Let me start this request by saying that I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Folklore at Memorial University, Newfoundland. As part of a central assignment for a class on Folklore Genres, I am studying the subject of beliefs, taboos, and warnings related to male masturbation and auto-genital-touching behaviors. Since the study of folklore relies on the oral transmission of knowledge from one individual to others, I am reaching out to the men I know in an effort to discuss this subject with them. Anything you can tell me regarding your experiences with the subject-matter would be greatly beneficial to my project. The contents of your replies will be treated as anonymous for the purpose of writing the paper, unless you specifically say otherwise—so your privacy is assured.
My central question for the men reading this message is: What beliefs, taboos, or warnings regarding male masturbation and/or auto-genital-touching (vernacular: “playing with yourself”) have you heard, and at what point in your life did these ideas become familiar to you?
Just to give you some examples, I’ve paraphrased some answers I’ve received here:
--When I was very young, perhaps 4 or 5, I heard that if a boy pulled on his penis too much, it would break off his body.
--When I was in junior high school I heard that frequent masturbation could lead to hairy palms and blindness, but this warning wasn’t treated as serious by the people who told it too me. These people, boys I knew in school, said it like was something people in the “old days” used to take seriously.
--When I was in high school I heard the rumor that if a man masturbated too many times in a row, the internal workings of his testicles might be damaged. The rumor also said that the evidence of the damage would be having an orgasm but not ejaculating and/or having an orgasm, but blood would come out of the penis instead of semen.
--Around the same time, in high school, I started to hear rumors that frequent masturbation could lead to perversion and insanity.
Cheers,
Stephen
p.s. Even if your answers are identical to the examples, I still want to hear your take on these experiences because, in the study of folklore, it is a very meaningful when people tell the same stories in different ways.
My central question for the men reading this message is: What beliefs, taboos, or warnings regarding male masturbation and/or auto-genital-touching (vernacular: “playing with yourself”) have you heard, and at what point in your life did these ideas become familiar to you?
Just to give you some examples, I’ve paraphrased some answers I’ve received here:
--When I was very young, perhaps 4 or 5, I heard that if a boy pulled on his penis too much, it would break off his body.
--When I was in junior high school I heard that frequent masturbation could lead to hairy palms and blindness, but this warning wasn’t treated as serious by the people who told it too me. These people, boys I knew in school, said it like was something people in the “old days” used to take seriously.
--When I was in high school I heard the rumor that if a man masturbated too many times in a row, the internal workings of his testicles might be damaged. The rumor also said that the evidence of the damage would be having an orgasm but not ejaculating and/or having an orgasm, but blood would come out of the penis instead of semen.
--Around the same time, in high school, I started to hear rumors that frequent masturbation could lead to perversion and insanity.
Cheers,
Stephen
p.s. Even if your answers are identical to the examples, I still want to hear your take on these experiences because, in the study of folklore, it is a very meaningful when people tell the same stories in different ways.
