Weekly News Roundup Aug 12-18, 2023

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Men’s groups are embracing an alternative conception of American masculinity – Washington Post 
August 14, 2023
Suicide rates in the US continue to increase and in 2021, men in the US died by suicide four times more often than women. Isolation is one factor in men’s suicide, which is perpetuated by the pervasive cultural belief “that men should be self-reliant and hide their emotions, especially from other men.” Mark Greene, founder of Remaking Manhood, says, “If a boy expresses too much emotion or too much need for connection, is too giddy, is too joyful, what we say to that boy is, ‘What are you, a sissy? What are you, a girl? What are you, gay?’ It’s your job to dominate those around you, or you will lose status, and that will increase the number of individuals above you who can dish out dominance to you. And what we find is that in that system, in that structure, men are constantly in competition with each other and constantly driven by this sense of anxiety.” Men are looking for alternatives to this model of masculinity, and are finding them in fellowship groups. “We have all these groups that are just spontaneously coming into being, as men say, ‘I want a circle of men that I can call my brothers, I want a circle of men that I can express what’s going on for me emotionally, and I want a circle of men who will hold me accountable in positive ways,’” Greene said.

Inquest into cadet’s suicide to shine rare public light on Royal Military College – Globe and Mail
August 14, 2023
The Ontario Coroner’s office will conduct an inquest into the suicide death of Absar Chaudhry, 21, an officer cadet at Kingston’s Royal Military College. “It’s an opportunity for the truth to come out,” said lawyer Michel Drapeau. Since his death, Chaudhry’s parents learned that he had stopped attending classes in the weeks leading up to his death and he was singled out to do supplementary physical training, despite having passed his physical fitness tests. He had also been called in for a performance review, and applied for leave without pay, something his family wasn’t aware of at the time. His family worries that he was experiencing bullying or was a victim of abuses of power, both of which have been well-documented in external reviews of the military college.

Farmers not immune as suicide rates increase nationwide – KWCH 12
August 14, 2023
Farming is one industry in the US that sees higher rates of suicide than others. Farmer Steve McCloud says, “When you’re in a situation looking at drought, prices of all kinds, having to liquidate a herd because you don’t have enough hay or grass, or the ponds are dry, all these things weigh on you… Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to raise your hand and say, ‘I need help.’” McCloud is raising awareness for mental health in his community and wants fellow farmers to know that help is available. Dr. Bailey Blair of the Mental Health Association of South Central Kansas says that due to the stigma surrounding mental health in the farming community, “It becomes very quickly where it is easy to see there is no way out, or maybe, suicide is the only way out, and that is absolutely tragic.”

Black teen suicide rate by firearm passes white teen rate for 1st time, new CDC data show. Philly gun violence may be a factor – WHYY at PBS and NPR
August 13, 2023
**Method warning** According to new suicide statistics from the US, there’s been an increase in firearm suicides among Black youth, and for the first time, Black young people are using this method more than white youth. Experts say that frequent shootings, accessibility of firearms, and a sense of hopelessness exacerbated by social media contribute to increased suicide rates in Black teens. “Unless we’re addressing all forms of violence and how that traumatizes Black youth … we’ll probably continue to see an uptick,” said Joseph Richardson, a professor of African American studies at the University of Maryland. “Particularly because the gun seems to be the easiest solution now to everything.” This article goes on to discuss the complexities of the racism experienced by Black youth and how this affects hopelessness.