politics

Your misunderstanding is thinking everyone left of center wants to round up all the guns, ripping them from the hands of everyone who wont give them willingly. Anyone who has thought about it knows we cant get rid of every last gun and it would be a tireless effort, like the war on drugs, to try.

No, I only ask we do a better job at regulating these weapons. It is no small task and it will always come down to how well a job our local communities are doing. The real issue is just as the article states, people aren't getting the social services they need and are being driven into poverty by an oppressive work culture. There is no way any poor community can deal with these issues with everything else that's going on while having zero resources.

I hear what you are saying but I wouldn’t even say that line about if it were women it’d be a national crisis. Time has shown again and again that society will gladly throw away a group of people without needing to devalue your words with a statement like that.

Anyway there’s a lot of things to discuss around this.

We can dive into the societal role of men with being encouraged to bottle up because “grown men don’t cry” and toxic masculinity.

We can talk about rates of gun ownership between genders that is a big factor in suicide risk.

We can unpack the issue with people not having the money for mental health resources. Which can be solved through general wage increases or through the state.

The point is to say that instead of using a crisis to step another group of people we should be approaching these things from a point of intersectionality.

Edit: Just to be on topic I am completely for restrictions on guns as a easier means to dealing with shootings.

The crazy people shouting “dont take my guns” while also touting the line of “it’s a mental health isssue” without being open to addressing the that problem gets me so worked up.

54% of those deaths were suicides. 26,368.

Mental health for men? Silence.

There are people who advocate for "men's rights" things, but they're mostly conservatives, and they leave out the horrifying statistics about gun ownership among men because they're also in the pocket of the gun lobby.

It's a taboo subject even amongst family members of those affected to talk about the role of firearms in suicide.

The reality is that gun ownership can turn a bad, lonely night into a person's last one by pure virtue of the fact that it's so readily available, and so often deadly.

People aren't silent about men successfully committing suicide at a higher rate to women. You hear about it all the time. However, it isn't an issue about men being overlooked, like you imply. Women attempt suicide at a higher rate. Why didn't you discuss that? Is it being ignored?

The fact of the matter is suicide by firearm is the worst offender. Attempted suicide needs to be prevented for everyone equally, but firearm ownership should be more restricted, and there should also be tools out there to get your firearms away from you temporarily if you're feeling suicidal or depressed. Men are more likely to own firearms, which is the issue that needs addressing to fix the disparity, not men being ignored.

You were doing so well until you tried the "People care so much more about women's health! Pity me!" line.

Strange how Viagra is required to be covered by all insurance but birth control isn't. Whose priorities are privileged there?

it would be a national crisis. "Something would have to be done!"

People are already saying something has to be done because it is a national crisis. Toxic gun culture prevents any serious actions

Mental health is not considered enough in general. What makes you think it is worth for men?

Agreed. However, something has to be said for the fact that a lot of American society and economy has shifted value away from "dangerous" or otherwise physically demanding labor (e.g. coal mining, farm field work before automation) towards jobs that don't depend on how much muscle mass you have or other expressions of sex hormones. That value system was encoded into cultural norms and media, which, without the corresponding environment, just became a caricature.

The problem of focusing too much on the culture is that we miss what shaped it in the first place: a need to feel valued. If men aren't valued for their physique (or, to be frank, their biological expendability), then what's their value? The Left was too afraid of ruining their Feminist credibility to offer any serious solutions. Meanwhile, the Right leaned in to that caricature, and offered a solution full of misogyny and arrogance. When presented a choice between an awful solution and no solution, it's no wonder so many men fell prey to toxicity.

We need more non-toxic masculinity.

Well, hopefully you didn't get her beaten by an abusive spouse.

I have never eaten a cake that had "masculine features and designs"

Well said. We all spend a lot of time criticizing, and not enough time building up. Here are a few more (rather heavily paraphrased) ways to be a good person that I feel strongly about:

Admire people who recognize their insufficiency, mourn, show humility, seek justice, are merciful, have a pure heart, work for peace, or are oppressed for doing the right thing.

Understand you're incapable of perfection, and so is everybody else.

If you're angry with someone, call them an idiot, or curse them, beware of the consequences.

Settle conflict with others quickly before it escalates.

Be faithful to all your vows in both thought and action.

Resist the urge for vengeance; flip the script by going above and beyond for those who take advantage of you.

Give to those who ask for help or want to borrow what you have.

Stand out from the crowd by showing kindness and compassion to those who hate you.