Aussie comic launches “actual” men’s rights movement
Does Australia need a men's rights manifesto? The comic and author Ben Pobjie thinks we do, but says the current "men's rights" movement is letting men down.
Writing for Network Ten's 10 Daily website, Pobjie says:
"The idea of a movement that supports men in facing the challenges that affect them is actually a good one. Men have, of course, tended to hold the lion’s share of power and privilege in our society, but that doesn’t mean we don’t suffer from problems specific to, or disproportionately affecting, our gender -- and frequently those problems are all but ignored.
"I am a man, and I am a big fan of rights," explains Pobjie. "Men, in my opinion, should have rights".
Pobjie explains, however, that his own encounters with "Men’s Rights Activists" put him off "the Men’s Rights movement" and inspired him to launch his own alternative, that he calls the "Actual Men's Rights" movement, or AMR for short.
The mission of the AMR will be "to help men, promote awareness of and solutions to men’s issues, and fit into the space that the faux “Men’s Rights” movement should’ve been in".
The issues the AMR will focus on include "men’s health, both mental and physical; male suicide; male violence -- which men are most often the victims of; men’s safety at work -- men are overwhelmingly at greatest risk of dying at work; and the pressures that society places on men to conform to certain roles and stereotypes, just as it does to women".
Pobjie says AMR is:
- trying to make men's lives better
- inclusive of anyone who wants to address men's issues
- opposed to gender stereotyping
- a positive movement created to find solutions
- working to find better ways to improve men's lives
- a movement with a sense of humour
The comic and author - whose previous work includes the Book of Bloke - concludes his article with a rallying cry:
"What I want to do with AMR is reach out to men everywhere and say: you are not alone. Your struggles are my struggles, and your pain is my pain. Please let us work together to help ourselves, and each other."
TAKE ACTION FOR MEN'S HEALTH
- SUPPORT: Our Better4Men campaign (AMHF)
- JOIN: Become a member of the Australian Men's Health Forum (AMHF)
- DONATE: Make a donation to AMHF today (GiveNow)
- READ: We need a men's rights manifesto (Ben Pobjie)