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Hi,
I've been working on an outreach flyer titled "What are Men's Issues?". It was inspired by Trudy Schuett's "What is the Men's Movement?", and it covers the six major topics that she brought up. These are:
-Divorce/Child Custody
-Domestic Violence against Men
-Media Representation of Men
-Workplace Issues for Men
-Men's Health and Safety
-Education
It's still a work in progress, but I've managed to cover four of the six main topics so far. As a preview, here is what I wrote about Men's Health and Safety:
Men’s health and safety lags behind that of women’s in several areas. Men are more likely to die from heart disease, stroke, cancer, infectious diseases, accidents, suicide, and homicide. Consider these statistics for the United States:
• Males have a higher overall mortality rate than females at all ages (roughly 1.5 times greater). This mortality ratio is roughly the same as that between blacks and whites. Also, men have higher mortality rates for the top 10 causes of death.
• In particular, males have a suicide rate roughly 4 times that of females.
• Men represent some 94% of workplace deaths annually as a result of being concentrated in the most hazardous professions.
• As a result, men have a life expectancy roughly 6 years less than women.
• In 1920, this difference was only 1 year, which implies that improvements in public health have disproportionately benefited women.
In spite of these disparities in health and safety between men and women, public policy has concentrated on women’s health issues at the expense of men’s health. For example:
• There is an Office of Women’s Health in the U. S. federal government, but no Office of Men’s Health.
• While most funding at the National Institutes of Health is non-gender specific, some 10% of this funding is for women’s health, with only 5% given to men’s health.
• In particular, funding for prostate cancer receives less than half the funding that breast cancer receives, even though both diseases have roughly equal mortality rates.
..Again, it's still being worked on (I get writer's block), but I hope the information will be a useful summary to those wanting to inform others of men's issues.
Steve
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Steve.
You might also want to add in your flyer's data on men's mortality rate that, the average life expectancy for American Indian men, (particularly on reservations) is only about fifty-two years. (approximately.)
I (and thousands of other native activists) have been trying for years to get the mainstream media to report on this, But every one of my (our) efforts have been met with condesending remarks, to out right contempt by media-ites.
Of course if the average WOMAN in general had only a life expectancy of 52 years, the media would be calling it "a national disgrace!" and "a national emergency!"
Thanks.
TC.
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Tom.
There are a number of reasons American Indian men die earlier than anyone else.
One is because, particularly on reservations we do not have access to proper health care. The health care facilities are generaly run by the federal Government. Intentionaly or not those healthcare facilities that are available are VERY sub-standard.
Another reason is diet. Again the stores in witch to buy food are run and stocked under the fedral government. The foods that are available in Indian stores is ALWAYS loaded with Fat and starch. this leads to alot of heart related ailments and death, I.E. heart attacks.
Another contributing factor for both on and off reservation Indian men, is deppression.
We live in a country that does not generaly accept us. And is often antagonistic towards us.
We are considered a non-people. Both harrassment and physical assaults against us are common. In fact the assault and homicide rate (also a contributing factor) against Native-American men is higher than that of any ethnic group in America. (I have personaly expirienced this.) add this to the fact that the American media ignores us completely, and our issues are NEVER heared, for the most part (particularly when compared to "women's issues") and the end result is depression. I personaly suffer from depression, as do a vast majority of Indian males.
The depression many of us feel is often a direct reason so many of us suffer from alcoholism and drug abuse. (Some of which is our own, damned fault. I am a recovered alcoholic, myself.)
Stress is also a big contributor to decreased life expectancy for us.
As you may have read in some of my posts, Tom, I often discribe some of my own expiriences in the work place. These expiriences are shared by most Indian men, particularly those of us who are "Traditionalists." Things like racial harrassment are common. even physical assaults are not un-heared of. couple that with an apathetic employer(s) who not only does not admit the harassment is happening, but AGREES with the harrassment and even (in some cases) goes along with it, (as was in my case) and you have stress out the Wazzoo. some of the harrassment also comes in the form of people not takeing you or your culture siriously.
Personaly I can't count the number of times I've had some one ask "how much Indian are you?" And when (or if) I deside to tell them, That blood-quantum I give for myself is NEVER high enough.
"Oh, you can't be a REAL Indian." they'll say to those of us of mixed-blood. (That's the Indians as non-people thing I mentioned.) Interestingly, I've noticed no one ever asks a White person "How much White are you?' or a Black person "How much Black are you?" even if that Black person has very light or even white skin. Actually, it is considered insulting to ask us "how-much-Indian-are-you?" because we are the ONLY people on the planet whos ethnicity is "measured" by "blood-quantum." If the same standard were held to Blacks, for instance, people like Mariah Carrey, Vanessa Williams, Bryant Gumbell and Reggie Miller could not identify as "Black".
We are also the most stereotyped people in America. Try nameing a sports team the "Nebraska Niggers" or the "Ohio Honkeys" or the "New Jersey Jews" or "Seattle Spics" or "Chicago Chinks". what would happen? You KNOW what would happen. The stadiums hosting these teams would be burned down over night. However the "Washington Red-skins" is perfectly acceptibale. Even though the term Red-skins" is a racial slur. (as is "Sqaw" and "Injun".)
And finaly we come to poverty.
American Indians of both sexes, incounter Job discrimination, again, higher than most if not all ethnic groups in America. The only jobs we seem able to aquire are construction work and Janitorial. (The only two jobs that I've ever had consistantly.)
Construction work pays okay, but alot of it is seasonal, and Janitorial work..., well, you know.
The un-employment rate on reservations is particularly bad. For most Indians the best if not ONLY way to find work, is often to leave the reservation. This is likely by designe.
If you have less people living on reservations and fewer people liveing their cultural ways and fewer people even IDENTIFYING as Indian, the less money the federal government has to pay in restitution to our people, for stealing our land and murdering millions of our ancestors. (This is also the reason for the "blood-quantum" system.)
So any way to wrap up this very long post.
We Indians are Human.
If you take all these factors (and many I haven't even mentioned) and thrust them on to a people, ANY people, the result is always the same.
MUCH lower life expectancy.
Sorry I ansewred your question with a bit of a "rant", but I hope it ansewers it well enough.
Frankly, I'd love to see these facts brought to light the next time any given feminist complains about how women are getting shafted.
I would love to stand up and say something like; "The average man dies 6 to 8 years earlier than the average woman. And SOME of us die TWENTY YEARS earlier!"
What's that...? You say you need MORE money for Breast-cancer research...?
TC.
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Steve - This is excellent. It would actually work well as a faq. Are you going to publish it someplace?
Stand Your Ground Forum
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Last night was the first time I was able to participate in one of the Mann Chats. I just wanted to say "Thanks."
It was an interesting discussion that ranged far and wide. I especially wanted to mention the courtesy shown to all, by all. Even when there wasn't complete agreement. Well done, much better than the first time I tried an IRC discussion and got chewed out by the female moderator, for having my own opinion expressed politely.
Great job, I will be back.
Agraitear (Posting as Phinn)
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