Men who need breast reduction face multiple ways to cope

"Ways to cope"? "Can't develope his self-esteem"? Give me a break. These lines from the video make guys with the condition sound pitiful, like anorexia "victims" - we should all "empathize".

Just because it's a "feminine" problem doesn't mean we should feminize (aka victimize) it!

-ax

I didn't think the video sounded "victimizing" at all. In my opinion, it would be detrimental to trivialize the negative emotional and social effects these men might be experiencing.

However, I may have misunderstood your meaning. Would you rather the report have been strictly matter-of-fact, scientific?

It just looked to me like things were headed in that direction - kind of leaning that way. That may suggest that as time goes on, and more people "become aware" of the condition, guys with the condition (such as myself) may come to be regarded by the public, and medical professionals, as victims.

Of course they should mention the psychological and social effects to the boys and men with the condition. Especially since it has to do with their identity as men. Probably a better way to word it, is the segment is too "touchy-feely". That's a sign of the times we live in - "get in touch with your feelings" and all that stuff. That's a mark of the feminisation of our society. Yes, it probably should have been more matter of fact.

As a 22 year old man who has suffered from this condition my whole life, I know the detrimental effects it can have a person's self esteem. People who suffer from this are victims of it. I'm not trying to be dramatic, but in a sense they are victims.

What do you call yourself when something bothers you so much that at times you contemplated suicide over it? What do you call it when society doesn't view you as a real man, b/c you don't fit their criteria of what real men look like?

Fortunately for myself, my condition is improving slowly but surely and my self esteem has improved dramatically. BTW, the video forgot to mention that the true cause of the condition is hormones in drinking water. Of course, they'd rather demonize drinking and marijuana use to try to make people with the condition who partake in these to feel even more like shit and blame it on themselves. I'm calling bullshit on that.

BTW, I think the title was rather misleading. I believe it said "multiple ways to cope". The video only talks about surgery.

Evan AKA X-TRNL
Real Men Don't Take Abuse!

A victim is someone who has, say, been injured due to physical attack by another person; or killed in battle.

Not someone with a disease or a condition, a cultural bias or prejudice against them, some sort of psychological problem, being raised by "toxic parents", feeling slighted by another person, or etc.

Life is full of uncertainty, some people get medical problems. We all have free will, and though it is unfortunate to suffer terribly from something, that does not change the objective fact that no-one has done another a wrong by virtue of the existence of a medical problem.

In a nutshell, whether someone is a victim or not is not based on their subjective experiences or emotions, whatever they may be. It is based on objective reality, as something that may have happened to that person due to another's actions.

-ax

P.S. I have depression too, and I'm not a victim of that either.

Surgery is designed to solve the problem. Anything short of solving the problem can only partially alleviate the attendant symptoms (be they physical or psychological).
-ax

I suppose I'm a little more figurative with the way I use my words. When I said that we are victims of it, I didn't mean to equate it to someone physically harming us. I just meant to say that the condition has wronged us. Society doesn't help either. They make fun of us like it's our fault. I understand where you're coming from ax. Indeed we have not been physically harmed, but I believe emotionally we have been. The fact that you and I both admitted to suffering from deperession proves this. But I suppose the word "victim" is a bit of an overstatement. Let's just say that we are people who are afflicted with an injustice. Regardless, we still deserve better than what we get.

P.S. I totally agree with your comment about the surgery. I'd also like to add that on top of them acting like the surgery was a method of coping, they quickly go on to say "the surgery costs $3500-$7000 depending on how much tissue has to be removed." Or in other words "Ha ha. If you want to 'cope' you have to pay the price."

Though I really don't have much to complain about. I live in the only part of the world in which the government will subsidize the cost of the surgery to fix it. I'm going to try to get rid of it without surgery though. If it doesn't work, the procedure will still be an option.

Evan AKA X-TRNL
Real Men Don't Take Abuse!

Your country must not consider it "cosmetic" surgery, or something?

I'm not sure where they get that low figure of $3500. The way I remember it listed on liposuction.com a few months ago, it's something like 5000-7500 for male chest reduction, and that's just the surgical fee..does not include anesthesiologist, any labs required, etc. I thinks it $3000 for lower abdomen - maybe that's where they got that number. (I need it there too!) Check out the site..it seems to give solid medical information, as opposed to one of those junk sites written by some dumbo moneygrubber.

I don't know about where you are, but in the U.S. these little "medical loan" companies are starting to crop up. There's one called "MyMedical Loan" that will lend for liposuction, lasik, and all sorts of stuff insurance companies won't pay for. If you meet the credit requirements, of course.
-ax

You have to live in Alberta, Canada. It's the only province here in the country in which health care covers it. I'm not sure how long you have to live here before you can get Alberta Health Care Benefits though. I could try to find out for you.

I'm going to give it another year of working out. \If it doesn't go away after that, I'm getting the surgery.

Evan AKA X-TRNL
Real Men Don't Take Abuse!