEN: MENTAL HEALTH CONFESSIONS! Guest: https://www.hegemonmedia.com/https://brendonmarotta.com/https://twitter.com/bdmarottahttps://www.instagram.com/bdmarotta/ Host:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/ [email protected]://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovert  Sponsors: https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/ https://www.historicpensacola.org/about-us/  00:00 — Why Americans still circumcise02:00 — Thought barriers around foreskin04:30 — Cultural hypnosis at work07:00 — The ripple effect on men’s lives09:00 — Masculinity, shame & silence13:00 — Who really benefits?14:00 — Circumcision’s strange beginnings16:00 — From “cure for masturbation” to medicine18:00 — Parental choice or medical coercion?21:00 — Relative vs absolute risk explained23:00 — Science, politics & cultural blame game27:00 — The baby restraint nobody wants to see28:00 — Sugar water instead of anesthetic29:00 — Trauma that lives in the body30:00 — Physical consequences & lost sensation33:00 — When men discover hidden trauma35:00 — Anger, intimacy & what’s really missing36:00 — The simplest solution of all37:00 — Where to find Brendon’s workRequest to join my private Facebook Group, MFR Curious Insiders: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BAt3bpwJC/Follow me in all the places:https://www.meredithforreal.com/  https://www.instagram.com/the_curiousintrovert/ [email protected]://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal https://www.facebook.com/curiousintrovert