Plastics and Penises

One of my treats (we all need treats) is a subscription to the New Yorker magazine. Its contents are variable, though frequently the cartoons are very funny. It did support the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and at best, its perspective could be described as mildly liberal. However, some articles are very good – and in 3 July 2023 issue there was a brilliant juxtaposing of two articles: the environmentalist writer Elizabeth Kolbert writing about plastics followed by a lengthy piece by Ava Kofman on penis extension surgery.

Plastics were invented in the mid-19th century; one of its first inventors was Birmingham’s Alexander Parkes who manufactured what he called ‘Parkesine’ in 1856. By the early 20th century, plastics were being widely used across much of the world. Since the mid-20th century, it is estimated that more than 9 billion tonnes of plastics have been produced. Now it is thought that each year more than 300 million tonnes of plastic are being manufactured – and about half of this total is just for single use plastics. Virtually all plastics are produced from chemicals that come from fossil fuels (oil, coal or natural gas). The plastics industry is utterly embedded within the fossil fuels industry.

Plastics are everywhere: from the bottom of the deepest ocean trench in the world (nearly 11,000 metres deep, deeper than Mt Everest is tall) to microplastics in women’s placentas and in meconium (an infant’s first bowel movement). Then there is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, estimated to have about 1.8 trillion plastic shards and cover an area of about 600,000 square miles (about the combined of France, Germany and Spain).

Evidence has clearly demonstrated that plastics cause a wide range of health issues, including cancers, birth defects and heart disease. Data from the G20 group of countries show that cancer rates are significantly increasing for the under 50s; for example, bowel cancer has gone up by 70% among 15-39 year olds since 1990. From 1970 to today, male sperm count has declined by more than 50%. During this time, the number of children having food allergies has more than doubled. Foods we are eating is a factor – as also could be the vast amounts of plastic in our environment. We are literally drowning in plastic and the health consequences of this are huge.

We can aspire to lessen our consumption of plastics – yet the reality is that corporations that produce the most waste are frequently the keenest preachers about recycling. Larry Thomas, a former president of the Society of the Plastics Industry (so an upholder of the fossil fuel industries’ status quo) said: “If the public thinks recycling is working, then they are not going to be as concerned about the environment.”

The truth is that much of recycling is not working. The UK recycles about 80% of paper, however this is still just a small proportion of the total waste. In terms of producing plastic waste, Americans produce more than 200 kilos per person per year; this is nearly double that of Europeans and sixteen times as much as the average Indian.

In addition to the many micro-consumer actions, corporations must be held to account. A recent survey by Surfers Against Sewage of polluting items found on coastlines, city streets and countryside paths in the UK found that three companies were responsible for more than a third of branded pollution: the list of infamy was Coco-Cola (17% of total), McDonald’s (11% of total) and PepsiCo (10% of total). It is easy to see recycling as greenwashing by corporate powers determined to maintain business as usual.

According to a report from Greenpeace (May 2023): “the toxicity of plastic actually increases with recycling…it’s clear that the only real solution to ending plastic pollution is to massively reduce plastic production.” The plastics industry continues to call for expansion of recycling even while research shows that most plastics cannot be economically recycled.

Following that piece about plastics, there was – for me – a stomach-churning article on penis extensions. After clearly showing the urgency to have less stuff, now it was about men having surgical implants to have more stuff: bigger penises. And these penis extensions are made out of plastic. It is estimated that around the world, more than 50,000 of these operations are carried out each year at an average cost of more than £10,000. Sadly, often these operations go horribly wrong (thus my stomach-curdling response to the article).

One patient reported “I have zero sensitivity in my penis”; another said the implant “make it difficult to urinate”. Another: “God forbid you get an actual erection, because then you have to run and hide.” Another account: “It was very uncomfortable for my wife.” There is ruthless rivalry amongst the doctors doing this work because – as one doctor said – “there’s so much money to make.”

The emotional distress and the physical embarrassment that some men experience about their penis allows medical sharks to prey on these dysmorphic tendencies. It is no wonder that this is happening – because the dominant culture simultaneously tells us that we are less and we need more. Excessive consumption with its drumbeat of “get more” – and this inextricably links to the siren songs of “not enough”. To feel “enough”, men need bigger penises (forget about the health impacts of having a plastic device surgically inserted into your penis).

For many boys and for many men, penis size and penis shape is a big thing. A potent brew of curiosity, guilt, sensational pleasures and shame are attached to this spongy tissue plus blood vessels attachment that hangs between a man’s legs. Inevitably there are wildly variable differences. Hang left or hang right, shower or grower, c-shaped or straight – and countless other variations. Shame encourages privacy which means it is more difficult to share and thus realise common experiences (one way of unlocking those padlocks of shame).

One of the leading doctors in this practice offers his patients a choice of three extensions: Large, Extra Large and Extra Extra Large. For information, the average penis is about 9cm when flaccid and about 13cm when erect. A much better definition of average penis could be neither a fixation on numbers nor a fetishising of particulars, rather consciously cultivating appreciation of what each man has got.

It is thought that many men having this surgery actually are average size. One New York billboard advertising these extensions declared: “MANHOOD REDEFINED”. The monthly newsletter from a leading doctor in this field is called ‘Inching Toward Greatness’ and this year he rebranded his device as ‘Himplant’. There is now a ‘Dick Doc’ on TikTok offering penis extensions. You could not make this up even if you tried…

To feel “enough”, we have to keep consuming. Yet it is becoming increasingly obvious that consumption patterns are unsustainable; like blindfolded drunks, many continue to demand more and more. To distract, emphasis is placed on strategies such as individual recycling when possibly some of that energy could be turned towards putting pressure on the greenwashing corporations, just stopping oil, dismantling capitalism. Corporations attempt to confuse through their ‘woke capitalist’ statements when their priority is profit maximisation and they will use many methods – such as cloaks of ethical humbug – to continue this process of maximising.

A friend wrote to me: “It can feel like a hopeless task”. Despair is definitely an understandable emotional response; however, it is not an analysis. The paths undoubtedly are steep. However, substantial changes can happen. A 2022 survey said 75% of UK adults were “worried about the impact of climate change”. Such survey opinions are being backed up by the rapid shift of electricity generation from fossil fuels to renewable sources such as solar and wind. Many are finding ways to live more plastic-free. Many use various practices such as yoga and meditation that can be grounded in self-acceptance, so lessening fears of not enough – fears which drive people towards interventions such as plastic surgery and penis extensions.

In the words of environmental activist and writer Rebecca Solnit: “The physical condition of the planet has continued to get worse; the solutions have continued to get better; the public is far more engaged; the climate movement has grown…there have been some significant victories.” Change rarely is linear; more often, it is exponential and unpredictable and surprising. Change can happen much faster than we think is possible. We definitely can be both heartbroken and hopeful.

We all need less junk and we all need to do more: such as changing our patterns of consumption, such as seeing through the corporate smoke and mirrors, such as substantially altering our relationship with all that is around us. We need to be the change and we need to advocate for change.


Norman Blair
3 August 2023

References

’A Trillion Little Pieces: how plastics are poisoning us’ by Elizabeth Kolbert
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/07/03/book-reviews-plastic-waste

‘Measure For Measure: on the frontiers of penile enhancement, competition for patients grows cutthroat’ by Ava Kofman
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/07/03/the-perils-and-promises-of-penis-enlargement-surgery

“Plastics cause wide-ranging health issues from cancer to birth defects…”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/29/plastics-cause-wide-ranging-health-issues-from-cancer-to-birth-defects-landmark-study-finds

“Data from the G20 group of countries show that cancer rates are significantly increasing for the under 50s…”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/25/cancer-striking-earlier-ultra-processed-foods

“…the number of children having food allergies has more than doubled…”
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201023-food-allergies-why-nut-dairy-and-food-allergy-are-rising

“…the toxicity of plastic actually increases with recycling…”
https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/new-greenpeace-report-calls-out-toxic-hazards-of-recycled-plastic-as-global-plastics-treaty-negotiations-resume-in-paris

“For information, the average penis is about 9cm when flaccid and about 13cm when erect.”
https://www.worlddata.info/average-penis.php

“A 2022 survey said 75% of UK adults were ‘worried about the impact of climate change’.”
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/worriesaboutclimatechangegreatbritain/septembertooctober2022

Here is a group taking positive steps to deal with plastics: https://www.actiononplastic.org

And this is a group campaigning against plastic pollution: https://www.citytosea.org.uk

I recommend Laura Dodsworth’s book ‘Manhood: the bare reality’. A collection of 100 intimate photographs and interviews with men. “Explores themes of masculinity, gender and sexuality, offering a unique insight into what it means to be a man in the 21st century.