Men's Positivity Thread

ancapailldorcha · 23-08-2014 8:41pm #1

So, I think we can all agree that the sexism and men’s rights threads make for less than pleasant reading. As a counterfoil to this, I thought a thread to highlight efforts to tackle men’s’ issues might be in order as well as collating posts regarding the positive aspects of being a man in today’s society.

To start with, I thought I’d being attention to the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). I saw various advertisements they’d placed at Chichester station today while on a day out.

THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST LIVING MISERABLY, or CALM, is a registered charity, which exists to prevent male suicide in the UK. Male suicide accounts for 77% of all suicides here and is now the single biggest cause of death in men aged 20 – 49 in England and Wales.

They have 2 websites both of which are linked below:

https://www.thecalmzone.net/
http://www.yearofthemale.com/

Bafucin · 24-08-2014 11:06pm

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

To start with, I thought I’d being attention to the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).

I want to do more than not live miserably I want to live merrily!

Great idea for a thread though and needed!

House of Blaze · 25-08-2014 12:09am

There's a web comic on there called "Uneploy-man" that is scarily accurate in depicting my life but funny enough to take my mind off it and reassuring at the same time!

Thanks op.

ancapailldorcha · 27-08-2014 1:24am

Just saw this ad for Cheerios in Canada:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GYxH2-WeZY

ancapailldorcha · 15-10-2014 6:22pm

Decent article from the Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/neil-boorman/male-gender-equality_b_3200745.html

eviltwin · 15-10-2014 6:47pm

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Decent article from the Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/neil-boorman/male-gender-equality_b_3200745.html

Great article but one bit of it jumps out for me "I know men that would love to go down on their girlfriends but can't, for fear that their mates will find out and call them a 'pussy'." :eek:

All I can say is Amen for Irish guys who have no problems with this at all

ancapailldorcha · 15-10-2014 11:39pm

eviltwin wrote: »

Great article but one bit of it jumps out for me "I know men that would love to go down on their girlfriends but can't, for fear that their mates will find out and call them a 'pussy'." :eek:

All I can say is Amen for Irish guys who have no problems with this at all

I never thought that this would be considered unmanly.

kiffer · 16-10-2014 2:47am

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I never thought that this would be considered unmanly.

I can't understand it either... without going into details, those lads are missing out.
"I don't want to do a thing that I want to do in case it's unmanly" is a pretty unmanly thing.
Dance, be free and feck the begrudgers.

Mackman · 16-10-2014 7:40am

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I never thought that this would be considered unmanly.

Quite the opposite, one of the manliest things one can do.

FactCheck · 16-10-2014 3:44pm

This rather lovely ad brightened up my evening the other night. It made a pleasant change from watching people eat each other on the Walking Dead!

ancapailldorcha · 16-10-2014 3:53pm

FactCheck wrote: »

This rather lovely ad brightened up my evening the other night. It made a pleasant change from watching people eat each other on the Walking Dead!

How did I forget to link that?

Thanks!

iwantmydinner · 16-10-2014 4:04pm

FactCheck wrote: »

This rather lovely ad brightened up my evening the other night. It made a pleasant change from watching people eat each other on the Walking Dead!

Oh my god that's so lovely

ancapailldorcha · 18-10-2014 1:20pm

Decent piece from Robert Webb in the New Statesman:

http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2014/10/how-not-be-boy-robert-webb-growing-and-losing-parent

Pug160 · 18-10-2014 5:25pm

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

So, I think we can all agree that the sexism and men’s rights threads make for less than pleasant reading. As a counterfoil to this, I thought a thread to highlight efforts to tackle men’s’ issues might be in order as well as collating posts regarding the positive aspects of being a man in today’s society.

To start with, I thought I’d being attention to the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). I saw various advertisements they’d placed at Chichester station today while on a day out.

They have 2 websites both of which are linked below:

https://www.thecalmzone.net/
http://www.yearofthemale.com/

I like the idea of it but it sounds slightly comical for some reason. I just have this vision of Victor Meldrew type people when I read that, rather than genuinely depressed people.

ancapailldorcha · 03-11-2014 11:57pm

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/daniel-radcliffe-on-the-unhealthy-stigma-of-male-vulnerability-we-should-be-able-to-be-hurt-or-worried-and-it-not-be-viewed-as-weak-9825836.html

ancapailldorcha · 15-12-2014 10:08am

MOD Snip - wrong thread

ancapailldorcha · 25-01-2015 3:03pm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/17/why-dads-are-important_n_5951948.html?utm_hp_ref=hpmasculinity

iptba · 15-02-2015 6:17am

Here's an unselfish father

Kingston girl gets liver from dad in Toronto Sick Kids operation

Michael Wagner, father who donated part of liver to Phuoc, adopted daughter from Vietnam, also doing well after surgery

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/02/12/kingston-girl-gets-liver-from-dad-in-toronto-sick-kids-operation.html

ancapailldorcha · 17-02-2015 5:39pm

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/britains-first-small-penis-party-to-encourage-positive-body-image-for-men-10051702.html

iptba · 17-02-2015 9:42pm

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/britains-first-small-penis-party-to-encourage-positive-body-image-for-men-10051702.html

I have to congratulate that man for speaking out - quite brave (or "took a lot of balls" as the phrase goes!).

December2012 · 17-02-2015 11:11pm

FactCheck wrote: »

This rather lovely ad brightened up my evening the other night. It made a pleasant change from watching people eat each other on the Walking Dead!

Aaaand I'm crying!

ancapailldorcha · 23-02-2015 7:30pm

ancapailldorcha · 04-03-2015 1:29pm

Piece in the Telegraph about a Facebook group, "Men are good".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/11448778/Men-Are-Good-the-Facebook-group-that-says-men-arent-all-bad.html

ancapailldorcha · 05-03-2015 11:40pm

http://bewildereddad.com/2015/03/01/dear-mr-heinz-i-am-not-a-mum/

ancapailldorcha · 10-03-2015 11:35am

http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/19-things-dads-wont-see-popular-culture-kt/

D'Agger · 10-03-2015 11:54am

If this isn't positive then I don't know what is, I'd be happy to make it to that age, never mind exercising or pushing myself to my limits still

95 year old man breaks 200m world record

BD45 · 10-03-2015 3:40pm

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Piece in the Telegraph about a Facebook group, "Men are good".

Sad that facebook group even exists in the first place.

ancapailldorcha · 10-03-2015 11:17pm

http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/she-said/2014/apr/27/the-kindness-of-the-muslim-men-who-helped-me-leave-behind-my-miserable-marriage

ancapailldorcha · 11-03-2015 1:03pm

http://msmagazine.com/blog/2015/03/10/we-heart-ashton-kutchers-crusade-for-diaper-changing-tables-in-mens-restrooms/

D'Agger · 11-03-2015 1:59pm

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

http://msmagazine.com/blog/2015/03/10/we-heart-ashton-kutchers-crusade-for-diaper-changing-tables-in-mens-restrooms/

Fair dues to Kutcher, I'm fairly certain Ireland is pretty okay for having changing rooms rather than having the facilities in the mens or womens bathrooms - giving it a specific room of it's own. That said it's not something I've noticed too much barring one or two shopping centres I've seen them in.

ancapailldorcha · 11-03-2015 8:23pm

D'Agger wrote: »

Fair dues to Kutcher, I'm fairly certain Ireland is pretty okay for having changing rooms rather than having the facilities in the mens or womens bathrooms - giving it a specific room of it's own. That said it's not something I've noticed too much barring one or two shopping centres I've seen them in.

He gave a very good speech encouraging young people to read more at the MTV Teen something awards. I'm not sure how far you'd have to go in Western countries but it's nice someone's trying to catalyse change.

FactCheck · 07-04-2015 11:28am

"This Is What It Looks Like When Men Are Allowed To Take 480 Days Of Paternity Leave"

In his photo series Swedish Dads, Johan Bävman documents men who take advantage of Sweden’s comparatively generous paternity-leave legislation to spend more time with their babies than the average father.

Some great photos here. I thought people might be interested considering the UK has just introduced something similar and there is talk of the same in Ireland.

Possibly my favourite thing about the pictures is the fact that he has managed to square the circle so to speak in portraying the dads as competent without romanticising the work of childrearing. I mean, too often we see lazy cliches that show dads as incapable of performing the most basic childcare tasks. That's rubbish, of course. But a rosy, soft-lensed version of parenthood that only shows the glowing Kodak moments is just as inaccurate and in its own way, it's just as patronising to pretend all fathering is easy and rewarding as it is to portray it as chaotic and incompetent. The photos manage to capture the effort and tiredness and the craziness of toddlers, alongside the funniness and the cuteness and the beauty that comes too.

I also like the way he manages to bring out the way the dads come from all walks of life, with different levels of education, careers, race, you name it. I think you can tell the big personality differences too. It's refreshing to see so many different ways to be a good dad, and an involved dad.