Across the world, the suicide rate is 3x higher for men than women.**
Before we can talk, we cry.
It’s how we survive.
So, why do we tell boys to stop crying?
To harden up?
To grow a pair?
F**K That.
If you’re feeling down, speak up.
Because silence can kill.
It takes guts to show pain.
It takes a man to feel.
It takes balls to cry.
____
This is an ad for an Australian television series, Man Up, looking to tackle the male suicide epidemic.
It’s powerful, for sure. We need talk about the pressures we put on men to be strong by locking down their emotions but is it enough?
What will it really take to solve this problem?
Now accepting your submissions.
- Use this link.
- Tag your editor, if you’re already with GMP and have an editor.
- Tag Heather Gray, if you don’t already have an editor.
Talking Points and Questions to Consider:
- What was it like for you to watch this? What did you think? Feel?
- Was there a moment you thought to yourself “Yeah, but…”
- Did you think it was enough?
- Are there different roles for women and men in this conversation?
- How do you think women contribute to the message men hear when it comes to crying?
- Do women provide a safe place for men to express their most painful emotions?
- How do we raise boys that express their feelings freely?
- Is this something education systems should tackle? How?
- We need big picture, policy solutions, of course, but change always starts small.
- What are the regular, every day ways we can help men feel safe and accepted when they express emotions?
Change starts with a conversation. You’re up.
Research: The Guardian, Wikipedia
Photo: Screenshot