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John Shirley

@johnshirley2024.bsky.social

5.4K followers 4.3K following 14K posts

Writer of books, scripts, lyrics. Bram Stoker Award for Black Butterflies; Spur Award for Gunmetal Mountain. Newest sf novels: SubOrbital 7, Stormland. New novel: The Silver Revolver. Writer: The Crow. Deep Space 9 et al. Science! https://john-shirley.com

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John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 4h

Circumcision is not a violation of human rights.

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 4h

So at least we did help them in that respect.

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 4h

It isn't genital mutilation; calling it that blurs the reality of real genital mutilation: www.unicef.org/protection/f...

What is female genital mutilation?

Everything you need to know about FGM and what UNICEF is doing to stop it.

www.unicef.org

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 5h

They don't *think* he's good. They don't think about it. They *react* to disinformation, misinformation, and regional social pressure. No thinking involved.

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 5h

anyway, I'm fine with Asia being much uncircumcised--I'm not advocating everyone circumcise. I'm just saying that it's not mutilation or tragedy when it happens and in *my opinion* it has more plusses than minuses.

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 5h

I suspect that the low levels of circumcision in Europe relate to the antisemitism that was common there until recently. And then no-circumcision became a matter of tradition, culture, with people forgetting the original reason for it.

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 5h

I meant the South American ones re Catholic, I should have said so. Europe is not irreligious. Catholicism is common there, and circumcision is slowly on the increase. It's at high levels in Korea and the Philippines btw.

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 5h

to fix what?

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 5h

Babies can't have bodily autonomy. They are legally protected, as they should be, from violence, but they don't have autonomy, as they aren't autonomous in any way yet. Autonomy comes with neurological development over time. Most medical authorities recommend circumcision.

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 5h

If children were sickened, died, lost genitals due to circumcision, it's because it wasn't done right, hence was not medical circumcision. I'm of course only defending medical circumcision.

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 5h

They're Catholics. Catholics generally haven't circumcised. Circumcision is not their tradition.

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 5h

I don't care if you had more 'hearting'. While the foreskin serves a purpose, mostly as protection, like a hat, it's not as useful for that purpose as circumcision is for general male genital health, in my opinion. But there need be no insistence on circumcision. It's up to each individual family.

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 5h

Genital nerve endings are preserved. The extraneous skin's nerve endings aren't really significant.

While the foreskin is found on the genitals, I don't regard it as part of the genitals. The genitals function just fine without it, as 80% of American men could testify.

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 5h

Okay. So I'm trying to understand how it harms children's lives if it isn't about the autism claim. Never heard a kid complain of it.

I can tell you though I had a couple of infections, as ayoung person years ago, due to being *not circumcised* that I wouldn't have had if I'd been circumcised.

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 6h

The Rise and Fall of Terrorgram | FRONTLINE | PBS | Official Site | Documentary Series

Watch FRONTLINE and ProPublica's documentary investigating how an online network known as Terrorgram spread extremism and violence.

www.pbs.org

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 6h

If you're going to repeat the "causes autism" falsehood then you're engaging in misinformation spreading, whether you know it or not.

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John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 6h

Also how does it impact children's lives negatively?

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John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 6h

No one removed their child's genitals. they removed some basically extraneous skin. If you're addressing me, I've encountered no one on your side of this here.

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 6h

Because of course they are.

Republicans try to weaken 50-year-old law protecting whales, seals and polar bears

One of the U.S.’s longest standing pieces of environmental legislation, credited with helping save rare whales from extinction, is the subject of an effort for cutbacks from Republican lawmakers who n...

apnews.com

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John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 6h

Okay I see: "Weiss; her wife, Nellie Bowles; and her sister, Suzy Weiss, are the founders of The Free Press and close friends of mine" says the author of the kiss-up piece.

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 6h

what? The Atlantic is standing up for that woman?!

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 6h

I mean how do women get men circumcised? It's more like doctors or some religion influencing people. Or even a family tradition. A lot of people think it looks better and they're thinking ahead to the kid meeting women as an adult. But I've never heard of a woman saying "only circumcised men!"

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John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 6h

women do it?! how do women do it?!

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John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 6h

It will seem mostly the same at TikTok but anything but Donald Trump point of view will be weeded out. The other crap there (so much crap!) will remain. It has already been used by the hard-right to steer votes to Trump. Now it'll be like a Donald Trump/ far right engine of propaganda fulltime.

John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 6h

Not the same thing. One is a medical decision. The other is bigotry.