2 thoughts on “Gynocentrism, murder, and the gender suicide gap”
Paul Elam gives us a real challenge.
“In Texas the suicide rate in men rises and falls with the economy. It has no measurable effects on the lives of women. It is the same everywhere with the already lopsided male suicide rate in divorce. The body count doubles for men, while women pass through that gateway without so much as a statistical hiccup.
The message here is clear. Men are much more psychologically and emotionally dependent on women than the reverse.”
Men socialised to believe in their power and duty so be strong and support, in its widest sense, those in need. Fight this very notion that there are vulnerabilities inherent in living this role. Perhaps it is for this reason many of those clearest in their thought on this are the honey badgers. A long time ago I heard a speaker on radio quote “most family men live their lives in quiet desperation” it stuck with me and remains perhaps truer because it referred to a time just before the crumbling of the traditional family. in which though “the buck stopped” at the father at least it was in a reasonably secure structure. For “Human Doings” ,as Farrel, calls us fewer face the hard physicality of previous generations but a harsher emotional load in fulfilling the role still expected. Even at its most basic our early socialisation in the home, care and school is conducted by women, surely clearly a recipe for deep trust of women who have been at the core of our care through our most vulnerable and dependent years. Even without a gynocentric socialisation this fact makes men vulnerable. Mr. Elam’s challenge is to give a shape to this that connects to men. And our nurture and socialisation means women’,s voices will be important because in truth generally men place huge trust in women and in a deep irony gynocentrism means men accept women’s views of their welfare more readily. A generalisation and there are exceptions but its why I believe that movements for male equity or equality cannot exclude or sideline the women who join the debate. And so it can’t successfully just mirror feminist movements.
Paul Elam gives us a real challenge.
“In Texas the suicide rate in men rises and falls with the economy. It has no measurable effects on the lives of women. It is the same everywhere with the already lopsided male suicide rate in divorce. The body count doubles for men, while women pass through that gateway without so much as a statistical hiccup.
The message here is clear. Men are much more psychologically and emotionally dependent on women than the reverse.”
Men socialised to believe in their power and duty so be strong and support, in its widest sense, those in need. Fight this very notion that there are vulnerabilities inherent in living this role. Perhaps it is for this reason many of those clearest in their thought on this are the honey badgers. A long time ago I heard a speaker on radio quote “most family men live their lives in quiet desperation” it stuck with me and remains perhaps truer because it referred to a time just before the crumbling of the traditional family. in which though “the buck stopped” at the father at least it was in a reasonably secure structure. For “Human Doings” ,as Farrel, calls us fewer face the hard physicality of previous generations but a harsher emotional load in fulfilling the role still expected. Even at its most basic our early socialisation in the home, care and school is conducted by women, surely clearly a recipe for deep trust of women who have been at the core of our care through our most vulnerable and dependent years. Even without a gynocentric socialisation this fact makes men vulnerable. Mr. Elam’s challenge is to give a shape to this that connects to men. And our nurture and socialisation means women’,s voices will be important because in truth generally men place huge trust in women and in a deep irony gynocentrism means men accept women’s views of their welfare more readily. A generalisation and there are exceptions but its why I believe that movements for male equity or equality cannot exclude or sideline the women who join the debate. And so it can’t successfully just mirror feminist movements.
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