U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: "Man up"

Submitted by Minuteman on Tue, 2013-06-18 04:16

Link here. Excerpt:

'Minority men face certain health challenges. Black men have a high risk of dying from heart disease. Latino men are diagnosed with AIDS three times as often as white men. But men can do things that can protect their health. Most health plans cover recommended preventive services like screenings at no cost under the health care law.

Dr. J. Nadine Gracia is HHS’ deputy assistant secretary for minority health.

“Screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol and HIV, are some of the main tests that will let you know if you’re still on the path toward great health.”

Taking your health into your own hands also means eating right, being active, and talking about your health with your loved ones.'

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I have no problem with HHS asking men to look after their own health more. But I do have a problem with "Man up". First, it's patronizing. Second, it implies a double-standard around accountability. Women are never told they are responsible for their own health. The message is usually cast in victim terms, such as the mythical "access to health care disparity" that gets bandied about like the wage gap myth. Women on average see doctors much more than men and consume far more in medical professionals' time and resources than do men. Yet, they're still treated as "victims". It's been said women also pay much more on aggregate for health care than men and this is discussed as if they're being victimized. Well, use a service more often, expect to pay more as time goes on while doing it-- if I were to go bowling every week and you went every month, we'd expect to see that in 12 months, maybe I'd've spent close to 5 times more on bowling than you, right?

But part of the Affordable Care Act includes the req't that women and men pay the same rates for health insurance, public and private. This means rates for women will average down while those for men will average up. In short, again, men will be paying for women they don't even know. Think this is "mean-spirited"? No more than a woman expecting a man to pay for dates, buy her gifts, etc., etc., then becoming incensed (murderous, even) if he didn't or won't.

I get sick of this crap, don't you?

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Submitted by Matt on Tue, 2013-06-18 13:42

You get the same message on the Federal Occupational Health page of HHS, where they discuss Men's Health Month. It has the same shaming message that men should "man up" concerning their health.

What I particularly love about this page, is that the lower-right hand corner has links to sites for further information on health screenings, etc., for men.

The one called 'Men's Health Topics' actually takes you to a page on the "Womenshealth.gov" website! Most of the other links take you to the sites of private organizations that are concerned with men's health, or to sites that cover topics relevant to both sexes.

None of the links take to you to another HHS page. Why? Well, because HHS has devoted resources to creating an entire site devoted to women's health, except for one page devoted to men! Even then, I'm convinced that this page is not intended to be viewed by men, but, instead, is targeted to women. How else to explain where they placed it?

Given that the message is that men should be "manly", how ironic that the link points to a women's website! It's sort of like telling a guy to "act like a man", and then handing him a copy of Redbook, where he can read an article, such as "A woman's guide to men's health". Yep, nothing more manly than that...

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Submitted by StayingFit on Tue, 2013-06-18 23:01