Thread by @WuTao2023

A BRIEF HISTORY OF 'CUT' GENERALIZATION AND WHY THIS INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT
PART 2

In most countries, "routine" circumcision has actually never become generalized.
Outside of religious contexts, it is a practice largely defined by specific 20th-century

historical waves in a few key nations.

Here is how the rates look in major regions as of 2025–2026:

1. The United States: A Slow Decline

The U.S. is the only Western, non-Muslim/Jewish majority nation where circumcision remains a majority practice,

though it is no longer as "universal" as it was in the 1960s.

Peak (1960s–1980s): Rates were as high as 80–90%.
Current Trend (2025): National newborn rates have slipped to roughly 50–60%.
Regional Divide: There is a massive geographic gap.

Rates in the Midwest remain high (near 75–80%), while in the West (California, Washington, etc.), they have dropped below 40% due to cultural shifts and insurance changes.

2. South Korea: The "American Wave" Recedes
South Korea is a unique case where a non-circumcising culture

adopted the practice almost overnight due to U.S. influence.

The Rise: From the 1950s to 2000, rates skyrocketed from near 0% to over 90% for young men, often performed as a rite of passage during puberty.
The Decline: Since 2002, the rate has plummeted.

Recent data shows that for boys aged 14–16, the rate has dropped to around 50% and continues to fall as parents increasingly view it as an UNNECESSARY SURGICAL INTERVENTION.

3. Sub-Saharan Africa: The New Increase

Unlike the West, parts of Africa are seeing a rise

in generalized circumcision due to 'public health' initiatives (WE KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS).

'HIV Prevention':
Since NON OTHER THEN THE 'TRUSTED' WHO recommended 'voluntary medical male circumcision' (VMMC) in 2007, millions of men in countries like South Africa, Kenya, and Zambia

have been circumcised. YES, 'RECOMMENDED BY THE WHO... BY NOW EVERYONE KNOWS...
Prevalence: In some "priority" regions, rates have climbed from under 20% to over 50–60% in the last 15 years.

Globally, it did stop being "Generalized". Why?

The main reason for the decline in the English-speaking world (UK, Canada, Australia) was the removal of government/insurance funding.

When the UK's NHS was formed in 1948, it decided the procedure was NOT MEDICALLY NECESSARY for newborns, and the practice vanished

for the general population within a generation.

See specific 'medical guidelines for a particular country to as to why their "routine" status changed in part 3.

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