Sorting out puzzle of male suicide

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 1/26/6 | Joan Ryan

[50sDad]

Check the other article on here about John Wayne being the "idol of American men". We stand at the far end of forty years of Feminists trying to geld men, to lie to us that "men are (or "should be") the same as women"), that little boys shouldn't "play with guns." We have told boys that the natural agression, the competitive nature, that is hard-wired into their brains is something to be ashamed of and should be changed. And we wonder why some of us can't keep up with the pressure of society's feminizing expectations?

Boys are boys. They are going to cuss, spit, and strut to impress the girls. The Hand of God or ten thousand years of evolution (your pick) has made them what they are. Try to teach them different, and reap the whirlwind.

[Kidan]

Ha! I love that!

My son loves his gun, he calls them his "pow-pows" and runs around the house going "Pow! Pow!"

In addition, my mom-in-law bought him two of the plastic lightsabers from Target or Wally-World, and when he gets those out he goes "I'm Darth Vader!"

[TRY ONE]

"Boys commit 86 percent of all adolescent suicides."

DUH!

Boys carry knives and other type things. Girls carry Mascara pencils!

[Tax-chick]

They all love Darth Vader - it's really amazing.

[Theoden]

I am nearly 21, and I still love Darth Vader =P

[Vaquero]

"In addition, my mom-in-law bought him two of the plastic lightsabers from Target or Wally-World, and when he gets those out he goes "I'm Darth Vader!" "

"I'm Dick Tracy, take that Pruneface, now I'm Pruneface, take that Dick Tracy, now I'm Prune-Tracy...take that Di....."

Little Ned Flanders from the Simpson episode 'Hurricane Neddy'

[Tax-chick]

He was great with James Earl Jones' voice.

[fr_freak]

Now we need to be explicit in teaching our boys that it is OK to be vulnerable and to ask for help. We need to give them the emotional language that does not come naturally to them.

This woman doesn't have a clue. This kind of de-masculinization of boys is already well underway, and probably a good part of the reason many boys (and men) kill themselves. Let boys be boys, dammit.

[Theoden]

Yes he was, and the dialog was better too. I did not care for Hayden Christiansen playing Darth Vader in the three newer movies. He is a terrible actor, and is not threatening at all. The original actor, David Proust, was much more commanding in the scenes, and was by far, the best Vader.

[RepoGirl]

I am nearly 21, and I still love Darth Vader =P

When Sith came out, I was in a Toys R Us with my daughter (she was maybe a year and a half then). When we passed the section where the Star Wars dolls -- I mean Action Figures -- were on display, she saw a gigantic Darth Vader mask that was suspended from the ceiling.

My little golden haired-cherub grinned, pointed, and in the loudest, most excited voice she could muster, yelled, "IT'S DADDY!"

She made her momma proud that day.

[Theoden]

LOL, that is so funny and cute at the same time. If I had seen that in person, I would have definitely been laughing out loud.

[rlmorel]

It is because liberalism would RATHER there be no men. To liberals, Testosterone is the root of all evils in the world.

Gary Aldrich put it well in his book "Unlimited Access", in which he describes the new Clinton White House (and I must paraphrase...)

"The women looked and acted like men, and the men were vaguely pear shaped..."

[rlmorel]

LOL! Yup...boys...:)

[lastchance]

I do think she has a point. We do need to let our children know ( both male and female) that there will be times in their lives when things just seem overwhelming and they may feel abandoned and alone in their struggles. We need to let them know we are always there for them and that admitting they can not handle problems by themselves is nothing to be ashamed of. We can tell them that depression is an illness and that letting someone now you are depressed is no different from telling someone you have the flu. I don't think it will weaken boys to encourage them to seek help when they need it. Maybe instead of sitting on a therapist couch it will be talking with a group of friends while shooting pool. But whatever works is fine with me.

[Tax-chick]

I agree. Christiansen had NO presence at all.

[rlmorel]

ROTFLMBO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rlmorel]

"Women live on average several years longer than men. That's fine with me, since I love women, but imagine if it was reversed. Feminists would walk around wearing buttons with the phrase "Six Years & Four Months" (or whatever) printed on them to constantly remind us of the "gender gap in life expectancy".

Wow. You hit that one squarely. To be fair, I do not begrudge any group banding together to make a point, lobby for funds, increase education and so on. That is the American way. But when emotionalism trumps logic and actual need in the decision making process (as in what is important and should have money and resources expended on it) as has happened with various issues, Everyone loses except the favored group.

[Frapster]

"So why aren't we asking what's wrong with a culture that drives boys, much more than girls, to take their own lives?"

Because it's pointless - no one will listen much less answer.

[PUGACHEV]

"Wanna bet it's the boost of hormones during the teen years?"

I can't say what it might be like growing up as a girl, but it's certainly true that growing up as a boy can be tough at times. Y.B. Yeats put it well in A Dialouge of Self and Soul:

Endure that toil of growing up; The ignominy of boyhood; the distress Of boyhood changing into man; The unfinished man and his pain Brought face to face with his own clumsiness; The finished man among his enemies

[GingisK]

I suspect if we undo the last few decades of Femanazi influence this problem would abate somewhat.