Unless men themselves are healed, they will forever be lashing out and harming others, with fists or words.
Behind the laughter and derision, men are afraid – and terrified to even say so. Picture: iStock
You have to take your hat off to Nikita Harris of the Legacy Nation and her Menpowered campaign which proposes a Responsible Parenthood Bill.
She’s trying to change men in one of the most sexist, patriarchal places on the planet. Good luck with that.
Even as Harris was out promoting her very sensible ideas, South Africans were looking on as males (it is overwhelmingly them, isn’t it?) got stuck into each other in a punch-up at a school rugby match.
Then, another man ended up in intensive care after he was thrown down stairs in a bar-room brawl.
Will Harris be able to change that macho, hot-headed attitude which is the way of South African men?
She wants men to step up and take responsibility for themselves and their families, which will help communities stabilise and families heal.
However, her idea of a national Men’s Day should not be scoffed at or rejected out of hand.
That’s because behind the laughter and derision, men are afraid – and terrified to even say so.
Perhaps they need space to contemplate and either be mentored, or become mentors themselves.
Unless men themselves are healed, they will forever be lashing out and harming others, with fists or words.
