432 suicide V 399 road deaths

fly_agaric

pH wrote:

Breast cancer accounts for about 650 deaths in Ireland per year, more than road deaths.

I'm all for us stopping drunk and dangerous drivers killing others on our roads, but why should someone be punished for not wearing a seatbelt (for their own good) and yet women are free to choose whether or not they have a regular mammogram.

Surely any argument that could be made for me being a criminal for not wearing a seatbelt could equally be made for any woman who has not had a recent breast screening?

Interesting argument.:)
Only thing is, while seatbelts are fitted as standard to every crappy little jalopey in the country, there isn't a free nationwide brestscreening program yet AFAIK.
Also, in fairness, pulling a belt over your chest is still easier than going to a doctor to get some of your intimates checked.

Sleepy

Never mind the fact that by not wearing a seatbelt you can put other's lives at risk, particularly if you're in the back seat...

Rebeller

gurramok wrote:

Strange that this is not mentioned in the media and that there are no hard stats as to why people take their lives whether its drug abuse, depression, financial problems etc

There is no single answer as to why people take their own lives. It will never be possible to categorise the reasons for suicide as only the person who takes the fatal decision to end their own life can really know the real reasons.

Personally, I feel that the changing role of men in society is definitely a factor. What is interesting is that any time issues that particularly affect men are highlighted (suicide, greater likelihood of being the victom of violent assault) certain women feel it is important to prevent any possiblility of men being seen as victims. These women seem to believe that the role of victimhood can only be played by the female gender.

Any suggestion that particularly male issues should be addressed with the same level of concern as that, rightly, shown for issues affecting women is met with the usual ridicule:

1) The male gender is inherently flawed; men should be conditioned to become more like women so that all society's problems can be solved:
2) It is men's own fault alone for the issues facing them as they just don't complain enough:
3) Ah sure, men have a great life. Why do they need help when women are still suffering from discrimination and inequality?

While women have gained greater sense of self and identity through the struggles of the feminist movement, men's traditional roles in society have often been diminished and are now often denigrated. Girls better performance in the education system is often talked about in a triumphalist tone by certain commentators. You can almost spot a hint of glee as they list the ever increasing failures of male students.

However, it should perhaps be pointed out that educationalists believe that boys and girls learn in different ways. Our education system is now very exam orientated with heavy study being the primary guarantee of educational success. Girls tend to excel in this aspect of learning whereas the male brain tends to learn more easily in a more hands-on, practical environment. Our education system is tilted more in favour of the female learning processes with the result that boys do not perform as well as girls.

This is perhaps simplifying things a bit too much. However, tied in with this aspect of the system is the presence of a hardcore group of fanatics within the dept of ed who belive that gender is a purely learned trait and that there are no essential differences between male and female at birth (besides the obvious of course:D ) This group seems to believe that nurture rather than nature is what leads to distinctly male and female sociological characteristics.

Working from this premise they introduced "gender studies" as part of the second level curriculum with the purpose of reconditioning boys to be........more like girls. I can imagine being 15 and hearing that my sense of male identity is an artificial construct and I need to just start acting lke a girl to become a happier human being!! No wonder many men feel isolated and confused. No wonder some men sadly feel that suicide is the only solution.

True equality will only ever come through total acceptance of difference. There are many aspects of both the female and male genders that are positive, just as there are certain negative points.

Telling men that they should become more like women and "talk about their feelings more" is not going to reduce suicide and lead to greater societal and emotional stability. There is a belief that women are seen as better able to deal with emotional instability and trauma as they are more willing to "express their feelings" and talk to a friend about their problems. Men suffer because they keep it all inside.

You could take the view that women's "tell all" attitude is simply a form of stress relief. The old adage " a problem shared is a problem halved" has relevance here. Women are better able to offload their emotions on a willing listener which results in a certain amount of stress relief. Men are often seen as good listeners is this regard.

However, many women are unable to act as receivers themselves and will often be unsure of how to act when presented with a man who wishes to truly express his innermost fears and worries.

Essentially what I am saying is that both genders need to recognise that there are no winners in a competiton to see who is better deserving of the mantle of victim