Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 8, 1993 TAG: 9310070407
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: EXTRA EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NEIL CHETHIK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But men don't need more political power. So what would a ``Year of the Man'' be about?
For me, it would be about the lost art of mentoring.
In past generations, it was not uncommon for a young man to have a mentor, often someone who passed along the subtleties of his work and his life.
Modern-day mentors are harder to find. But they are no less needed. Boys and young men need older men to listen to them. And they need to hear the older men's stories - not just the heroic moments, but complete stories that reveal a man's struggles as well as his strengths.
Following are other visions of a ``Year of the Man.''
Allen Maurer, director, Hill Country Men's Center; Austin, Texas: ``We take a lot of time to teach our young boys to name the colors - blue, red, green. What about teaching them to name their feelings? Most men know only the basic six: hot, tired, cold, hungry, angry and horny. They'd be a lot better off as adults if they knew a few more.''
Shepherd Bliss, professor of men's studies at JFK University; Orinda, Calif.: ``The number one problem for men is isolation. How can we provide men avenues to break their isolation? We must restore a community of men that is not violent or engaged in substance abuse. We can take our lead from Jesus: firm, fierce and loving. ... We must also support women in their work against rape and battery. When men don't stand against these things, we hurt ourselves.''
Richard F. Doyle, president of Men's Rights Association, Forest Lake, Minn.: ``If 1993 were designated `The Year of the Man,' it would provide at least a nominal defense against the misandry [male-bashing] prevalent in the press and politics. It would open up taboo subjects, such as the fact that ... men are brutally discriminated against in divorce and crime punishment.''
Robert Pasick, psychologist, author of ``Awakening from the Deep Sleep,'' Ann Arbor, Mich.: ``Due to our society's influence, men have been focused on achievement. The biggest change we need to make is to be more relational. Men need to share in the family life, and we need to reach out and connect with other men.''
Robert Bly, poet, author of ```Iron John,'' Minneapolis: ``I personally think it would be a bad idea to try to name 1993 `The Year of the Man.' What are we going to say, that we want to elect more men to the Senate? We are still the gender that holds the most power, and that's unlikely to change in the immediate future. I think it implies too much self-pity and a little too much claim of victimization to call it `The Year of the Man.'''
Texas Governor Ann Richards: ``What if half the U.S. Senate were men, half the house and half the Supreme Court? And then, what if half the Fortune 500 CEOs were men and half the newspaper editors and publishers? What if half the secretaries, waitpersons and domestics were men? Could we then say that men had achieved their proper place in society? What if we forgot about years of women and men and just had the `year of human kind' in which we celebrated our wonderful differences and our striking similarities?''
\ Male Box
What would you like to see if this year were declared the ``Year of the Man''? Responses may be used in a future column. Send questions and comments to ``The Men's Column,'' in care of the Features Deparment, Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491.
by CNB