Earlier today we posted a link to a strong piece by Paul Elam about the lack of mainstream media speculation that a key factor driving Robin Williams to suicide yesterday may have been his two punishing divorce settlements. So I was interested to hear from a supporter that the Sun ran an eight-page piece on Robin Williams today. It starts:
Tormented Robin Williams was battling money problems after two costly divorces, friends said yesterday. The 63-year-old comic was also deeply upset at having to take roles he did not enjoy because he needed the money – and became a recluse as his depression deepened.
One friend said: ‘All he could talk about were serious money troubles. There was also frustration at TV and movie roles he didn’t want to take, but had to for the pay check.’
Robin confessed he was ‘in need of a steady job’ last year after he signed up for TV show The Crazy Ones, which was a flop. He said, ‘There are bills to pay. My life has downsized. I just can’t afford it anymore. Divorce is expensive. It’s ripping your heart through your wallet.’
Let nobody ever say that crippling divorce settlements don’t lead to men committing suicide. It’s just one of the reasons we’ll be calling in our manifesto for a major overhaul of how marital assets are divided after divorce. It’s time to put a stop to the state’s encouragement of women – who file three in four divorce applications in the UK – into sabotaging their marriages for personal financial gain.
Justice for Men & Boys 
http://www.anthonynolan.org/news/2014/08/11/brits-more-likely-help-their-pet-man-or-teenager-says-new-survey
Inside-man commented on this survey which rather sums up the expectation that men don’t really need help and should suck it up. I suspect connected is the sad fact, on a documentary last night, that three quarters of “paupers” funerals are of men. And half are under 65. Once again men represent the majority of those left out of society to the extent of no one to even bury them. Of course many of those men will have been homeless, another big “gender” gap. While it is good to support men’s desire to be independent somehow this seems to turn into “open season” on men as if they are endlessly able to pick themselves up and start again. And as the survey showed it really is “pick yourself up”.
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Basically Robin Williams was killed by sex discrimination. Non of the press have run with this. The application of alimony to fund a divorced person’s lifestyle at the penalty of the other person’s lifestyle, just because they used to live together is not valid any more. 20 million dollars for sitting on their “fanny” (ass in UK) is not fair in anyone’s book. He was having to work to pay for their pensions with no prospect of retirement for himself. No wonder he cracked under the pressure. Not much to look forward to. Work or jail for non-payment.
In an “equal world” you get divorced you divorce the previous lifestyle and pay your own way, especially if you asked for the divorce in the first place in a no fault system. I have never heard of an average unemployed divorced man getting money off a working woman, whether she is rich or not. Alimony the other way is very rare even for super rich women. Lets start being equal and stop these suicides.
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Can’t have helped that’s for sure. I remember my divorce mediator in Ontario asking me if my insurance would cover me in case I got depressed and couldn’t keep paying up. I was also asked to take out a life insurance policy to cover the payments should I meet my demise. All in the best interests of the children. A lot of good it that will have done Robin’s children. The children want their father. What do the women want? I don’t like to say. I hope all the children will see all this for what it is one day.
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