USA - Penis Envy
Penis envy mushrooms are a variety of mushrooms that contain the psychedelic compound psilocybin. As the name suggests, penis envy mushrooms resemble a human penis. They have a swollen, rounded cap and thick stem. These mushrooms are a particularly potent variety of Psilocybe cubensis, a species of magic mushrooms. These mushrooms take longer to mature and do not produce many spores, so they are more commonly grown by enthusiasts than foraged in the wild. They may be more expensive and harder to source than other varieties of magic mushrooms. When someone consumes psychedelic mushrooms, the psilocybin binds to 5-HT2A serotonin receptors on the surface of nerve cells. Serotonin is the “feel good” chemical that helps regulate mood, thinking ability, perception, and sleep.
Exposure to pornography can significantly influence individuals' perceptions of body image, particularly concerning penis size. Pornographic content often portrays men with larger-than-average genitalia, which can lead viewers to develop unrealistic expectations about their own bodies. This disparity may result in feelings of inadequacy and diminished self-esteem among male viewers. Research indicates that men frequently underestimate their own penis size relative to others. A study found that many men who believed their penis was inadequately sized actually had average-sized penises. This misperception is often exacerbated by the exaggerated depictions in pornography, where male performers are selected for their above-average anatomy, creating a skewed standard of normalcy.
The impact of these portrayals extends beyond self-perception. Men who consume pornography regularly may experience increased body dissatisfaction and a distorted view of masculinity. This can lead to a phenomenon known as the "centerfold syndrome," where men view women as objects and tie their self-worth to sexual performance and physical attributes. Pornography often emphasizes certain physical traits that are not representative of the general population. Understanding this can help mitigate the negative effects on body image and promote a healthier self-perception. Engaging in open discussions about the unrealistic nature of pornographic content and seeking accurate information about human anatomy can further support individuals in developing a more realistic and positive body image.
Robert Weiss wrote that "Pornography (and society in general) seems to value penis size and rock-hard erections above all else. These are expectations that few men can live up to. Even men with a large penis may struggle, as achieving and maintaining an erection is typically not as effortless for any man as it appears in pornography. Pills like Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis can help, but not everyone can safely take them, and the medications sometimes have unpleasant side effects."
Gewirtz-Meydan et al agreed that "pornography, characterized by an extreme portrayal of sexual intimacy and unrealistic beauty standards, often objectifies individuals, reinforcing societal beauty norms that are challenging for the average person to attain, contributing to growing insecurities and comparisons, ultimately leading to low body image... In a social media context, people often engage in upward social comparisons (e.g., viewing others on social media as more attractive than them), a process that is associated with reduce self-esteem, and greater body image concerns... Recent studies looking at trends in pornography use indicate that pornography use (on the Internet) is increasing consistently over time... While pornography showcases a diversity of female bodies, including petite and large bodies, small and large breasts, male performers tend to adhere to a more uniform standard characterized by muscularity and well-endowed attributes. "
Classical Antiquity
The association of small male genitalia with self-control has roots in ancient Greek and Roman art and philosophy. In classical Greek culture, small genitalia were often seen as a sign of modesty, self-discipline, and rationality, which were highly valued traits. This contrasts with large genitalia, which were frequently associated with uncontrolled desires, irrationality, and lack of restraint, especially in representations of satyrs or other lustful, non-human figures in mythology.
Greek sculptures of idealized male figures often depicted them with smaller genitalia to symbolize their mastery over base urges, reflecting the cultural ideal that a "civilized" man should prioritize reason, intellect, and moderation over bodily desires. In contrast, characters like Priapus or the grotesque depictions of lustful creatures were shown with large, exaggerated genitalia to emphasize their excessive and uncontrolled sexual appetite, a quality that was viewed negatively in Greek moral philosophy. This interpretation reflects a broader cultural belief in the value of temperance and self-control as cornerstones of virtue, contrasting uncontrolled lust or hedonism with ideal masculinity characterized by balance, wisdom, and restraint.
India, beyond all other countries on the face of the earth, is pre-eminently the home of the worship of the Phallus - the Linga puja; it has been so for ages, and remains so still. This adoration is said to be one of the chief, if not the leading, dogma of the Hindu religion, and there is scarcely a temple throughout the land which has not its Lingham, in many instances this symbol being the only form under which the deity of the sanctuary is worshipped.
The Egyptians represented Osiris with the organ of generation erect, to show his generative and prolific power. Osiris was the same Deity as Bacchus of the Greek mythology; who was, in turn, the same as the first-begotten Love of Orpheus and Hesoid. This Deity is celebrated by the ancient poets as the Creator of all things, the Father of gods and men; and it appears that the organ of generation was the symbol of his great characteristic attribute. Indeed, in an age when no prejudices of artificial decency existed, what more just and natural image could men find, by which to express their idea of the beneficent power of the great Creator than that organ which endowed them with the power of procreation and made them partakers, not only of the felicity of the Deity, but of his peculiar attribute, that of multiplying his own image? The female organs of generation were revered as symbols of the generative powers of Nature or Matter, as the male were of the generative powers of God.
The male organs of generation are sometimes found represented by signs of the same sort, which might properly be called the symbols of symbols. One of the most remarkable of these is a cross in the form of the letter T, which thus served as the emblem of creation and generation before the Church adopted it as the sign of Salvation; there was here a lucky coincidence of ideas, which, without doubt, facilitated the reception of the symbol by the faithful.
The term "priapism," referring to a medical condition involving a prolonged and often painful erection, is derived from Priapus's name, highlighting his enduring association with male sexuality. Priapus is a figure from ancient Greek mythology, often depicted as a fertility god associated with male virility and agricultural abundance. He was known for his oversized, permanently erect phallus, symbolizing fertility and protection. Priapus was also considered a protector of livestock, fruit plants, gardens, and male genitalia. In myth, he was the son of either Aphrodite and Dionysus or Aphrodite and Hermes, depending on the version of the myth. Although his physical deformity was often the subject of humor in ancient Greek culture, his presence was seen as a symbol of life-giving forces and productivity. Statues of Priapus were commonly placed in gardens or fields to scare away thieves and evil spirits. The figure of Priapus was later absorbed into Roman mythology, where he maintained similar associations with fertility and prosperity.
Some sources suggest he is the offspring of Hermes and Aphrodite. According to myth, Hera, envious of Aphrodite, cursed Priapus while he was still in the womb, causing him to be born with his distinctive physical traits and an unappealing appearance. As a result, he was cast out from Mount Olympus and raised among shepherds. Priapus was venerated as a protector of gardens, vineyards, and orchards. Statues of him, often serving as scarecrows, were placed in these areas to ward off intruders and ensure bountiful harvests. He was also considered a guardian of livestock and a symbol of male virility.
In art and literature, Priapus is frequently portrayed in a humorous or obscene manner due to his exaggerated features. He appears in various works, including the Roman collection of poems known as the "Priapeia," which humorously celebrate his attributes. Priapus's legacy offers insight into ancient perspectives on fertility, sexuality, and the interplay between humor and reverence in religious practices. It was customary in Rome for intended brides to repair to the gardens of Priapus, before the nuptial ceremony, to sacrifice their virginity to the god. Although there was of course no actual defloration, nevertheless the young betrothed was obliged to sit upon the symbolic organ in such a manner as to bring its extremity into contact with her genitals.
Sigmund Freud
The term "Penis envy" was originally associated with Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, as part of his theory of psychosexual development. This concept was part of Freud's broader, and often criticized, theories about gender and sexuality. Modern psychology largely dismisses the idea of "penis envy" as a simplistic and outdated notion. From the outset, Freud's notion of penis envy stirred controversy within and outside the psychoanalytic movement. Charges leveled at the theory ranged from biological improbability to lack of clinical support, but the most compelling challenge has always been Clara Thompson's formulation that what women really envy is not male anatomy but male status and power, for which the penis is a convenient symbol.
According to psychoanalytic and related theories, the personality is seen as being three-layered: the id (primitive selfish impulses, including sex and aggression), the ego (self-concept), and the superego (conscience). A task of both ego and superego is to control the unacceptable primitive impulses of the id. The superego (conscience), acquired through socialization. The adolescent undergoes severe conflicts. The ego needs to be tested and reworked in harmony with adolescent growth; the superego needs to be reexamined and reformulated in accordance with the standards and values of the adolescent and, eventually, adult society. Increased pressures from the id, brought about by sexual reawakening and triggered by endocrine changes, tend to both undermine ego strength and demand superego accommodations for greater tolerance of sexual feelings.
Personality development includes a gradual growth from complete dependency, narcissism, impulsivity, and feelings of omnipotence of the infant through increasing independence, social awareness, abilities for self-control, and reality perceptions of the older child. Successful growth in this direction depends, in large part, on the experience of the child within the family and in other social relationships. Boys who do not manage resolution of the Oedipal conflict may tend to doubt their own virility and become Don Juans in a perpetual search for sexual conquests that confirm their masculinity but that are quickly terminated because of the guilt involved.
In 1905, Freud published his Three Essays on Sexuality in which he startled the scientific world by describing the existence of a sexual development in children during the first 6 years of life and its after effects on their later development. The little girl, reaching the phallic phase, has to cope with a special problem, namely her feeling of being discriminated against and handicapped as compared with little boys, who are allowed and even ordered to touch their genitals in urinating. The little girl often tries to copy the boys, but she feels inferior in having to sit down in order to urinate and in not being able to compete with the boy's games in producing far-reaching jets of urine. In her so-called penis envy she makes her parents responsible for her imagined inferiority. It is usually said that she resents her mother for this “handicap." The girl has to struggle with her penis envy.
Dr. Freud wrote "Now, upon this penis-envy follows that hostile embitterment displayed by women against men, never entirely absent in the relations of the sexes." Freud considered penis envy to be a dominant theme in all feminine life, and one that inevitably caused women to feel inferior to men. Dr. Freud believed these deep seated feelings of inadequacy could be compensated for only partially by giving birth to a male child.
Freud wrote "A Connection Between a Symbol and a Symptom" in 1916 that "the interest in fæces is carried on partly as interest in money, partly as a wish for a child, in which latter an anal-erotic and a genital impulse (penisenvy') coincide. But the penis has another anal-erotic significance apart from its relation to the interest in a child. The relationship between the penis and the passage lined with mucous membrane which it fills and excites has already its prototype in the pregenital, anal-sadistic phase."
In a spectacular example of male chauvinism, Freud and his followers further theorized that, in order to make an adequate adjustment to life, the girl needs to give up her envy of the male and his penis and resolve her jealous longings by accepting her feminine fate: marrying a penis (male) and subsequently giving birth to a penis (male). Further, she needs to give up her fixation on her own small penis (clitoris) as a source of sexual pleasure and shift to the vagina as an orgasmic source in coitus with a penis (male). Freud was indeed sexist in his assumption that because vaginal penetration was so deeply satisfying to the male it was "naturally" deeply satisfying to the female; if not, this indicated that she was immature and nonaccepting of her femininity.
These theories have been severely criticized by many behavioral scientists. The concept of innate drives, operating as unchanging streams that need to be controlled, has been strongly questioned. Freudian theories have been seen as growing out of and being especially pertinent to middle-class Viennese society at the turn of the century. Freud was strongly influenced by the society in which he lived and the patients whom he saw. When he was evolving his concepts, he was also influenced by the philosophies of his time and the stage of development of psychology as a science.
An examination of this basic Freudian concept in the light of contemporary knowledge raises serious question concerning its validity. It is understandable that in Freud's day women, whose familial and social roles were substantially inferior to those of men, would feel extremely jealous and resentful of men's superior position and that they would often express this symbolically in terms of penis envy. It is important to note, however, that in recent decades, as the social position of women has become more and more equal to that of men, the phenomenon of penis envy has become progressively less prominent in the psychology of women patients. Penis envy may have a different and more literal meaning for men than for women.
Morris A. Sklansky wrote in 1980 "The pubescent boy, on the other hand, is fully aware of the changes that take place in his genitals. He can readily visualize the changes, directly and in the mirror. The penis becomes elongated and widened. The scrotum becomes looser and longer, and the testes larger. While most pubescent boys take pride in this development, it may be accompanied by embarrassment if the unconscious (or conscious) implications of potential for masturbatory and coital pleasure are conflicted. The penis is now highly sensitive to stimuli, both intrapsychic and external. Ejaculations, both spontaneous and masturbatory, are now frequent.
"Young adolescent males are much preoccupied with the size of the penis, and comparisons are made regularly, whenever exposure and examination are possible. For most adolescent boys these may be conscious, though unspoken. But many adolescents are raucous and teasing about this highly cathected subject. Those whose penises are small may be subject to ridicule, as may those whose penises are too large, the latter implying excessive masturbation. The unconscious concept that the large paternal penis is more satisfying to the woman lingers on into adolescence from the oedipal phase and its competitive strivings. The knowledge of the accommodative capacity of the vagina and of the more complex relationship interests of the female is not achieved until later in adolescence and, in any case, does little to dispel this phallic narcissistic concern even among adult males.
"For most young adolescent boys the phallic narcissism involved is maintained, if necessary, by isolation of the distressing affects or by compensatory mechanisms in the development of alternative phallic skills - athletics, intellectual interests, etc. The young adolescent does not yet compensate for the sense of masculine inadequacy when he feels his penis is too small by an exaggerated heterosexuality, but is more likely to avoid sexual encounters and exposures for fear of rejection and ridicule."
Donald Trump
Ever since Spy magazine first labeled Donald Trump a “short-fingered vulgarian” in the 1980s, the licensing maven has been pushing back, insisting with trademark bravado that his fingers are, in fact, “not so short.” He has even claimed, though never in the presence of rulers, yardsticks, or tape measures, that “my fingers are long and beautiful, as, has been well-documented, are various other parts of my body.”
Donald Trump assured American voters 04 March 2016 that despite what Marco Rubio had suggested, there was “no problem” with the size of his hands – or anything else. “Look at those hands, are they small hands?” the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination said, raising them for viewers to see. “And, he referred to my hands – ‘if they’re small, something else must be small.’ I guarantee you there’s no problem. I guarantee.” This led the Daily Beast to decry it as “the dumbest presidential debate of all time,” adding “it would seem that not only is Trump a liar, a bigot, a misogynist and a greedy power-hungry manipulator. He also has a fragile masculinity.”
An infamous nude of Donald Trump by Illma Gore, titled Make America Great Again, depicts Trump with a small penis. The sketch shows a naked Trump with a minuscule member (the businessman’s supposedly small hands, and what that might indicate, have been discussed during the campaign). In the picture – shared over 261,000 times on Facebook alone – Trump was resplendent with a button-mushroom sized penis. “Because you can be a big prick despite what is in your pants”, mocked Gore's caption. It went viral in February 2016 after the artist published it on her Facebook page and has since been censored on social media sites and delisted from eBay after the anonymous filing of a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice threatening to sue Gore.
In August 2016 a nude statue of presidential hopeful Donald Trump depicted him as a pompous dictator with no clothes and no testicles and a very, very small penis. Commissioned by the anarchist art collective, INDECLINE, statues of a salmon pink Trump simultaneously were erected (its hard to find another word) in public spaces in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Cleveland, and Seattle. Named "The Emperor Has No Balls," New York City's Parks Department removed the statue. A Parks employee quipped, "NYC Parks stands firmly against any unpermitted erection in city parks, no matter how small," to the delight of many.
Martin Daubney responded "in defending his appendage, Trump is manning up, not manning down. By tackling a political opponent who’d mocked his penis size, Trump became masculinity’s King Kong: a big, ugly, unafraid, testosterone-drenched beast that will appeal directly to jobless, shattered, blue collar men whose own masculinity lies shattered. His voters have long been saying “he’s got balls”. Now Trump’s claiming to have the mallet to go with them – and best of all, he will never have to prove it (we hope).... there is no lower-browed – yet perhaps more important – argument than cock size. This was the primeval “size matters” debate on the biggest stage of them all: the race for the White House."
Donald Trump pivoted to making his closing argument to voters heading into the final stretch of his race for the White House. Or so his campaign said 19 October 2024 as the former president took the stage in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Trump swiftly veered into a rambling anecdote about the late Arnold Palmer, the golfing legend after whom the local airport was named. Palmer, widely regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time, died in 2016 at age 87. “Arnold Palmer was all man, and I say that in all due respect to women, I love women. … This man was strong and tough, and I refused to say it, but when he took showers with the other pros they came out of there, they said ‘Oh, my God. That’s unbelievable,’” Trump said. “I had to say. We have women that are highly sophisticated here, but they used to look at Arnold as a man.” He added “I had to tell you the shower part because it’s true”.
Kamala Harris, mocked the former president’s comment. “Trump’s Pennsylvania Closing Argument Is Literal Junk,” Harris’ campaign said in a statement. “In a Pennsylvania rally speech his campaign team billed as ‘the beginning of his closing argument in the final stretch,’ Donald Trump focused on the issue most important to voters in this election: a deceased golfer’s … anatomy.”
Arnold Palmer’s daughter told The Sporting News in 2018 that the golf legend was so incensed by what he saw as Trump’s lack of civility that he made noises of disgust when Trump appeared on the television “like he couldn’t believe the arrogance and crudeness of this man who was the nominee of the political party that he believed in.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson got into a testy exchange with CNN’s Jake Tapper over recent rhetoric from former President Donald Trump about the “enemy from within” as well as X-rated insinuations about golfer Arnold Palmer. “I’m sure that you think that a policy debate would be better than a personality debate. But if President Biden had gone on stage and spoke about the size of a pro golfer’s penis, I think you would be on this show right now saying you were shocked and appalled,” Tapper hit back. Tapper propositioned Johnson, asking: “Why is he talking about Arnold Palmer’s penis in front of Pennsylvania voters?” Tapper asked the Speaker of the House: “Is this really the closing message you want voters to hear from Donald Trump stories about Arnold Palmer’s penis?”
Robert Reich wrote 21 October 2024 "What historians may term Trump’s “penis speech” — the climax, as it were, of his final days seeking the votes of Americans to put him back in the Oval Office — was actually far more revealing about Trump than were his “lewd remarks.”.... Trump’s narcissism is so malignant that he’s unaware of revealing his deep insecurities. In talking about Arnold Palmer becoming stronger and stronger relative to Arnold’s father, Trump was talking about himself gaining strength over his own father, Fred. ... Trump noted that Arnold Palmer would “use very stiff-shafted clubs, very strong — for those of you that aren’t golfers, that’s for like good golfers, with power. Very stiff-shafted....
"Trump’s obsession with penis size is rooted in insecurity about his virility. In 2016, he defended his penis size after Senator Marco Rubio, an opponent in that year’s Republican primary, commented on Trump’s supposedly small hands, saying “you know what they say about men with small hands?” leading Trump to publicly “guarantee” there was “no problem” with his penis. While in office, Trump reportedly phoned then White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham to insist that his penis was not small or toadstool-shaped, as alleged by porn star Stormy Daniels.
"For Trump, penis size is a symbol masculinity — which expresses itself in the ability to dominate and subjugate others, as Fred Trump did to him. Trump has been haunted by fears of being insufficiently masculine and virile. This is the source of his anger. It’s key to understanding his misogyny. It’s at the core of Trumpism. It’s why winning the presidency is more important to him than preserving democracy."
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