I just asked a popular AI, "What groups suffer the most from suicide?" I received the response posted below. Looks like it gathered this information from the CDC's website. And not surprising that AI merely reflects the bias of our supposed public health experts.
Key groups that often experience higher rates of suicide include:
An unfortonate side effect to women entering more of the roles that men have had in the past. It might be worth looking at why women have had lower rates in the past and trying to emulate that more in men.
The other large difference in men and women is gun ownership. Men having...ok a quick google and I think women are catching up there too.
I think the message that men and boys have always got is that you are on your own. Boyhood is a preparation for being on your own. In western civilisation, men treat other men as though they should be capable of a substantial level of independence and see male dependency as an unwelcome, even immoral burden. This extends to social policy.
For men, there is a moral force and a source of purpose and strength to the idea of independence. Men are usually okay with the idea of supporting men with SERIOUS problems, but because such support is not a part of their MO, when they encounter such a situation, they often don't know what to do. But men who are good at that do get respect.
Where this differs from women, is that women are used to the idea of dependency and so are open both to discussing it and organising to escape it. Yet men remain on their own. Unions are a traditional
means for men to organise but it is effective in only a few sectors.
Contrary to the received wisdom, a lot of men also feel responsible in a practical
manner for the women in their lives and like to help them. Perhaps part of the resentment of feminism, is a perception amongst men that notwithstanding their best efforts, the women's movement portrays men as oppressors.
Men have often looked to women for the emotional support which is not available from other men, but certainly a mainstream strand of feminism deprecates this as unwanted "emotional labour" and portrays women's support role to men as a one way street they are better off without - "a women needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." Women are of course far less economically dependent on men than 70 years ago and we all know there is a gulf of expectations opening up between the sexes.
So if you mix in the extent to which the position of working class men has been undermined by the manner in which the labour market has developed in the last 40 years, the spiralling divorce rate and single parenthood, father absence, drug and alcohol abuse, the decline of friendship which is a feature of the ever increasing commoditisation of social
life, the demands of the long hours culture in the work you can get and the total
lack of interest in all this shown by government, you have a very toxic brew.
Trump is IMO wholly toxic, but he is doing well amongst men because he really is the only one saying to men "I've got your back" even though what he's got for your back is a knife to stab you with after he's had your vote. So it appears there is really no-one in the political field who is addressing men's needs. Whereas the women's movement, with numerous male allies, is very effective at raising women's issues. A man's opennes to women's social perspectives is often a marker of his suitability for employment and promotion.
To address this, men need to do something which is very difficult and start discussing with eachother the question: "Look - why is this so hard?" Modern feminism may be irritating but it isn't the source of your problems. The problem is that you have been radically disempowered by business and a government in the pocket of corporations and the wealthy. I'm not at all sure how that can be resolved. But this is not your fault. Acknowledging and discussing it is a beginning. Blaming other people who are also struggling in life or "punching down", is doing your master's bidding.
"In our exploration to find truth, it is critical to address the many filtered layers of media influencing, academic conjuring, and political maneuvering that marginalizes the boys and men in our culture. It’s no wonder boys and young men feel like they are at the center of nothingness, that they are a political football, the media’s masculine trope, and an academic piñata." From my piece Soft-Censoring the Male and the Masculine in our Culture (https://open.substack.com/pub/gibm/p/soft-censoring-the-male-and-the-masculine?r=7v0pb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web).
Apart from many question marks around the direction correlation between self-harm and the use of social media, as presented by other scholars, the question is why this issue continues to be skewed by some of the most vocal critics on the topic? In every single newspaper piece, Jonathan Haidt writes how girls are hit the hardest by rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm. I also heard him say in an interview that his son is allowed a smartphone at the age of 14, the daughter at 16. What is behind this wilful misrepresentation?
Well done Richard. To be honest I’ve been disappointed with some of your earlier writing for not being as specific and clear - this is spot on.
Unfortunately for those of us who’ve read and wondered and seen reality for a decade or more - this is nothing new. Boys are worth less, always have been, and pointing it out will only get you problems. Ask Farrell.
Let’s see how much flack you get for this piece.
The few percentage of alpha males and their allies the vast majority of females will continue to put their energy money and PR presence on their true love - themselves and their daughters. Our boys will be sent to war, the streets, and treated like second class laborers.
"In our exploration to find truth, it is critical to address the many filtered layers of media influencing, academic conjuring, and political maneuvering that marginalizes the boys and men in our culture. It’s no wonder boys and young men feel like they are at the center of nothingness, that they are a political football, the media’s masculine trope, and an academic piñata." From my piece Soft-Censoring the Male and the Masculine in our Culture (https://open.substack.com/pub/gibm/p/soft-censoring-the-male-and-the-masculine?r=7v0pb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web).
Read a bunch of the comments. Ugh. We collectively waste a lot of energy on looking for who is to blame with this kind of sadness. My guess is- all of us. I think it is best to just put our energy toward solutions.
My choice is to make an effort to reach back and help those who are navigating their way. These young people need more mentors, role models, elders. They are lost and social media is not helping.
Parents are trying too- they really are. They need and want our help.
Join a program that reaches out to youth as they navigate life. Or start your own organization if you can’t find one. I have started two. The folks coming up behind us are so appreciative of our time and energy. You can be the change.
We absolutely need more mentors and more truth. "In our exploration to find truth, it is critical to address the many filtered layers of media influencing, academic conjuring, and political maneuvering that marginalizes the boys and men in our culture. It’s no wonder boys and young men feel like they are at the center of nothingness, that they are a political football, the media’s masculine trope, and an academic piñata." From my piece Soft-Censoring the Male and the Masculine in our Culture (https://open.substack.com/pub/gibm/p/soft-censoring-the-male-and-the-masculine?r=7v0pb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web).
the media has an inordinate, prurient fascination with body image dysmorphia among teen girls who then commit suicide...it's not even clear that anyone has proven such a link, but the hypothesis fascinates people. In the 1980s there was a similar explosion of interest in anorexic teen girls as if female self-destruction requires deep investigation but not male self-destruction...
Good point James. "In our exploration to find truth, it is critical to address the many filtered layers of media influencing, academic conjuring, and political maneuvering that marginalizes the boys and men in our culture. It’s no wonder boys and young men feel like they are at the center of nothingness, that they are a political football, the media’s masculine trope, and an academic piñata." From my piece Soft-Censoring the Male and the Masculine in our Culture (https://open.substack.com/pub/gibm/p/soft-censoring-the-male-and-the-masculine?r=7v0pb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web).
"About one in four transgender students said they had attempted suicide in the past year, compared with 11 percent of cisgender girls and 5 percent of cisgender boys."
the article says nothing about the actual suicide rate
Richard Reeves took notice of an article I wrote in May of 2023 about a boy who took his own life after a false allegation. The two of us spoke a day or two after it was published and the tendency of the media to engage in a type of selective and deceptive reporting when it comes to male and female suicide data. The piece was certainly tactful as well, and Reeves complimented the piece because—although it acknowledged the greater male disparities—it did not discount female mental health as an important issue.
Take a look at this piece today if you can: "In our exploration to find truth, it is critical to address the many filtered layers of media influencing, academic conjuring, and political maneuvering that marginalizes the boys and men in our culture. It’s no wonder boys and young men feel like they are at the center of nothingness, that they are a political football, the media’s masculine trope, and an academic piñata." From my piece Soft-Censoring the Male and the Masculine in our Culture (https://open.substack.com/pub/gibm/p/soft-censoring-the-male-and-the-masculine?r=7v0pb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web).
I really appreciate your work. Quite often I think what you write represents a "narrative violation". In general people favor simple stories, not "both things can be true".
The media and institutions are gynocentric. The New Yorker, has a very obvious left wing bias, and having media literacy is very important to notice it. If the piece said anything regarding men, I'm sure it would survive editors. For example, the official Twitter (X) account of UN women account (sourced by Unesco) reported that "11 of every 100 journalists killed, are women". Yeah, the "men die, women most affected" is not just a meme, it's a reality.
Jose, you might find this interesting. "In our exploration to find truth, it is critical to address the many filtered layers of media influencing, academic conjuring, and political maneuvering that marginalizes the boys and men in our culture. It’s no wonder boys and young men feel like they are at the center of nothingness, that they are a political football, the media’s masculine trope, and an academic piñata." From my piece Soft-Censoring the Male and the Masculine in our Culture (https://open.substack.com/pub/gibm/p/soft-censoring-the-male-and-the-masculine?r=7v0pb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web).
One may suspect that some of this comes from how class affects reporting and awareness. Top private college prep high schools deal with girls expressing ideas about suicide. But what are the class of boys who kill themselves. Are more of them from poor or blue collar families and thus out of sight of the readers of upscale magazines.
There is also the issue of suicide driven by too many demands on young women versus suicide driven up society expecting nothing but problems from young men.
You are being too kind to Mr Solomon! Like many professional men (& women) today there is a lack of spine. If he's an expert he is well aware of the truth. I have no doubt that he would pay a high price in his career advancement and economic future for telling the truth. No doubt among his academic colleagues and friends there would also be blowback. However, we are in this spot today because men and women were afraid to speak out. Especially men.
The Democrat party has corrupted the agencies including the CDC due to its gynocentric policies. This is why they are able put out statistics that are skewed in favor of women for ideological reasons. Just look at the parties push for "equity". Read at the White House Initiative on Gender. Their choices of judges and administrators. The regulations and medias bias. The Democrat party machine at best ignores white boys and men, at worst vilifies and discriminates against them.
Is it any wonder that men are committing suicide at a higher rate. We need more people like yourself with backbone and political skills to turn this ship around. As long as we have citizens that keep voting in Democrats or not speaking out within the party, there will be no substantial change. Thank you for your courage and perseverance to carry the message. You are a voice in the wilderness.
Mark, I hope you like this piece: In our exploration to find truth, it is critical to address the many filtered layers of media influencing, academic conjuring, and political maneuvering that marginalizes the boys and men in our culture. It’s no wonder boys and young men feel like they are at the center of nothingness, that they are a political football, the media’s masculine trope, and an academic piñata." From my piece Soft-Censoring the Male and the Masculine in our Culture (https://open.substack.com/pub/gibm/p/soft-censoring-the-male-and-the-masculine?r=7v0pb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web).
Thank you for suggesting your "soft-censuring" article. I enjoyed it, as I have your other articles. It's spot on that masculinity is pushed aside; unless it applies to women or is used in a negative way.
I loved the poem and conclusion. I'm including the conclusion for others who may read this comment.
"This is where our culture is right now. It is a place where our males are only shown in the night and the half-light and not their full light, as young, powerful, and purposeful boys; all little Icaruses desperately in need of an army of Deadaluses."
I just asked a popular AI, "What groups suffer the most from suicide?" I received the response posted below. Looks like it gathered this information from the CDC's website. And not surprising that AI merely reflects the bias of our supposed public health experts.
Key groups that often experience higher rates of suicide include:
1. Young Adults and Adolescents (aged 15-24),
2. Older adults,
3. Members of the LGBTQ+ Community,
4. Veterans,
5. People with Mental Health Disorders,
6. People struggling with addiction,
7. Racial and Ethnic Minorities, and
8. People experiencing economic hardship.
An unfortonate side effect to women entering more of the roles that men have had in the past. It might be worth looking at why women have had lower rates in the past and trying to emulate that more in men.
The other large difference in men and women is gun ownership. Men having...ok a quick google and I think women are catching up there too.
Great article. For too many, only one type of gender gap matters. I appreciate you telling it like it is.
I think the message that men and boys have always got is that you are on your own. Boyhood is a preparation for being on your own. In western civilisation, men treat other men as though they should be capable of a substantial level of independence and see male dependency as an unwelcome, even immoral burden. This extends to social policy.
For men, there is a moral force and a source of purpose and strength to the idea of independence. Men are usually okay with the idea of supporting men with SERIOUS problems, but because such support is not a part of their MO, when they encounter such a situation, they often don't know what to do. But men who are good at that do get respect.
Where this differs from women, is that women are used to the idea of dependency and so are open both to discussing it and organising to escape it. Yet men remain on their own. Unions are a traditional
means for men to organise but it is effective in only a few sectors.
Contrary to the received wisdom, a lot of men also feel responsible in a practical
manner for the women in their lives and like to help them. Perhaps part of the resentment of feminism, is a perception amongst men that notwithstanding their best efforts, the women's movement portrays men as oppressors.
Men have often looked to women for the emotional support which is not available from other men, but certainly a mainstream strand of feminism deprecates this as unwanted "emotional labour" and portrays women's support role to men as a one way street they are better off without - "a women needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." Women are of course far less economically dependent on men than 70 years ago and we all know there is a gulf of expectations opening up between the sexes.
So if you mix in the extent to which the position of working class men has been undermined by the manner in which the labour market has developed in the last 40 years, the spiralling divorce rate and single parenthood, father absence, drug and alcohol abuse, the decline of friendship which is a feature of the ever increasing commoditisation of social
life, the demands of the long hours culture in the work you can get and the total
lack of interest in all this shown by government, you have a very toxic brew.
Trump is IMO wholly toxic, but he is doing well amongst men because he really is the only one saying to men "I've got your back" even though what he's got for your back is a knife to stab you with after he's had your vote. So it appears there is really no-one in the political field who is addressing men's needs. Whereas the women's movement, with numerous male allies, is very effective at raising women's issues. A man's opennes to women's social perspectives is often a marker of his suitability for employment and promotion.
To address this, men need to do something which is very difficult and start discussing with eachother the question: "Look - why is this so hard?" Modern feminism may be irritating but it isn't the source of your problems. The problem is that you have been radically disempowered by business and a government in the pocket of corporations and the wealthy. I'm not at all sure how that can be resolved. But this is not your fault. Acknowledging and discussing it is a beginning. Blaming other people who are also struggling in life or "punching down", is doing your master's bidding.
"In our exploration to find truth, it is critical to address the many filtered layers of media influencing, academic conjuring, and political maneuvering that marginalizes the boys and men in our culture. It’s no wonder boys and young men feel like they are at the center of nothingness, that they are a political football, the media’s masculine trope, and an academic piñata." From my piece Soft-Censoring the Male and the Masculine in our Culture (https://open.substack.com/pub/gibm/p/soft-censoring-the-male-and-the-masculine?r=7v0pb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web).
Apart from many question marks around the direction correlation between self-harm and the use of social media, as presented by other scholars, the question is why this issue continues to be skewed by some of the most vocal critics on the topic? In every single newspaper piece, Jonathan Haidt writes how girls are hit the hardest by rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm. I also heard him say in an interview that his son is allowed a smartphone at the age of 14, the daughter at 16. What is behind this wilful misrepresentation?
The root cause would be society's focus on the appearance of women while not caring that much about the appearance of men.
Well done Richard. To be honest I’ve been disappointed with some of your earlier writing for not being as specific and clear - this is spot on.
Unfortunately for those of us who’ve read and wondered and seen reality for a decade or more - this is nothing new. Boys are worth less, always have been, and pointing it out will only get you problems. Ask Farrell.
Let’s see how much flack you get for this piece.
The few percentage of alpha males and their allies the vast majority of females will continue to put their energy money and PR presence on their true love - themselves and their daughters. Our boys will be sent to war, the streets, and treated like second class laborers.
"In our exploration to find truth, it is critical to address the many filtered layers of media influencing, academic conjuring, and political maneuvering that marginalizes the boys and men in our culture. It’s no wonder boys and young men feel like they are at the center of nothingness, that they are a political football, the media’s masculine trope, and an academic piñata." From my piece Soft-Censoring the Male and the Masculine in our Culture (https://open.substack.com/pub/gibm/p/soft-censoring-the-male-and-the-masculine?r=7v0pb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web).
TLDR, it's propaganda
Read a bunch of the comments. Ugh. We collectively waste a lot of energy on looking for who is to blame with this kind of sadness. My guess is- all of us. I think it is best to just put our energy toward solutions.
My choice is to make an effort to reach back and help those who are navigating their way. These young people need more mentors, role models, elders. They are lost and social media is not helping.
Parents are trying too- they really are. They need and want our help.
Join a program that reaches out to youth as they navigate life. Or start your own organization if you can’t find one. I have started two. The folks coming up behind us are so appreciative of our time and energy. You can be the change.
We absolutely need more mentors and more truth. "In our exploration to find truth, it is critical to address the many filtered layers of media influencing, academic conjuring, and political maneuvering that marginalizes the boys and men in our culture. It’s no wonder boys and young men feel like they are at the center of nothingness, that they are a political football, the media’s masculine trope, and an academic piñata." From my piece Soft-Censoring the Male and the Masculine in our Culture (https://open.substack.com/pub/gibm/p/soft-censoring-the-male-and-the-masculine?r=7v0pb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web).
I lost two boys. My third child was an IVF gender selected girl. I knew exactly what I was doing: having a child that had a chance to survive.
the media has an inordinate, prurient fascination with body image dysmorphia among teen girls who then commit suicide...it's not even clear that anyone has proven such a link, but the hypothesis fascinates people. In the 1980s there was a similar explosion of interest in anorexic teen girls as if female self-destruction requires deep investigation but not male self-destruction...
Good point James. "In our exploration to find truth, it is critical to address the many filtered layers of media influencing, academic conjuring, and political maneuvering that marginalizes the boys and men in our culture. It’s no wonder boys and young men feel like they are at the center of nothingness, that they are a political football, the media’s masculine trope, and an academic piñata." From my piece Soft-Censoring the Male and the Masculine in our Culture (https://open.substack.com/pub/gibm/p/soft-censoring-the-male-and-the-masculine?r=7v0pb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web).
the New York Times did the same thing 3 days ago!
"About one in four transgender students said they had attempted suicide in the past year, compared with 11 percent of cisgender girls and 5 percent of cisgender boys."
the article says nothing about the actual suicide rate
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/08/health/transgender-teenagers-cdc-survey.html
Richard Reeves took notice of an article I wrote in May of 2023 about a boy who took his own life after a false allegation. The two of us spoke a day or two after it was published and the tendency of the media to engage in a type of selective and deceptive reporting when it comes to male and female suicide data. The piece was certainly tactful as well, and Reeves complimented the piece because—although it acknowledged the greater male disparities—it did not discount female mental health as an important issue.
Take a look at this piece today if you can: "In our exploration to find truth, it is critical to address the many filtered layers of media influencing, academic conjuring, and political maneuvering that marginalizes the boys and men in our culture. It’s no wonder boys and young men feel like they are at the center of nothingness, that they are a political football, the media’s masculine trope, and an academic piñata." From my piece Soft-Censoring the Male and the Masculine in our Culture (https://open.substack.com/pub/gibm/p/soft-censoring-the-male-and-the-masculine?r=7v0pb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web).
Only feelings matter, not actions - didn’t you know?
I really appreciate your work. Quite often I think what you write represents a "narrative violation". In general people favor simple stories, not "both things can be true".
The media and institutions are gynocentric. The New Yorker, has a very obvious left wing bias, and having media literacy is very important to notice it. If the piece said anything regarding men, I'm sure it would survive editors. For example, the official Twitter (X) account of UN women account (sourced by Unesco) reported that "11 of every 100 journalists killed, are women". Yeah, the "men die, women most affected" is not just a meme, it's a reality.
Jose, you might find this interesting. "In our exploration to find truth, it is critical to address the many filtered layers of media influencing, academic conjuring, and political maneuvering that marginalizes the boys and men in our culture. It’s no wonder boys and young men feel like they are at the center of nothingness, that they are a political football, the media’s masculine trope, and an academic piñata." From my piece Soft-Censoring the Male and the Masculine in our Culture (https://open.substack.com/pub/gibm/p/soft-censoring-the-male-and-the-masculine?r=7v0pb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web).
One may suspect that some of this comes from how class affects reporting and awareness. Top private college prep high schools deal with girls expressing ideas about suicide. But what are the class of boys who kill themselves. Are more of them from poor or blue collar families and thus out of sight of the readers of upscale magazines.
There is also the issue of suicide driven by too many demands on young women versus suicide driven up society expecting nothing but problems from young men.
You are being too kind to Mr Solomon! Like many professional men (& women) today there is a lack of spine. If he's an expert he is well aware of the truth. I have no doubt that he would pay a high price in his career advancement and economic future for telling the truth. No doubt among his academic colleagues and friends there would also be blowback. However, we are in this spot today because men and women were afraid to speak out. Especially men.
The Democrat party has corrupted the agencies including the CDC due to its gynocentric policies. This is why they are able put out statistics that are skewed in favor of women for ideological reasons. Just look at the parties push for "equity". Read at the White House Initiative on Gender. Their choices of judges and administrators. The regulations and medias bias. The Democrat party machine at best ignores white boys and men, at worst vilifies and discriminates against them.
Is it any wonder that men are committing suicide at a higher rate. We need more people like yourself with backbone and political skills to turn this ship around. As long as we have citizens that keep voting in Democrats or not speaking out within the party, there will be no substantial change. Thank you for your courage and perseverance to carry the message. You are a voice in the wilderness.
Mark, I hope you like this piece: In our exploration to find truth, it is critical to address the many filtered layers of media influencing, academic conjuring, and political maneuvering that marginalizes the boys and men in our culture. It’s no wonder boys and young men feel like they are at the center of nothingness, that they are a political football, the media’s masculine trope, and an academic piñata." From my piece Soft-Censoring the Male and the Masculine in our Culture (https://open.substack.com/pub/gibm/p/soft-censoring-the-male-and-the-masculine?r=7v0pb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web).
Thank you for suggesting your "soft-censuring" article. I enjoyed it, as I have your other articles. It's spot on that masculinity is pushed aside; unless it applies to women or is used in a negative way.
I loved the poem and conclusion. I'm including the conclusion for others who may read this comment.
"This is where our culture is right now. It is a place where our males are only shown in the night and the half-light and not their full light, as young, powerful, and purposeful boys; all little Icaruses desperately in need of an army of Deadaluses."