Vermischtes vom 19. November 2016

1. Häusliche Gewalt gegen Männer ist weit verbreitet aber stigmatisiert berichtet der FOCUS. Eine minimal andere Fassung desselben Artikels findet sich in der WELT.



2. Bundesjustizminister Heiko Maas (SPD) stellt klar, dass es bei seinem Kampf gegen angebliche "Hate Speech" über das Strafrecht hinausgehe, da man in der gebotenen Eile, wenn es darum geht, Kommentare zu löschen, ohnehin nicht deren Strafbarkeit abschätzen könne. Rhetorisch bedient sich Maas dann aber doch wieder an den geltenden Gesetzen, wenn er die Platitüde, das Internet sei schließlich "kein rechtsfreier Raum" wieder aufwärmt. Maas fordert eine Regulierung von Facebook analog zu den Rundfunkanstalten.

Die CSU-Abgeordnete Katrin Albsteiger kommentiert Maas Position auf Facebook so:

Wenn der Justizminister glaubt, dass andere Meinungen einfach zu löschen sind, ohne zu prüfen ob ein Gesetzesverstoß vorliegt, muss man sich fragen welches Verhältnis hier zur Meinungsfreiheit herrscht. Es stellt sich die Frage, was kommt danach? Kritik am Willy-Brandt-Haus, bricht demnächst ein SEK durch meine Wohnungstür weil ich nach wie vor nicht gendere?

3. Die Neue Zürcher Zeitung blickt auf die Wahlniederlage Hillary Clintons und deren Ursachen zurück:

So erweist sich auch die Sexismusdebatte im Rückblick als Diskurs der Abgehobenen; oder muss so gewirkt haben in den Augen vieler. Geführt von Frauen, die es sich leisten können, keine anderen Probleme zu haben. Während diese Frauen sich auf dem Sofa oder vor dem Bildschirm überlegten, was für sie nicht okay ist – ein anzüglicher Blick, ein unflätiges Kompliment, was sie der Welt via Twitter mitteilten –, tippten die anderen im Walmart an der Kasse, putzten die Spiegelschränke der Etablierten oder übergaben ihr Kind ihrem Mann, als sie dessen Schicht in der Fabrik übernahmen.

4. Der US-amerikanischen Universität Cornell wird wegen Einseitigkeit beim Vorgehen gegen sexuelle Gewalt verklagt:

The lawsuit states that two students — referred to as John Doe and Jane Roe — accused each other of sexual assault and says the University opened investigations into both complaints.

However, according to the lawyer behind the suit, Alan Sash, Cornell’s investigators only considered Roe’s complaint and ignored Doe’s on the basis of his gender.

(...) "Cornell has given us a revolving door of excuses as to why it won’t investigate our complaint," Sash said. "That’s unacceptable. If Cornell is serious about tackling sex discrimination, then it must investigate all complaints even if it means investigating people on the payroll."

5. In deutschen Medien ist der heutige Internationale Tag des Mannes nach wie vor kein Thema. "Männer, hihi. Haben die auch was zu melden?" scheint in deutschen Redaktionsstuben das heimliche Motto zu sein. Außerhalb der muffigen Siebziger-Jahre-Provinzialität der hiesigen Geschlechterdebatte sieht es etwas besser aus. Einige ausgewählte Artikel:

Ten Reasons We Should Be Celebrating International Men's Day nennt Glen Poole im britischen Telegraph. Darunter: Wenn wir diesen Tag feiern, dann gehen die wütenden Männerrechtler nicht auf die Straße.

Martin Daubney, britischer "Botschafter" für den Weltmännertag, befindet:

True to form, an army of highly-unoriginal "wits" – including some of our elected MPs – will predictably tweet, scoff and sneer: "Hang on, isn’t every day International Men’s Day?!!!"

(...) I usually reply with something like: "Not every day is International Men’s Day. But today – and every other day of the year – 12 British men will commit suicide, 31 men will die of prostate cancer and 3,000 men will sleep rough. Hilarious, isn’t it?"

I’ll also point out that British boys are now behind at every educational level, that men in their 20s now earn less than women – a new gender pay gap that can only widen, as boys born in 2016 are 75% less likely to go to university than girls.

(...) You have to prove men and boys suffer, because most people simply don’t believe it. Why is this? Is it a basic ignorance of men’s issues? Or is it something more sinister?

Certainly, the prevailing attitude among liberal, Left-leaning, academics, feminists and most people educated in universities this side of the millennium, is that men in general cannot have problems, because a minority of high-profile men enjoy immense privilege or power.

It’s sometimes called the apex fallacy: you focus on the top 1% of the world – such as MPs and CEOs, many of whom happen to be male – then dismiss problems that blight the rest of the males, especially those at the bottom. These include the men who make up at least 71% of the homeless, 95% of our prison population and 97% of workplace fatalities.

Robert Whitley, kanadischer Professor für Psychologie fordert, dass man sich endlich auch um die Benachteiligung von Männern kümmern solle:

November 19 is International Men's Day. This is a time to focus attention on problems disproportionately experienced by some groups of men. Many of these problems (or "gender gaps," as they are known in sociology) are unknown to the general public, and some are quietly worsening under the radar of society.

(...) There is a belief, especially prevalent among academics, that certain groups of men are running society for their own benefit. However the statistics may tell a different tale. The government, as well as society, has a duty to take action to help disenfranchised men. Canada has a minister for the status of women, whose job is to take measures to improve the lives of Canadian women.

Is it time for a minister for the status of disenfranchised men and boys -- aboriginal, French-Canadian and otherwise? Should the inquiry into missing aboriginal women be expanded to include missing aboriginal men? What other reforms are necessary to advance the mental health and well-being of Canadian men who may slip through the cracks?

International Men's Day is an opportune time to ask left-field questions and contemplate unorthodox answers. This can lead to concrete action that improves the lives of disenfranchised men, their families and society as a whole. Ignoring the issue is not an option.

Mehrere Artikel argumentieren, dass auch Feministinnen diesen Tag unterstützen (sollten). So etwa Patricia Kozicka in den kanadischen Global News und Daisy Wyatt in den iNews. Auch Yvette Caster fordert Feministinnen auf, nicht länger "herumzumeckern", sondern sich an der jährlichen Feier von Jungen und Männern zu beteiligen.

Die Wirklichkeit sieht anders aus. Melanie Ehrenkranz hat eine Reihe von Tweets zusammengestellt, mit denen Netzfeministinnen gegen den Männertag anätzen. Dabei können sich diese Frauen der Mischung aus Männerfeindlichkeit und Unwissen über Männerprobleme in der Gesamtgesellschaft sicher sein. Bezeichnend hierfür sind verschiedene Statements, die von ganz unterschiedlichen Menschen zu der Frage gesammelt wurden, was es im Jahr 2016 bedeute, ein Mann zu sein:

It means realising that even though not all men are rapists, most women know someone in their immediate circle of friends who has been a victim of rape.

Yes, we have higher suicide rates and get screwed by divorce law but to argue that being a man is in any way a raw deal in life is utter fantasy. The difference in 2016, is that if you try to do anything to address this issue and tilt the scales towards equality for women, then misogynists, or men’s rights advocates as they’re known nowadays, will hurl hurtful words like "Cuck" at you from behind anonymous social media accounts, which is simply devastating.

What you should know about being a man in 2016: Research consistently, frequently and rather predictably shows a threesome with two women is most likely to be their favourite sexual fantasy.

In reality every day is international men’s day, so men moaning about not having a voice is farcical, patronising and demeans the fight for gender equality. (...) As far as I’m concerned I don’t need a man day to celebrate what I do every day, I know that society treats me better as a man and gives me more life chances, but as an Asian man if tomorrow someone set up an International White Person’s day because they thought the black community had made too many gains at their expense, there quite rightly would be an outcry so why not on this issue.

This is the year I shut up and listened.

Being a man in 2016 is like being a human generally, but even more embarrassing. So many men are doing and getting away with terrible things, as always, and the American election had all kinds of gender implications and double standards.

Being a man in 2016 is easy. As easy as it’s ever been. The world remains stacked in our favour. If anything it’s going backwards. Trump openly boasts of groping women and gets elected president. Women still can’t drive in Saudi Arabia. Any man who tells you his life is hard by virtue of the fact he’s a man is clearly an idiot.

Die Huffington Post walzt den feindseligen Widerstand gegen einen Internationalen Männertag zu einem kompletten Artikel aus. Da dieser Beitrag ein Musterbeispiel dafür ist, wie Männeranliegen rhetorisch unsichtbar gemacht werde sollen, zitiere ich ihn im Volltext:

When I read the founding principle of International Men’s Day (Saturday 19 November) I thought it was some kind of ridiculous joke. After all, highlighting ‘the achievements of men’ doesn’t just happen just once a year - it happens every single day.

Let’s be clear, we need International Women’s Day because women are still largely unrecognised. Consider the facts. In the UK workplace, there are only seven female CEOs on boards of the FTSE 100. On average, women working full-time are still paid 81p to every £1 earned by a man - 46 years after the introduction of the Equal Pay Act. At this rate, recent estimates say that it till take almost a century from the date the act was enacted to finally achieve equal pay. According to KPMG, the main reason for this pay gap is still sex discrimination. In the creative world, 80% of women’s art is not on display. If Parliament were to be stripped of men, it would leave only leave 30% of people sitting. These are big issues, and I could go on.

Some people have had enough. For the last 11 years, women in Iceland have been walking out of work on 24th October at 14.38, the time they should leave every day if they were to be paid the same hourly-rate as their male counterparts. We’ve seen a recent wave of action from our other European neighbours with French women walking out of work on 7th November, the day they effectively stop getting paid. But we saw something quite encouraging at the Musee d’Orsay, men and women standing together to highlight the disparity in pay between their sexes. Vive la revolution.

You get the point. It’s blindingly obvious that more work needs to be done for women, rather than their male counterparts. The balance of power is overwhelmingly held by men.

Of course, the men’s health issues International Men’s Day seeks to draw attention to are highly worthwhile, such as male suicide for this year. But there seems to be some duplication and confusion here. We have certain days focused on specific health issues, or dates to remember key moments in history - so why dilute them? World Suicide Prevention Day exists and it’s crucially important for us to shine a light on this topic alone. At present, it seems that International Men’s Day is simply trying to shoe-horn itself into other significant issues in an attempt to justify its existence.

There is a darker side to this too as I’ve seen little evidence to suggest that the day isn’t just a form of modern sexism. Has the day been simply designed by people who consciously or unconsciously object to women achieving equality? What exactly it is that we are striving for here? Admittedly, there are a few male gender stereotypes that still need work, such as better acceptance of parental leave, or homophobic bullying found in lad culture. Would it not be better to be tackling specific issues like these?

One of the stated intentions of International Men’s Day is to improve gender relations and equality between men and women. If that is the case, surely the best way to do this is to get involved in International Women’s Day, as the staff from the Musee d’Orsay have done. And that means all of us. Just because men probably have not directly felt the effects of gender imbalance, it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t stand up for their wives, daughters, mothers and the other significant women in their lives.

But maybe this is the issue. How can a section of society apparently strive for self-promotion when they themselves have probably been lucky enough not to be familiar with the effects of gender inequality? The solution is pretty simple; let’s look at the facts and open our eyes. There is very little to be gained from International Men’s Day that cannot be found elsewhere. With energy wasted on a day such as this, we drive attention away from the long-term gender disparity still overwhelmingly suffered by women. It is they who still acutely feel the effects of a largely imbalanced world.

International Women’s Day is on 8th March, and it’s a date for all our diaries.

Einige Artikel weisen darauf hin, dass der Schwerpunkt des diesjährigen Weltmännertages auf dem Thema "Selbstmord" liegt:

Globally, the rate of suicide is also alarmingly high, particularly in men. 510.000 men die from suicide worldwide each year. That's one every minute.

In einer Pressemitteilung der südafrikanischen Commission for Gender Equality heißt es hierzu:

On 19 November 2016 the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) will be joining hands with South African men as well as with men representing more than 60 Countries to celebrate International Men's Day under the theme "Stop Male Suicide".

(...) The Commission for Gender Equality calls for men to "speak out" about the challenges they face in life. The voices of men should be heard, their positive role and contributions in our society must be recognized, men are humans who must be affirmed and accorded an opportunity to learn from various experiences. Men must be encouraged to deal with mental challenges that tend to result in suicide. The CGE is also cognizant of the fact that patriarchal upbringing has killed the softer side in men to engage on crucial issues as consequence die in silence. CGE is encouraging men to talk about suicide as help is always available.

In addition, any marginalisation of men could also have a ripple effect on the boy child who could assume suicide is the only solution when faced with challenges or difficulties. Therefore, society needs to embrace men, recognize their value, understand their needs and make an effort to both support them in realizing that they are an important component in the home, in society, in the world and have a meaningful role to play. Therefore, suicide is not an option.

In a society where the stereotype exists that "men don't cry "has resulted in circumstances where men have been subjected to ridicule when they talk about domestic abuse and sexual violence in their homes. Due to some of these constraints many men have either continued or worse perished in silence. The CGE is of the view that platforms should be created for men and their diversity of viewpoints to engage on various topical issues in order to help address suicidal tendencies. We also call upon the police to be sensitive to men when they report issues of abuse instead of laughing or mocking them.

Die Times of India stellt fest, dass das Thema Männerrechte vernachlässigt wird:

Men’s right activists across the country observe this day as "Diwali" for Men. In present regime of enlightened activism and women empowerment, focus on human rights has been shifted to women’s right. Male role in highlighting the agony of women can never be ignored, however, here lies a catch where gender issues of women have been highlighted with utmost importance "Men’s rights" is subjugated.

A popular canard "men cannot be violated" and even if it’s assumed to be true it rarely happens. This theory is strongly imbibed in the society that voice of male victim is largely ignored. Indian Society has undergone serious metamorphosis. The male role is often maligned in the garb of patriarchy has left male issues subject to denial. The sensitization on female issues has government backing in edifying the society. Discomfiture of men is left unheard.

(...) As per UN survey, India is the world’s numero uno in the suicide of men and 5th highest state as per suicide rate. The exodus of male suicide is obstreperous leaving suicide note every 6 min in the nation. Married men’s progression to suicide has been exponential in past decade and has grossed to a whopping rate of a suicide every 8 min.

(...) The sexual exploitation of men/male child has no takers either. Where a sexual violation of men cannot be challenged in the court of law as it does not have a provision, so are the cases of cruelty by wife on husband and domestic violence by women on men. Studies of women and child welfare ministry and UN both establish that sexual violation of the male child is 15% higher than the female child. 70% children fail to express their melancholy out of fear or embarrassment.

(...) The gender discrimination in offering resources for facilitating the right to education is evident. International labor organization has shared statistics with dismal implantation of labor laws and 60% male child are engrossed in hazardous jobs.

(...) "Men’s right are human rights" and marginalization of men can be addressed with equal sensitivity if not less as women issues. A government initiative of men’s ministry is a decade old demand, however, apathy towards male issues has not benefited the cause. This International "Men’s day" let’s raise a pledge, "Why not empower Men?"

Ein weiterer Beitrag der Times of India fasst die politischen Forderungen von Männern zusammen.