Post by Souriquois on Oct 17, 2017 11:13:44 GMT -4
A politician here in Canada, Scott Gilmore, of the Conservative Party no less (but don't hold that against him), wrote an excellent op-ed yesterday, about how the rise of the far-right is correlated with the rise of loneliness, especially among men. This guy has been the most vocal against the far-right here, and is trying to start a new political party because he feels the Conservative Party has veered too far right on social and cultural issues, leaving people who are economically on the right but not into hostile, racist, sexist, homophobic politics to pinch their noses and vote for a leftist party they fundamentally disagree with. I have been trying to make it to his political party formation meetings when they come to my city, but I have been busy.
The article can be found here, I suggest a read.
Here is another good read:
www.metronews.ca/views/metro-views/2016/12/06/mens-mental-health-and-the-alt-right.html
Yes, I know white supremacy is a centuries-old ideology, but there is also more to the current manifestations than that. Sometimes when I have fought with them, it is clear some of them have pain, and I will be nice to them if I sense that, partially because I see hope in them, I am only an asshole to those I think are beyond redemption... even when one guy doxxed me and I doxxed him back, I found postings of him on other sites where he shared that he was shy, lonely, and feeling depressed.
Sometimes, though, I will suggest that maybe, maybe, they need to do something to heal: take a break from the Internet, get out somewhere, maybe even seek help... I am not insulting them, I think it will help them be happier, but they often take it as insulting. This is because it seems unacceptable for men to seek mental health help. It seems rather than get the help they need, they either reach for the bottle or some drugs, or nowadays go on the Internet (which can be just as addictive) and find these extremist ideologies. I find the "manosphere" is the worst for exploiting these vulnerable men, and that often a gateway to white supremacist groups.
So, we need to talk about mental health in men.
The article can be found here, I suggest a read.
Here is another good read:
Dissecting far right extremism requires thinking about men's mental health
Vicky Mochama says hateful extremism is partially a symptom of a deeper illness.
While the ideologies of Islamist terrorists groups and white supremacists are worth deconstructing, part of their rise can also be explained by how they prey on loneliness, depression and isolation. In men, especially, our failure to address mental health can have dangerous effects.
Research by Beyond Blue, an Australian mental health organization, found that 25 per cent of men felt they don’t have anyone outside of their immediate family to talk to; 41 per cent reported having one or two to talk to.
Jesse Hayman, director men’s health promotions at Movember, told me, “If the first time a man is speaking about a mental health situation is with their doctor, then we’ve done something wrong.” Experts find that social connectedness is not something men value. Cultural maxims on what “real men” do (and don’t do, e.g,, cry ) then reinforce male isolation.
Isolated in the three-dimensional world, vulnerable men are finding digital spaces ready to exploit that vulnerability. The new vogue for ultra-right-wing conservatism is the latest evolution of the Internet’s “manosphere.”’ This space comprises oft-overlapping Internet groups like men’s-right’s activists, pick-up artists, Gamergate’s misogynists and Reddit’s Red Pill.
After the election of Trump, analyst Siyanda Mohutsiwa tweeted: “If people followed the alt-right groups on Reddit, they would know that young white Americans were told to hide their support of Trump.”
The so-called alternative right aren’t the only ones to insist followers keep a strict, potentially alienting divide between their public and political lives. As part of their recruiting plan, Daesh — commonly called ISIS — encourages recruits to live parallel lives. Most of the group’s recruits are young and male. The group advises converts from the West to keep their new identities quiet lest they be suspected of radicalization.
Both online predators and cults use this method of asking others to be silent in their deceit. Still, this is little comfort for friends and family who suddenly find a man in their life is espousing hateful views.
Extremist groups offer a sense of belonging, community and purpose that belies their regressive and violent philosophies. It’s an especially alluring offer for men who suffer silently with mental health issues. And when it comes to male mental health, we have a fuzzy picture. We know, for example, that men commit 80 per cent of suicides but that their reported rates of depression do not correlate.
Predatory groups with violent ideologies are stepping in to fill this gap. With better diagnosis and treatment, we could pre-empt the troubling and isolating behaviours that, as we’re seeing, precede violent behaviours.`
Vicky Mochama says hateful extremism is partially a symptom of a deeper illness.
While the ideologies of Islamist terrorists groups and white supremacists are worth deconstructing, part of their rise can also be explained by how they prey on loneliness, depression and isolation. In men, especially, our failure to address mental health can have dangerous effects.
Research by Beyond Blue, an Australian mental health organization, found that 25 per cent of men felt they don’t have anyone outside of their immediate family to talk to; 41 per cent reported having one or two to talk to.
Jesse Hayman, director men’s health promotions at Movember, told me, “If the first time a man is speaking about a mental health situation is with their doctor, then we’ve done something wrong.” Experts find that social connectedness is not something men value. Cultural maxims on what “real men” do (and don’t do, e.g,, cry ) then reinforce male isolation.
Isolated in the three-dimensional world, vulnerable men are finding digital spaces ready to exploit that vulnerability. The new vogue for ultra-right-wing conservatism is the latest evolution of the Internet’s “manosphere.”’ This space comprises oft-overlapping Internet groups like men’s-right’s activists, pick-up artists, Gamergate’s misogynists and Reddit’s Red Pill.
After the election of Trump, analyst Siyanda Mohutsiwa tweeted: “If people followed the alt-right groups on Reddit, they would know that young white Americans were told to hide their support of Trump.”
The so-called alternative right aren’t the only ones to insist followers keep a strict, potentially alienting divide between their public and political lives. As part of their recruiting plan, Daesh — commonly called ISIS — encourages recruits to live parallel lives. Most of the group’s recruits are young and male. The group advises converts from the West to keep their new identities quiet lest they be suspected of radicalization.
Both online predators and cults use this method of asking others to be silent in their deceit. Still, this is little comfort for friends and family who suddenly find a man in their life is espousing hateful views.
Extremist groups offer a sense of belonging, community and purpose that belies their regressive and violent philosophies. It’s an especially alluring offer for men who suffer silently with mental health issues. And when it comes to male mental health, we have a fuzzy picture. We know, for example, that men commit 80 per cent of suicides but that their reported rates of depression do not correlate.
Predatory groups with violent ideologies are stepping in to fill this gap. With better diagnosis and treatment, we could pre-empt the troubling and isolating behaviours that, as we’re seeing, precede violent behaviours.`
Yes, I know white supremacy is a centuries-old ideology, but there is also more to the current manifestations than that. Sometimes when I have fought with them, it is clear some of them have pain, and I will be nice to them if I sense that, partially because I see hope in them, I am only an asshole to those I think are beyond redemption... even when one guy doxxed me and I doxxed him back, I found postings of him on other sites where he shared that he was shy, lonely, and feeling depressed.
Sometimes, though, I will suggest that maybe, maybe, they need to do something to heal: take a break from the Internet, get out somewhere, maybe even seek help... I am not insulting them, I think it will help them be happier, but they often take it as insulting. This is because it seems unacceptable for men to seek mental health help. It seems rather than get the help they need, they either reach for the bottle or some drugs, or nowadays go on the Internet (which can be just as addictive) and find these extremist ideologies. I find the "manosphere" is the worst for exploiting these vulnerable men, and that often a gateway to white supremacist groups.
So, we need to talk about mental health in men.