People are Not Disposable

People are not disposable.

The first time I heard this: The disposability of men, I thought there must be a disconnect. Men are not disposable. It was just after I had joined The Good Men Project. I decided to go to the Social Interest Group on this topic. There I heard another word, “commoditization.” People being considered as any other commodity — hammer, tractor, paint, screwdriver, and, well, you get the picture.

The tradition of abuse.

That’s when I learned that those who ran this country do so not by consent, but by money. They come from a long, long line of conquers, colonizers and oligarchs who saw/see everyone, including rivals, as a means to their end: personal obscene wealth.

And so it became the norm as established in ancient times, conquer a people, take away all they hold dear, and subjugate them to a life of servitude, whether in actual or proverbial chains, called work. When these subjugated people no longer were able to fill the need, conquer another people, and repeat.

Inequality draws the lines.

Lest the lesson is lost on who works for whom, the oligarchs made sure the lines were clear. Racism, Sexism, Misogyny, White Supremacy became mainstream. A good day’s work for fair pay, a living wage, as touted by the Unions, which were not without problems, had it’s heyday in the 70’s. Now, unions busted, pay is dropping as jobs are declining, and living expenses are rising. What to do?

Numb the pain with entertainment — violent sports.

Nothing brings men together like a beer party and a violent sport on TV or in a stadium or arena. After a long week of frustration and work and kids and family, it’s definitely time to kick back and… watch other guys take the hits while pouring the paycheck back into the pockets of the very system that put it there in the first place.

Our Brain Injury Crisis.

This country, the only country, has accepted, participated, and encouraged our best and brightest young men and women to sacrifice their brains for a couple of hours of entertainment. For the glory of football, soccer, wrestling, hockey, boxing, bronc-riding, and war, we look the other way as our children and spouses sustain repetitive head hits, concussions, torn muscles, and other injuries. Scholarships and the promise of money and fame drive the bus to brain injury and early death by body deterioration and/or suicide.

The contract: the normalization, even expectation, of sacrifice.

You’ve got something we want, we’ll pay you with fame and fortune and the caveat that we are absolutely not responsible for your life once you no longer make money for us.

The Result.

Players whose brains and bodies have not matured enough to play the sport safely, wind up sidelined for the rest of their life. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy – Mayo Clinic. Some of the possible signs and symptoms of CTE and may include:

Difficulty thinking (cognitive impairment)
Impulsive behavior.
Depression or apathy.
Short-term memory loss.
Difficulty planning and carrying out tasks (executive function)
Emotional instability.
Substance abuse.
Suicidal thoughts or behavior.

You, Me, and CTE: Monday nights, starting 5/7, and going through the summer. This is the link.

This series, presented by The Good Men Project and The Dr, Vibe Show, will highlight the lives and the pain of people and families dealing with CTE and Traumatic Brain Injuries. You will hear first hand how people must fight for their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Once CTE takes hold of a brain, there is no going back to “normal” at this time. There are only therapies that can provide a quality of life. You will hear the struggle of parents, the breakthroughs from researchers, and athletes that have played the game and are suffering the after effects.

Join us! It may be the best thing you can do for your family.

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