Q: What’s the Difference Between Family Guy and a Digital Rectal Exam?
Answer: One makes you scared of things going up your bum in a funny way; the other just makes you scared of things going up your bum. If you don’t get the joke you probably didn’t read the latest issue of the American Journal of Men’s Health, so I better explain.
Last week I read this post by Donna Myers, About.com’s Guide to colon cancer about a study looking at the reasons men don’t get screened for prostate and colon cancer. According to the study several men reported that they avoid digital rectal exams specifically because they associate the procedure with “gay sex.” I was interested in knowing more about what they meant by gay sex and what exactly the subjects said, so I went to read the study.
The study relied on extensive one on one interviews with men and in the write up the researchers included some of the comments made by participants. When a participant would state that they didn’t like an exam because it made them uncomfortable the interview would press for more details. That’s when some of the participants said they thought it was gay. Now the idea that people associate anal penetration with homosexuality isn’t news. And given the pervasiveness of homophobia in our society I don’t know how many people would even wonder where the connection comes from. But at least one participant did, and he explained his own reasons for associating the exam with being gay. He is quoted in the study:
I think it has something to do with, I was watching Family Guy the other day, the other night on television, and he went to the doctor and had one, and he started having all these illusions about being raped by the doctor [laughs] and, becoming submissive or something like that. And I think that men have a hard time with that. [And why do you think that is?] I guess it has something to do with, I don’t know, maybe it has a homosexual connotation to it I think.
So there you have it. If you get a digital rectal exam you probably won’t like it but you can reduce your risk of prostate and colon cancer. If you watch Family Guy you’ll almost certainly like it, but it won’t do a whole lot for your rectal health. Being a lover of Family Guy and rectal health all I can do is recommend a routine of both (only do the latter one less often than the former, unless it’s in a romantic context with a lot of lube, in which case, have at it).
Source: Winterich, Julie and Quandt, Sara. "Masculinity and the Body: How African American and White Men Experience Cancer Screening Exams Involving the Rectum." American Journal of Men's Health (22 Jul. 2008): online. Accessed 25 Jul. 2008.
The hyper-macho male syndrome, especially combined with homophobia sickens me in all its manifestations. I’m a really weird gay man in his early 60s: I don’t like and therefore never engage in anal sex! Accordingly, I am not crazy about having a digital rectal but recognizing the horrors of prostate cancer and its often disastrous effects on sexual performance, I bite the bullet and get it done annually. In fact, I have my web-based calendar send me reminders when it’s due so it doesn’t get overlooked. It’s also the obvious time to get a PSA done. My Dad was a colon cancer survivor as was his sister. Therefore about every 2 years, I bite the bullet a bit harder and have a colonoscopy. Somewhat more unpleasnat than a DRE, it IS essential nonetheless. My God men! Take a pill and get over yourselves! When stupidity displaces logic, you’re in trouble…big time. I’m watching an older friend die of prostate cancer and it’s not a pretty sight. Watching anyone close to you die of ANY cancer is ghastly because of what you see the victims go though. There are breaths of fresh air, however. My 30-something housekeeper and I are mutual confidants. She straps on a dildo to anally penetrate her husband! Obviously, he’s come a long way and he’s done so with no shame, guilt, or sense he’s slipping into becoming a “fag”. And she likes anal penetration herself, from time to time. Not too long ago, our ‘teacher’ Cory advocated letting go of assorted inhibitions and trying new and different things. He exhorted us, inter alia, to give anal sex a go because many will find it enjoyable. I wholeheartedly echo that recommendation, though some, like me, will try it and decide it’s not for them. Different strokes….