Dear Chapman Radio,

As someone of Asian ethnicity who suffers from koro, I found your tongue-in-cheek reference distasteful and mishandled (no pun intended). Having someone hold your penis for days at a time is anything but pleasant, especially during the junior high years. Junior high students, as we all know, are ruthlessly judgmental. It was enough of an issue discerning which sneakers would garner the approval of my peers (how was I supposed to know Skechers had feminine connotations?). Thus, the fact that my younger brother had to hold my penis all day didn’t help the cause. Students everywhere would stop and stare. At first I thought it was about my condition. But as time went on, the treatment persisted. I figured, haven’t they gotten over their little joke? Then I realized, they might be snickering at the pink bands on my braces. So I changed to silver. Turned out, it was never about the braces. It was about my brother holding my penis while I gave my presentation on FDR’s domestic policy.

But I know I’m not alone in this dilemma. Hundreds of other males know what it’s like to suffer from this misunderstood problem. Just take these examples from www.koroforum.net:

“I’ve been dealing with koro for 3 years now, and I’ve been through six handlers. I’ve now resorted to the Grabber Arm™. It’s just degrading. That thing was invented for picking up trash, not keeping my penis from retracting into my body.”- PwnNbz4lyf

“I hate it. Absolutely hate it.”- KoroHtr89

I hope you have a better understanding of what it’s really like to suffer from a condition like koro. Think of this next time you mindlessly comment on penis retraction.

Besides, penis jokes? Come on…

Your Critical Reader,

KoroHtr89 a.k.a. PwnNbz4lyf