Is this a coincidence or what? In the US, one of the tenets of the anti-woke movement is that men (especially white ones) are being picked on and denied their natural place in the world or at least the US). This day counters that supposition as inaccurate.
The below is directly from the webpage:
“Every year on 19th November, International Men’s Day (IMD) is celebrated across the world.
Many people will be left wondering why men need an awareness day when every day could be considered male-dominated. Official days tend to acknowledge the ‘underdog’, and so this November celebration continues to raise an eyebrow.
In this article, we explore how IMD is representative of the need to extend empathy to those who appear to need it least. We ask why it is that boys are struggling academically, prisons are full of men and the most common cause of death for men under 50 is suicide. We consider that IMD is not about ‘othering’ women and justifying misogyny but is more about a celebration of male diversity, giving vulnerable men choice and positive hope for the future.
History
International Men’s Day appears to have been conceived in the 1990s by an American men’s rights activist, Thomas Oaster. With West Indies professor Dr Jerome Teelucksingh choosing the date in 1999 to encourage people to raise issues that affect boys and men.
IMD received massive support in its early years in the Caribbean. Due to its persistent connectivity, International Men’s Day has entered the mainstream.
The controversy
Isn’t every day International Men’s Day?
Why do we need an International Men’s Day? For some, celebrating the notion of ‘man’ which has dominated the socio-economic-political narrative for hundreds of years, leaves a sour taste.
One of the main sources of controversy is around International Women’s Day (IWD). IWD marked since 1911, is a global day to celebrate women’s emancipation and draw attention to the barriers still faced by women all over the world.
However, IMD is not intended to compete with International Women’s Day and there are some major objectives behind having a day dedicated to men’s issues. It’s clear that the modern male, and the notion of ‘man’, is struggling and the reality is startling:
- 3 out of 4 suicides are men
- 2 out of 3 violent deaths are men
- Men die 6 years younger than women on average
- Boys underperform girls at every stage of education
- Single fathers who want to be more involved in their children’s lives face a range of barriers
International Men’s Day is marked to focus on the health and well-being of men, promote gender equality, celebrate the positive contributions of men towards society and promote and encourage positive male role models to create a better and safer place for everyone.
Arguably it’s harder for men to be vulnerable because that is acting outside their prescribed gender role. If International Women’s Day is to celebrate women’s success in the face of sexism, IMD can celebrate men challenging stereotype threat. Men have parenting rights, do suffer domestic abuse and do have unmet mental health needs. They are just as lonely, just as vulnerable, but far less likely to admit it and seek help.
IMD aims to open the conversation, break down toxic forms of masculinity and reminds us all that men don’t have to be imprisoned by stereotypes.
‘Man’ is not binary
Men, like women, are diverse. Gender fluidity challenges more and more the very notion of binary gender divisions and what a ‘man’ is supposed to be.
IMD is an opportunity to celebrate differences rather than demonising them, and a quick look at social media shows waves of people acknowledging and championing people who are driven to make man a more inclusive category and who “fight against toxic gender norms’.
Rejecting hypermasculinity and celebrating gay and bisexual men, transgender, transmasculine or masculine non-binary people is an important theme of the day. IMD celebrates male diversity and is an opportunity to promote alternative, kinder, more liberated versions of masculinity that can act as genuine role models for young boys to aspire to.”
From National Have Bad Day:
We are celebrating Have A Bad Day Day on November 19. The day provides the ideal opportunity for those who must wish others a happy day while having a bad day themselves. The idea behind the day is that people do not have to mask their actual feelings and embrace the truth. It is also a glorious day for pranksters to confuse others by wishing them a bad day. It is a major day for people in customer service to showcase their true emotions to their customers, who are just used to seeing happy faces. Just remember to be aware of who can handle such a greeting and who can’t!
How does the support or office staff really feel about the boss? Are you the all round nice guy or gal you thought you were?
From Bobby Burns, To a Louse (but could also apply to us )
O wad some Pow’r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae mony a blunder free us,
An’ foolish notion:
What airs in dress an’ gait wad lea’e us,
An’ ev’n devotion!
The standard English translation:
And would some Power the small gift give us
To see ourselves as others see us!
It would from many a blunder free us,
And foolish notion:
What airs in dress and gait would leave us,
And even devotion!
e-Quips 