U.Va. needs more classes on healthy masculinity

Article here. Excerpt:

'Spring enrollment is here — bringing with it the stress and excitement that is planning for the academics of the upcoming semester. While the University’s course offerings are near endless, there is a noticeable lack of classes focusing on healthy masculinity. There is only one class at the University covering the topic, called Men and Masculinities — the course is not even being offered next semester. While I have no doubt this class is helpful, much like how a single class on history would not be able to cover all history adequately, a single 2000-level class on the challenges men face is insufficient. The University should allocate funding to create an additional class on the most dire struggle men face — mental health.
...

Like0 Dislike0

Misidentifying Misandry: A Deeper Dive Into the Nuances of the Patriarchy

Article here. Excerpt:

'Recently, a letter to the editor was published about the “misandry problem” at Wesleyan. While the letter rightfully points out the damaging effects the patriarchy has on men, as it does on people of all genders, it ignores the bigger picture of why and how we should combat toxic masculinity. It equates misandry to other forms of oppression and ignores nuances within the vast gender spectrum, which detracts from solving the problem brought up within the letter. The path to ending toxic masculinity lies in the liberation of all non-men.

Like0 Dislike0

The Missing Piece: Lessons from Ukraine for Integrating Masculinities in Women, Peace and Security

Article here. Excerpt:

'One of the key objectives of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda is to integrate a gender perspective into all peace and security efforts. Yet, discussions on gender tend to focus on issues relating to women and girls, neglecting the broader spectrum of gender dynamics. This omission is palpable in the ten resolutions adopted by the United Nations (UN) Security Council in the context of the WPS agenda, where there are only three references to men and boys.1 This limited representation fails to acknowledge the multifaceted roles that men can play in conflict situations, whether in perpetuating or resolving them.
...

Like0 Dislike0

Crisis conditions for young men

Interview here. From 8 mos. ago but still relevant commentary, from CNN no less. Discusses the crisis conditions for young men these days, touching on jobs, dating, etc.

Like0 Dislike0

Constantly insulting boys does not serve the sexes

Article here. Excerpt:

'It’s good to hear there are parents like Andrew Reiner who are pointing out that insulting boys constantly is not any way to bring equality (or good relations) to the sexes (“The trouble with boys isn’t boys,” Ideas, Oct. 22). The fact that feminists seldom condemn such behavior is one reason many young women don’t call themselves feminists.

Also, teachers, of all people, should be condemning the lazy use of clichés and negative political jargon and slang, such as “toxic masculinity,” as much as possible, never mind using it themselves. Defamation and scapegoating are not civilized. Nor do they promote intellectualism.

Last but not least, whether in school or in informal gatherings, it’s time to realize that “old-fashioned” manners and decorum are not obsolete, for boys or girls. This applies even when it comes to writing that is printed on clothing, regardless of the age of the wearer. This would help society tremendously.

Like0 Dislike0

UK: Covid inquiry: 'Macho' culture and 'obvious sexism' in No10 'damaged Covid response', says Helen MacNamara

Article here. Excerpt:

'The senior civil servant who was the subject of Dominic Cummings’ “violent and misogynistic” messages has said Boris Johnson let the country down by not tackling the “toxic” culture he presided over.

Helen MacNamara, who was one of the country’s highest ranking female officials, told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry on Wednesday that sexism in No 10 damaged the response to the pandemic.

She also said Matt Hancock displayed “nuclear levels” of overconfidence and a questionable record on the truth while a key figure in the Covid response as health secretary.

She also expressed “profound regret” for being one of the many officials fined after lockdown-breaching parties but hit out at the culture that preceded the rule-breaking.

Ms MacNamara wrote in her evidence that the “very obvious sexist treatment” that women in No 10 and the Cabinet Office experienced hindered their work.

Like0 Dislike0

Why boys underperform girls in school

Article here. Excerpt:

'Anyone who thinks this is a patriarchal society needs to look at high school graduation rates.

The Associated Press recently reported that boys have a lower graduation rate than girls nationwide. In 2018, one researcher estimated girl graduates outnumbered boy graduates by 45,000. You can see this disparity in the Clark County School District, too. For the 2021-22 school year, the female graduation rate was 84.3 percent. For males, it was just 78.5 percent.

Girls also earned 1,543 advanced diplomas, compared with 914 for boys.

Like0 Dislike0

One-of-a-kind Florida Man Games include evading arrest, beer belly wrestling and other competitions

Article here. I just had to post this. Excerpt:

'The first-ever Florida Man Games are set for Feb. 24, 2024, in St. Augustine, Florida — and this competition is unlike most others.

The Florida Man Games originate from the bizarre news headlines that often come out of the Sunshine State.

Florida Man Games founder Pete Melfi is no stranger to these wacky headlines, as he has covered them for many years.

Melfi had a vision to convert strange, viral "Florida man" headlines into a hilarious competition, and the Florida Man Games were born.'

Like0 Dislike0

The Misandry Problem

Article here. Excerpt:

'Today I’m going to ask you to take misandry seriously, because Wesleyan University has a misandry problem. I know it’s a tough ask, but I hope after a laugh with your friends you’ll consider what I have to say, and hopefully bring along a little compassion. Although there are many other significantly more harmful forms of bigotry in American society, change is most realizable at a local level. And while not as serious as other forms of discrimination, misandry is prevalent enough in Wesleyan culture to warrant some discussion. It is common in many progressive spaces, and Wesleyan is no different. And with men making up about 46% of Wesleyan students, I believe there’s good reason to address one of the most accepted forms of bigotry on our campus.

Like0 Dislike0

Ex-Cardinals executive Bill Bidwill Jr. a bloody mess after wife hit him ‘a hundred times’:

Article here. Excerpt:

'Former Arizona Cardinals executive Bill Bidwill Jr. was covered in blood after being hit “a hundred times” by his wife, which included being struck in the head by a glass of beer, during a June 9 domestic dispute, according to police video obtained by TMZ Sports.

Bidwill Jr.’s face was bloody when cops arrived outside his home in Paradise Valley, Ariz., where he said his wife Nicole was unhappy about a carpet installation.

“She was very upset at me,” Bidwill Jr. told cops, according to TMZ Sports.

“I’m sitting on the couch, and she’s screaming at me. And I was trying to not escalate because she has a very bad temper.

“And then she started hitting me, and I just started defending myself.”'

Like0 Dislike0

High mobile phone use may impact sperm count, study says

Article here. Excerpt:

'Male sperm count has fallen by more than 50% globally in the last 50 years, leaving researchers scrambling to understand why. Could it be pollution, PFAS and other potential toxins in our food and water, an increase in obesity and chronic disease, or even the ever-present mobile phone?

A new study explored the role of cell phones and found men between the ages of 18 and 22 who said they used their phones more than 20 times a day had a 21% higher risk for a low overall sperm count. The men also had a 30% higher risk for a low sperm concentration, a less important measure of sperm count in a milliliter of semen. The study did not specify whether the men called or texted or used their phones to do both.'

Like0 Dislike0

Complaints allege N.Y. college programs discriminate against men, white people

Article here. Excerpt:

'These changes are driven by an unprecedented wave of federal civil complaints filed by a small group of men against colleges and universities across the country alleging the programs or scholarships discriminate on the basis of sex or race. At least 42 colleges in New York have received such complaints, the Times Union found.

The complainants want to eliminate what they describe as anti-male, anti-white and anti-Asian bias infecting college campuses. But others argue these changes may eliminate or weaken programs that boosted historically marginalized groups and didn’t harm other people.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, in its determinations, has largely decided these programs and scholarships are in conflict with federal discrimination laws and pushed schools to change their practices. Some colleges and universities have altered their scholarships or programs after a complaint is filed in order to avoid an investigation by the department.'

Like0 Dislike0

The Link Between Facial Masculinity and Sexual Harassment

Article here. Excerpt:

'A compelling research literature indicates that leader behaviors can shape the prevalence of sexual harassment in a given organization. A similarly compelling research literature indicates that the prevalence of men at higher levels in an organization’s hierarchy can also shape the prevalence of sexual harassment in a given organization. Too many men at the top, and leaders who tolerate sexual harassment, tend to result in more sexual harassment.

Like0 Dislike0

Students demand reinstatement of lecturer who admitted keying a male professor's car and is accused of stalking him

Article here. Excerpt:

'Students at Berkeley University are campaigning for the reinstatement of a suspended professor who was forced to take leave after she was found guilty of stalking and harassing a professor at another University of California campus.

Professor Ivonne del Valle, a tenured associate professor of colonial studies in Berkeley's department of Spanish and Portuguese, accused Professor Joshua Clover of harassing her online.

She became convinced that Clover, an English and comparative literature teacher at UC Davis, had hacked her computer in some way and manipulated her accounts.

She felt he was writing veiled insults about her colleagues on Twitter, and began writing him messages, leaving him voicemails and turning up outside his home. She stalked his mother, and forced him to move house.

Over the course of five years, the situation unraveled, and she was suspended in the fall of 2021, KQED report.'

Like0 Dislike0

Reason Aussie men are quitting therapy in droves

Article here. Excerpt:

'After centuries of toxic masculinity and the notion that manliness means boys can’t cry and grown men don’t talk about their feelings, a therapist’s client list has taken a giant gendered swing.

“I definitely think, especially since Covid, that there’s been a lot more messaging around mental health, getting support and that it’s OK not to be OK, and that’s definitely driven an increase in men going to therapy,” Stella Ladikos, therapist and founder of Meraki Mental Health Training, told news.com.au.

“In my own private practice I’ve been seeing a lot more guys come to therapy and at the moment most of my regular clients are actually men, which is really, really promising to see.”'

Like0 Dislike0

Pages

Subscribe to Mensactivism.org RSS