In their recent segment on circumcision, the Jim Jeffries show uses this still image while shaming Intactivists as “maniacs dedicated to dick shaming.”
The man behind that graphic is activist Jonathon Conte. Conte had significant grief over his circumcision and committed suicide over two years ago. You can hear him describe his feelings in his own voice here.
The footage the Jim Jefferies show used was from one of the last protests Jonathon did before ending his own life. This mean they had to dig back into archive footage over two years old to pull this clip. This was not a coincidence of shooting, but a deliberate choice by the editor to use a suicide victim while shaming human rights activists as mentally ill.
Later in the show, Jefferies body shames intact men as “disgusting… hooded nightmares.” “Shouldn’t we all be happy with what we’ve got?” He asks. “Nah, I’m just kidding. Those wrinkly anteaters are a fucking disgrace.” In other words, Jefferies engages in exactly the kind of body shaming he accuses Intactivists of.
I believe there is humor to be found in this issue, and accept that there are ways you could mock or roast activists. I’ve even defended people who negatively review my own film on circumcision. However, attacking suicide victims is unacceptable.
Mental illness is a serious problem. People who feel grief or shame around their circumcision need understanding support, not mockery of those who feel most harmed by the practice. Many men in the Intactivist movement have told me they struggle to find the support they need because of the shaming Comedy Central and Jefferies engage in. Body shaming is bad enough, but directly targeting a suicide victim crosses a line.
It’s clear Jim Jefferies is a troubled man who engages in projection to avoid the feelings circumcision brings up about his penis. Should Comedy Central provide him a platform to body shame, mock mental illness, and attack victims of suicide? Do the advertisers of the Jim Jefferies show support attacking victims of suicide? Will they apologize or withdraw their support from the show?
Jim Jefferies, Comedy Central, and their advertisers will not answer these questions unless you ask them.
If you’d like to watch a much better documentary on the circumcision issue, check out my film American Circumcision, which releases August 31, 2018.
