I read Als comments about international womens day, what a day of “celebration” it is, for women, and I look forward to international mens day…yehaa bring it on.

I just have some thoughts on some things I notice:

I’m a music nut, love videos of music. Ever noticed how many vids over the last few years depict women throwing stuff around rooms, or beating up on boys/men?

I did.

I like music TV, not a fan for regular TV, watch how the men get treated on some british soaps, and local ones.

The ads are shockers, leave the dead meat behind and get a younger one, look at the loveable dopes, but at least we are good with tools, we love them at christmas and birthdays, no jems or jewels, no overseas trips no flings on far off shores. Socks are good!

Yup TV has an off button…. thats why I’m typing.

OK schools, aren’t the girls doing well, great, good on them. Is as much done for boys?

I saw a shop in town with T shirts for girls/young women. Slogans like these:

Oh him he’s just a freind (weird I really like my woman freinds theyre lovely)
Boys are smelly
Wanted boyfreind,,,must have own car, credit card, boat, house, billionaires welcome.
Does all this give me the right to be the same in reverse?

Maybe someones getting their own back. But I see the faces of boys and young men look so…… hopeless or sad.

I hate this whole gender bashing /male bashing thing, what signals do these messages/ads send our boys and young men, no wonder suicides and crashes claim so many.
Our older men are struggling. We all understand that.
Equality is obviously good for everyone. freinds in the health sector report women working hard get the same stress problems as men have had for years when the men were the sole earner.

OK so we know all the work and research and retraining in NZ is in relation to mens violence only, not other sectors. Theres little info on violence against men.

Lots of people talk to me, I like people and talk to any one, and listen to anyone.
They ask me about stopping violence work too. They ask what I do.. whats happening for me in this area of life? I say I try to help guys get it together a bit. I think men are changing, i know we are. They ask about who goes there, I say anyone goes there, They ask what about people who are on the receiving end do guys get beat up?, and I say yup we help hurt men too, I don’t don’t know why violence against men is not reported, and why men don’t take protection orders out, maybe it isn’t easy to admit being mistreated, macho bullshit and shrug my shoulders. Protection from violence should be for all.

I notice this too when I get asked about family splits.
I still think that we should remember that it was said to me that the system of settling family separations is adversarial. That is, it pits one party against another. (came from a law person)
Heres why I think men need to be careful. Why I think we need to deal with our feelings with good support. Could it be that much of what is done is to set a man who is feeling vulnerable “off his centre” and “make him” appear “violent and angry” and that he “has a problem” so that evil man culture can be upheld. Its like theres an industry set up around family disputes, I hear stories from men which almost look like theyre being set up as villans.
Men have enjoyed a bad reputation perhaps, and our government mouth piece it almost appears, feeds that and spouts its view forth at six pm apparently reinforcing the negative image of men. This in a time when male role models are so needed.
This isn’t a conspiracy theory, more an unhappy set of circumstances. Men report and women i’ve spoken to report it is “EASY TO SET A GUY UP”
That is why it is so important not to hook into games and setups to remain calm if we can, so it’s important to look for the games, and not play them. To find some good support and deal with OUR anger, which is an ok way to feel, so we can be men, not be made to look like male demons in our dealings. That will take the toys away from those who espouse males as doers of brutality, and the opportunities to demonise men.

As I go through life i listen to people, I get requests for help from all members of society, and i am asked why doesn’t some one do what you do for men for us. I have to reply that everytime we try it gets shut down by lost momentum or interst in something else takes away the focus from your people.
It sort of gets left behind after the original yes lets do it energy.
That tells ya something.