International Men’s Day Recognition
November 19th every year, all around the world, is International Men’s Day. Given they make up 49% of the world’s human population and their unique attributes, achievements and struggles, an international day to focus and shine attention on such matters is a worthwhile initiative.
It was launched in the early 1990s by Jerome Teelucksingh from Trinidad and Tobago, who chose the date to honour his own father.
The purpose of the day is to celebrate issues that are considered unique to the experiences of men and boys. There is an emphasis on positive male role models, to show that males of all ages respond much more energetically to examples of masculinity than they do to negative stereotyping.
In recent times, more recognition of issues affecting men has occurred. The most high-profile has been men’s mental health; men in the past, due to social norms, were forced to suffer in silence.
It is fitting that International Men’s Day occurs during what is now termed Movember. Men grow moustaches and have friends and others sponsor their mos, to raise money and awareness for men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer and depression.
You only have to see the number of men in public places with moustaches during November to see how widespread the cause has become.
Unfortunately, in 2019, everything is political. The radical third-wave feminists still believe that male privilege and patriarchy pervade our world. Plus, all men are held responsible for all domestic violence and other forms of direct or inadvertent discrimination against women.
It cannot be disputed that women and girls face discrimination and violence around the world, which in some nations is still state-endorsed. As the saying goes, however, we can walk and chew gum at the same time. We should care better for all humans.
The reason why we have separate days now, for men and women, is that contrary to what the gender-benders argue, men and women have both unique physical and psychological differences, which need to be highlighted separately.
Being a man in our society does not at all guarantee a life of privilege, free of problems. One of the graphics promoting International Men’s Day highlights some of the social ills that uniquely affect men.
Feminists also rage about toxic masculinity and violence. While men are capable of greater acts of violence, they are also the majority of victims of violent crimes. Men are also punished more severely than women in the judicial system, even when they commit the same crime.
Refreshingly, 2019’s International Men’s Day has received greater recognition than those of previous years. Even those on the feminist left have not criticised the day itself. They have preferred instead to use the day as a platform to promote their own interpretation of positive masculinity. They have encouraged more men to express their emotions and not to feel ashamed if they don’t live up to traditional standards of masculinity.
On #InternationalMensDay it’s important to remember:
It’s ok for men to be vulnerable
It’s ok for men to cry
It’s ok for men to be emotional
It’s ok for men to be empathetic
It’s ok for men to be afraid
It’s ok for men to seek self-care
Trans men are men
— Hot Takeman (@mistermegative) November 19, 2019
Australia’s loudest feminist, Clemitinue Ford, used to the day to praise men who were assisting in dismantling the patriarchy. A much more mature tweet than her infamous ‘kill all men’ one.
Happy International Men’s Day! Shout out to the men who are doing their best to dismantle the patriarchy that oppresses them ❤️
— Clementine Ford ?♀️ (@clementine_ford) November 19, 2019
But Australia’s media still did not stop with its gender-divisive reporting for the day. The ABC put out another domestic violence article that portrays the problem as only gendered violence and manipulation by men against women.
Yesterday, Channel Nine’s failed all-female Today program promoted the false gender wage gap proposition, arguing that it is getting even worse in Australia, which something must be done to correct.
But overall, International Men’s Day this year has highlighted the modern issues and problems facing men and boys that have not previously received attention from the mainstream media.
