I use the terms “artist” and “art” loosely.

Here’s a not-hypothetical situation. Last week, on April 26th, an artist circumcised himself in public as art. I have no idea what he aimed at. He’s an adult, and other than the obnoxiousness that pushing such a “performance” on an unsuspecting audience implies, he’s free to cut off his entire penis. I don’t care.

Still, I can’t help thinking about this. I was repulsed by this when I first read about it, as I suspect most people would be. Why would he do that? That reaction can be instructive, I think. For anyone who finds this artist’s action mind-boggling, as I do, is it consistent to believe that infant circumcision is reasonable? The response should be the opposite. Both operations have the same level of medical necessity, which is to say none. Yet we allow what is little more than the same kind of performance art, but on a societal scale, more than one million times every year in America. That can’t be right.

The artist, Adrian Parsons, posted pictures here. They’re very graphic and most definitely not safe for work viewing.