Question: why is the most ‘privileged’ member of society, one of those most likely to kill themselves? It’s a question that will tie many in knots of outrage; spluttering nonsense as they blabber on about patriarchy backfiring, or toxic masculinity, or some meagre lip service about crying. So, again – why do men, especially white men and mixed raced men, who are unemployed, single and middle aged, choose to end their life at such high rates? Does it have something to do with the high and rigid expectations we place onto them? Or the fact there is virtually no empathy for ‘men’, and this is doubly so for those who are white. Goodness, just putting the words ‘white men’ and ‘suffering’ together, will make most people wince, wretch, scoff, or throb with anger. Maybe we’ve lost sight of the fact that the big bad super villain of the world, is not some inhuman monster... but just a man. Just another human; a squishy blob of flesh, vulnerable, sensitive, and scared, who is also riddled with stress, debt, relationship issues, loneliness, fear, self doubt, insecurity, sadness and countless other life problems. Is time we took this ‘man’ off the rack of public condemnation? To quit punishing him for the actions of his ancestors, and for things he literally never did? Take a step back. Perhaps it's time that we all looked in the mirror, and took a little bit of accountability for ones self? Maybe one finger, if just a pinky, ought to be pointed at our own reflection? Who knows. Is it time we stopped slathering men, especially those who are single, unemployed and white; with wicked words and silly names, to literally rebrand them as some kind of terrorist-in-waiting? These are good questions to chew on. So what is to be said about this wrung out man? Who sits at the bottom of the barrel of public compassion, brow beaten and hollow, amongst a mess that we say is of his own making. What do you think, is there any sympathy for the devil? ~ [1] Images by Ludvig Migneault, KiwiHug, Ray Zhou, Mitchell Lensink, Christopher Burns and Julian Wan Illustration by Alice Noir #suicideprevention #malesuicideawareness #mentalhealth

2023-03-11