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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

IN HONOR OF HEROES

THE SACRIFICE OF 19 FIREFIGHTERS IN THE ARIZONA FIRES - IN A CULTURE THAT DENIGRATES MEN AND MASCULINITY

 
By Tracy W.

At a time when popular media treats men with contempt and ridicule, and when our culture undermines their dignity as fathers and husbands, it takes a tragedy to remind us that it is men who still bear the burden of  the most risky and the most physically demanding jobs in society, often placing their health and their very lives at risk.

 
 
The recent sacrifice of 19 men fighting an out-of-control fire in Arizona to protect their neighbors' property is only one example.  Although they are called heroes today, people do not put their act of heroism in a proper social context.
 
Men constituted the majority of first responders killed in the collapse of the WTC Twin Towers in NYC.  And it was mostly men who did the cleanup in that toxic environment, and who were subsequently treated with contempt by being denied proper medical care.
 
Men are the ones who are expected to go to war (when women do, it is out of their own volition).  War veterans who did not fall to enemy fire are now committing suicide at high rates due to insufficient medical care and to the abandonment by society and their own military. They often fall into states of homelessness, addiction and further sickness. 
 
If you look all around you in your neighborhood, it is men who do the hard work building homes in all kinds of weather.  It is men we call to do the dirty job of fixing our house plumbing issues.  It is men we expect to protect us in challenging situations, and to stand aside in favor of women and children when it comes to being rescued.
 
But our culture has declared war on men. It is destroying their psyche by denigrating them. This anti-men culture is affecting boys' achievement in schools and their masculine identity
 
The anti-gun campaign is being waged on all fronts, by disarming men and by stigmatizing boys who want to play with toy guns.  Boys have been suspended from school for even making a gesture with their fingers in the shape of a gun. 
 
We cannot have it both ways, by denigrating and ridiculing men and still expecting them to be heroes and do the hard work for us women.
 
 
REFERENCES
 

A tribute to the Arizona Hot Shot firefighters - http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2013/07/granite-mountain-hotshots/
 
National Geographic feature on elite Hot Shot firefighters - http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/07/130701-hotshot-granite-mountain-fire-firefighters-arizona-hotshots-19/

At the same time another large fire injured 11 firefighters in the UK - Staggering pictures of the conflagrationhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2352224/On-edge-Armageddon-Staggering-pictures-firefighters-battle-contain-6million-blaze-sparked-Chinese-lantern.html?ICO=most_read_module

First responders decry exclusion from 9/11 ceremony - http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/08/16/new.york.911.memorial/index.html

The connection between WTC air pollution in the aftermath of the attack and first responders' health problems. -
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2201044/Feds-acknowledge-link-9-11-aftermath-50-cancers.html
http://www.ibtimes.com/911-cancer-link-finally-recognized-funds-responders-and-volunteers-may-be-lacking-782075

Congress betrays sick heroes who toiled at WTC - http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/house-honor-congress-betrays-sick-heroes-toiled-wtc-article-1.465207

Thousands of WTC first responders claiming compensation subjected to humiliating FBI screening to determine whether they have ties to terror organizations !!! - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2201044/Feds-acknowledge-link-9-11-aftermath-50-cancers.html

February 2013 - Active duty military and veterans committing suicide at a rate of 22 a day -
http://www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2013/02/05/22-the-number-of-veterans-who-now-commit-suicide-every-day/

July 2, 2013 -  Veterans must navigate up to 613 forms and more than a dozen agencies to get benefits  - http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/07/02/study-finds-veterans-applying-for-benefits-face-as-many-as-613-forms-across-18/

Research determines that boys underachievement is due to negative stereotypes about males
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20130214/Research-determines-causes-of-boys-underachievement-at-school.aspx

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