Irrational assumptions

1. Genital surgery on baby boys does not produce trauma
2. The destruction of nerves and tissue of the penis does not diminish sexual sensation and experience
3. No men are maimed or disfigured by surgery in infancy: all surgeries proceed without complication and yield perfect results
4. Genital surgery of premature infants does not present additional risk to them
5. American's culture phobic and hostile response to the natural penis has no negative impact on men

Degrading Myths

Embedded in American beliefs about circumcision we find “original myths” about males: 

1. Males are pathological; they require surgical correction at birth
2. Boys' natural bodies are not inviolable and sacrosanct

3. Baby boys do not need protection from unnecessary surgery

4. Parental and cultural preferences outweigh the right of a male to his intact body
5. The natural penis is dangerous: a hazard to women and men
6. The natural penis is unclean, perhaps un-cleanable.
7. A boy’s parents cannot be expected to care for their son’s natural body
8. The natural penis smells terrible and is generally disgusting
9. Cutting boys' genitals is a subject for jokes and amusement
10. Women do not want to have sex with intact men

These degrading myths, of necessity, shape our conscious and unconscious beliefs about men and boys. Social workers have likely internalized these beliefs to some degree- so far without professional examination. Social work justly recognizes the damage done to girls and women by dehumanizing beliefs about them.  It is unrealistic to assume boys and men are not also damaged by degrading beliefs about them.