Since World War II, the phenomena of anti-Semitism has been researched heavily by sociologist. However, theories about the causes of anti-Semitism differ widely from research done previously. Sigmund Freud believed that circumcision was a major cause of prejudice against Jews. Freud believed castration just was intrinsically feared by males and that circumcision was equated with castration. This is how he explained why the Jews were feared by members of other cultural groups. Although this theory was largely accepted in its time very little has been written about it in the modern era and researching any connection between circumcision and anti-Semitism has become an academic taboo although the link was never definitively scientifically researched or discredited.
How much of a role does circumcision play in your view of the Jews? How strongly do you associate it with Judaism in comparison to other groups that practice it? Does an academic taboo or bias exist in regards to researching or making criticism of circumcision? Is this related to Judaism in your mind? Was Freud's theory a legitimate one or was it marred by his own cultural myopia?
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