‘Fight Club UK’: Economic crisis sparks ‘heartless’ culture in British males

UK men are in the grip of a ‘crisis of masculinity’ fueled by boozing and consumerism amid the financial crisis, warns one MP. Pornography and ‘hyper-masculinity’ are propagating a ‘Viagra and Jack Daniels’ culture and the normalization of misogyny.

Labor Party MP Diane Abbott will speak out against the degradation of male values in modern Britain in a speech to a UK think tank on Thursday. Warning of a ‘celebration of heartlessness’ among British adolescent men, Abbot will signal that unemployment and economic woes is driving a wave of misogyny and disrespect towards women.

"At its worst, it's a celebration of heartlessness; a lack of respect for women's autonomy; and the normalization of homophobia. I fear it's often crude individualism dressed up as modern manhood," she will say.

Likening the phenomenon to the American film ‘Fight Club,’ she will say “the first rule of being a man in modern Britain is that you're not allowed to talk about it.”

Faced with minimal employment prospects, many young British men are forced to return home after finishing their university degrees. This in turn leads to a stagnation of their development, locking them into a family life that they resent. Abbott also mentions the grown men who are working longer hours, dying of curable cancers and taking their own lives.

As well as the current economic climate in the UK, Abbott signals that pornography and a culture of ‘hyper-masculinity’ create an ideal of manhood that is impossible to aspire to and fundamentally detrimental.

“Normal sex seems boring,” the MP will argue, blaming an overly- ‘pornified’ culture.

"Growing numbers of men of all ages [are] turning to the drug by themselves due to performance anxiety, triggered by a host of psychological issues.”

In response to this new generation of heartless men, the MP is expected to suggest number of measures to encourage young males to open up and talk about their emotions. Labor policy will call on schools to present their pupils with a broader interpretation of masculinity and urge parents to speak to their sons on the subjects of manhood and fatherhood.

Slow progress

The outlook for Britain’s flagging economy is looking dour as the government reported an increase in unemployment for the first quarter of the year on Wednesday. The increase of 15,000 more unemployed has pushed the jobless rate in the UK from 7.7 per cent to 7.8 per cent.

The figures were called ‘disappointing’ by Employment Minister Mark Hoban. They contrast recent statistics that show the gradual recovery of the UK economy from the financial crisis.
http://rt.com/news/culture-men-crisis-uk-304/

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What a lot of utter hot air comes out of the gob of people like Diane Abbott .

What is her model of measurement for this? Where is her data and stats to support her assertions? Or is this just yet one more thing they have plucked from thin air, and are passing off as 'fact'..?

Do some males fit that description? I guess so. Do I consider it to be any different to 5/10/20yrs ago? No.

And is this yet another agenda to have yet another dig at men, is sure strikes me as that?

Isn't it enough that in case of divorce, the man usually always begins with the disadvantage?

Isn't it enough that is cases of child custody, the law gives a clear and unjust bias to women?

Isn't it enough that men are routinely demonised, and that this is passed off as 'anti domestic violence' adverts?

Isn't it true that said adverts NEVER EVER mention female violence?

 

The crisis is sweeping all of Western civilization. What the OP describes falls under the rubric of decadence and is evidence of civilizational decline.

 

I personally wouldn't of outlined the debate in the way Abbot did. The issues she raised aren't about sexual identity per se but rather about the lack of a sense of identity and aspiration that arise as a result, for example, from long-term unemployment, insecure work and the lack of support networks.

There is sometimes the temptation to frame important issues like this in terms of identity politics rather than examine the real underlying socioeconomic causes that give rise to them in terms of class. I think the traditional patriarchal role of the British (white) male as breadwinner and provider living within the stable nuclear family is largely illustrative of a bygone age of 'Fordism'.

This was period in history when both male and female roles in society were more clearly defined than they are now. These roles essentially collapsed as a result of the process of de-industrialization and the move towards a more consumer-based service-sector society.

I think that white British males particularly do tend to lack the kind of support networks that many of their British minority ethnic counterparts have. This I believe is a key issue that has been ignored for too long within the social policy field.

 

Good summary, Albert -

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As unfashionable as it may be to say it, perhaps it worked better all round?

 

Well said.

 

If Europe got rid of socialism, all its problems would be solved, including this.

 

Oh what now lassaise faire economies are good but lassaise faire societies are heartless ?

 

How far would you like to take it back? To the time when Politicians spoke of women and children as being on the same level, where they did not have a vote, where their money belonged to their husbands, where it was legal to hit them with a stick no thicker than a thumb, where men could rape women pretty much at will and where on divorce men took women's children from them?

No, it is not going back to that. Daft article saying what Dianne Abbott is going to say as she can speak for herself. Of course the new right wingers coming from the anti islam extremist literature speak of trying to put women back in that position. The BNP also I think and no doubt that will be at least lurking in UKIP.

Ain't going to happy and Ms Abbott is right if she sees steps in that direction to bring such poor behaviour to public awareness in order that they may receive remedial treatment.

 

Looks like the progressive left is finally being forced to deal with the social effects of all that muslim immigration they let in. This has been a long time coming. They need all these low income people for the votes, but ironically the Islamic social values are the complete diametric opposite to the progressive humanist social values held by the left.

I guess we will finally find out just how effective social engineering actually is, whether progressives can really change the culture and criminal propensities of a group of ethnic minorities.

Well honestly, what did they expect? Labor has been repeatedly warned about this, but instead of heeding the warning they just accused anyone who dared speak up of Islamophobia. This is not just in the UK either, it is also the happening in the Netherlands.

Oh, so Labor is trying to blame conservative values for the problems they are responsible for?
The left has been the one shielding this negative minority culture from open criticism.

Hmmm, hoards of people trapped in poverty? High unemployment? No one could have seen that coming.
The solution must be more immigration, we have to keep our economy "competitive" after all.

Translation: The progressive public education system is going to try to neuter and emasculate another generation of little boys.

 

What 'socialism'..?

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I wouldn't take it back.

I would take it forwards, retaining that which was good from the past + embracing that which we have learned since.

 

Sorry - but the 'rule of thumb' thing is a myth.

 

I think Ms Abbott is actually trying to do blokes a favour.

We men – and women know this – are quite simple types in terms of seeking meaning in ourselves. We have a social role and I'm going to characterise it very simply:

1. We are the breadwinner.
2. We are the protector.
3. We are the role model for our sons.
4. We are sexually aggressive/assertive/dominant.

The life path of a male is as follows:

1. Learn that as an adult you will be expected to find a woman to mate with and to protect and nurture and produce children who will also be protected and nurtured.
2. On entering early manhood learn what it means to be a man from other older men and also from your peers.
3. Try out your adult masculine role.
4. Become sexually and emotionally experienced.
5. Find a permanent mate.
6. Get a job and do well to provide for the material needs of your family.
7. Seek out and befriend other males and bond with them in the normal masculine manner a society expects to offset the nurturing that you had to do with your family but leave the masculine stuff out there with the blokes and don't let it enter your family relations.
8. Do all of the above until your children are adult and have left home.
9. Hang about until you die.

I think Ms Abbott is trying to say that this is not working out for Britain's blokes.