10 Nov 2015

The Honey Badgers Discuss Male Suicide

Toy Soldiers: A few days ago the Honey Badgers invited Tom Golden, a psychotherapist and the author of Swallowed by a Snake, on their show to discuss men’s health.
I think this is one of the best shows the Badgers have done. It is an excellent discussion about how men deal with emotional pain, what men learn about how people will treat them if they show pain, and the lack of support for suffering men.
I like that they do not skirt around the issues, especially the idea of there being one “right” way of healing. It is very common for people to tell wounded men that they need to talk about it. Many people fail to realize that this often is not how men cope with their pain or how they show their emotions. Men tend to be doers, so one may see a man make something or do something as a means of dealing with grief or hurt rather than sit down and cry it out.
The two parts that stood out for me was Brian talking about his father’s current health condition and Rachel speaking about a former boyfriend who broke down in front of her. These two stories show the types of things men go through, and ultimately shatter the narrative that men have it easier.

This is definitely an episode of Honey Badger Radio worth a listen: