New Zealand-born actor and musician from Australia, Russell Crowe, stirred things up this morning when he tweeted on the subject of genital integrity: "Circumcision is barbaric and stupid. Who are you to correct nature? Is it real that GOD requires a donation of foreskin? Babies are perfect."
It must have caused a stir, because he later added, "Wasn’t intending offense, certainly wasn’t intending to provide fodder for lazy journalists. I can’t apologize for my heartfelt belief," and his original post disappeared.
Maybe a call came in from his publicist... celebs who would be as outspoken in their advocacy for boys as they are for girls are often having to tame things to walk the line and 'make everyone happy.' We can shout from the mountain tops in our fight to protect minor girls, just so long as we don't stir the pot too much when it comes to our recognition that boys and men inherently have the same basic human rights as girls and women. Just as suddenly as his previous statement was made, came the apology he said he couldn't make:
This is a great forum for communication. I, like any human have my opinions and you all have yours, thank you for trusting me with them.
I have a deep and abiding love for all people of all nationalities. I’m very sorry that I have said things on here that have caused distress.
My personal beliefs aside, I realize that some will interpret this debate as me mocking the rituals and traditions of others. I am very sorry.To the critics who called his stance on genital autonomy something that it was not, Crowe clarified, "I have many Jewish friends. I love my Jewish friends... but stop cutting your babies. I will always stand for the perfection of babies. I will always believe in God, not man's interpretation of what God requires."
Thank you for standing up on behalf of your own sons, and for boys the world over, Russell.
Drop a word of appreciation to Russell Crowe on his Twitter page here or Facebook Fan page here.
Additional information on the prepuce organ ("foreskin"), intact care and circumcision at: Are You Fully Informed?
TMZ clip on the media frenzy surrounding Crowe and his statements (and one of his close Jewish friends comes to his defense):
Crowe's famous tweet showed up among intact posters at parades this summer.
I LOVE YOU RUSSSEL CROWE!!! ♥ yes, never really paid much attention to him before, I now officially love him
ReplyDeletesomeone just got a little hotter...
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing..lol
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Intelligent guys are really sexy
ReplyDeleteNew Zealanders are hot ;)
ReplyDeleteI follow him on Twitter and immediately re-tweeted his comment. So thrilled that one of my favorite actors was so bold about his beliefs. I realize why he felt he had to apologize -- but it's still out there.
ReplyDeleteHe really didn't need to apologise.
ReplyDeleteI am so refreshed by his lack of fluff.
ReplyDeleteThank you Russell Ira Crowe for standing up for babies. Genital integrity is a human right. Thank you to everyone who stands up for those who do not have a voice ♥
ReplyDeleteBIG THANKS to Russell! We agree- babies are born perfect
ReplyDeleteWay to go Russell! Thanks for standing with us on this issue. If more and more celebrities stood up for the cause more people would listen.
ReplyDeleteThe news was saying it was not the "time and place" for him to voice his concerns on this subject. But they forget to mention that he was ASKED what his views on the topic were - he was merely answering the question fans asked. It may be good to phrase it a little more gently - but really, how gentle can we get when it comes to slicing and dicing baby penises?
ReplyDeletelove it!
ReplyDeleteNothing sexier than a man who speaks out for what he believes in. Especially when he is doing so in defense of those who cannot. WTG Russell! ♥
ReplyDeleteOmg!!! So awesome, in in LOVE with this man! So many good quotes from him , I don't even know where to start. My kind of man ♥ "Babies are born perfect" "If you can't spell it, don't do it" "it is stupid and barbaric" and the cherry on top is when he asked those who believed in it to unfollow him!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Russell Crowe, for standing up for mothers who protect their babies. "Mothers were right to keep their babies intact."
ReplyDelete'Same as tattoos/ plastic surgery; he is an adult and he "wants" it, then off you go, mothers were right to keep their babies intact.'
ReplyDeleteOmg he is totally an intactivist!!
'Last of it, if you feel it is your right to cut things off your babies please unfollow and f**k off, I'll take attentive parenting over barbarism.'
ReplyDeletelove it! the more people are honest about these things the more other people with similar beliefs will speak up.
ReplyDeleteI really don't understand why of all topics, this one isn't acceptable to disagree with. You're right, what about female gential mutilation? Why is that ok to find disgusting? Say one thing about MGM and you're infringing on other's religious rights? I don't get it. People just don't want to accept that they what they do so easily is disgusting, barbaric, and WRONG.
ReplyDeleteMy hero!
ReplyDeleteWay to go, Russell!!
ReplyDeleteI am officially a Russell Crowe fan. Never paid him much mind before, but I'm officially a fan. :) Always nice to hear someone in a place of notice standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves!
ReplyDeleteI made a facebook album of Russell's intactivist tweets, including the notification that he re-tweeted my message (@stopcirc) - a circ video link reached 228,123 followers! No matter that the tweets were taken off Twitter, his voice was heard, and every one of those followers received the tweets in their email box, where they remain, undeleted.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite was, "Hygiene? Why don't you just sew up your ass then?" LOL. It is a little disappointing that he removed the original post and apologized, he doesn't strike me as someone who would back down. At least he put it out there.
ReplyDeleteThanks for speaking out. Your a real man. Great actor too.
ReplyDeleteChildren are having their constitutional right to be free from assault violated. Religious freedom does not include permanently removing parts of other people without their consent. If the Mayans were around today, the sacrifices of non-consenting people would not be tolerated.
ReplyDelete"Babies are perfect." Lovin' me some Russell today!
ReplyDeleteI agree babies are a perfect gift from God. Not necessary to cut any "extras" out of them. Cutting baby boys...Just the though of anyone making a mistake during that barbaric procedure makes my skin crawl.
ReplyDeleteAnd he's also part-owner of a brutal Sydney rugby league team. So yes, there's no absolutely no denying this is a man who knows violence when he sees it!
ReplyDeleteU2's Bono said "celebrity is a currency and I plan to spend mine wisely." I can't think of a better use of a celebrity's status than to advance the cause of human rights and to raise awareness of the heinous abuse that is forced genital cutting of children. Crowe is to be congratulated.
ReplyDeleteWhat's important here is forced genital cutting is having the spotlight turned on it when it's survival depends on it existing in the shadows and behind closed doors, as with any form of abuse.
ReplyDeleteSexism goes both ways.
ReplyDeleteRussell Ira Crowe, on circumcision: "Hygenic? Why don't you sew up your a** then?" ;)
ReplyDeleteExcellent. The best part to come out of the whole Russell Crowe situation is all the publicity it's generating. More people are talking. And just for the record, 99.9% of the intactivists I know are NOT anti-semites.
ReplyDeleteI'll forgive Russell for backtracking and apologizing, since it did cause a stink and bring it to the media.. which is awesome.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing (and refreshing) that TMZ presents a more balanced news clip than CNN.
ReplyDeleteI think Russell Crowe got a big education about how/why this is happening in the USA- we aren't "allowed" to talk about it. He says "babies are perfect" and get's hit with a $hitstorm..."take it back!!" Thanks for speaking up Russell- I hope that the more we talk, the more people will feel supported to even begin to question.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it absurd how people cannot say "Stop circumcising kids" without being accused of antisemitism? I personally feel oppressed & discriminated against because of that. It is absolutely out of control.
ReplyDeleteLove him even more now. :)
ReplyDeleteRussell is correct but he didn't need to apologise. With any luck even fewer babies will suffer from genital mutilation in years to come.
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome that he said something about it. I was circumcised, my parents aren't Jewish, I'm now 27 years old, I haven't asked them about it. I wonder how many of my challenges as a man may have been caused by the doctor doing this to me when I was a baby. I want to know why my parents let him do it, I am embarrassed and angry about it. It is stupid.
ReplyDeleteHe apologized because he probably realized the word "barbaric" is a fighting word - it instantly puts people on the defensive, people who really thought (or were pushed into thinking)that circumcision was a good choice for them to make for their babies. We don't win the issue by alienating those people, and he probably realized that there is a way to share your beliefs that is much more likely to be heard by the opposition. We can be tactful while still being 100% opposed to circumcision of infants. Strong and serious in our stance, yet calm and tactful about it. Understanding that people don't agree, and trying to meet them where they are to draw them to our position using facts and logic. I am glad he was able to stand up for baby boys and not compromising his beliefs while still being aware of the reactions and feelings of the other side!
ReplyDeleteSKIN / /
ReplyDeleteIS IN / / /
SEXY FORESKIN
FOR THE WIN
I am so happy to hear a man of his fame and stature is willing to put what he really believes out there.
ReplyDeleteIt's official, I love Russell Crowe!
ReplyDeleteThe reason male circumcision isn't ranked up there with female circumcision is because it's embraced by 2 major world religions. If this weren't the case -- or if it were flipped around, and 2 religions said female circumcision is mandated -- then male circumcision wouldn't be accepted.
ReplyDeleteAnd to the argument that female circumcision is different because it often involves removal of the clitoris, or because it's done in an unhygienic matter, I say:
Fine, then. Would you accept the surgical removal of a baby girl's labia without anesthetic? If so, then you have the right to support male circumcision. If not, you simply don't.
And don't tell me about religion anymore. The simple fact is that people are making personal decisions for their children that involve bodily harm. You can't hide behind any God on that one, I'm sorry.
I can't walk into a sauna and cut off some random man's foreskin. Why is it then that I can say it's allowed for my baby? Because society still considers children, and their physical well-being, as the property of the parents, to do with as they please.
I love Russell Crowe, and I love him even more now. Not leave my husband love, but pretty close. Good on him for speaking his mind, and I can't imagine the pressure he experienced to apologize for his views. There's no such thing as free speach, just refined.
ReplyDeletei think russell crowe is great. im a man born in usa and i resent being circumcised, i resent it to no end. people can be so cruel, to keep forcing this on us. and i hate doctors, and anyone that participates in this. it has affected me more emotionally. ill never be right and ill be like this till death. thank you russell crowe, you have no reason to apoligize, i think more of us stand by you, and likewise the other way around
ReplyDeletethank you russell crowe for defending violated men like myself and many others and babies
ReplyDelete