"Many men lack an emotional vocabulary- something known by medical people as alexithymia."

And here in a nutshell is what's wrong with being a man in 2014: rational behaviour is magically turned into a pathological condition.

Don't forget that you need to be "politically correct", which means liked in the workplace, or a woman will complain about something...whether true or not. I'm surrounded by women in the workplace, and it's my experience that they are the worst offenders of bullying.

In the "good ol' days", if you had a complaint of a fellow worker and went to the boss, the boss would ask if you broached the issue with the person. If not, they would throw you out and tell you to go do it, and not to return until you had. If you still had an issue, the boss would THEN arbitrate. Today, that's no longer the case, so you are summoned to bosses office and presumed guilty by vicious rumour, never knowing who has made the accusation (whether true, false or exaggerated).

This system has engendered a system of back-biting, emotionally immature people who cannot confront problems with others, but use back doors to rid themselves of the "problem person", often unjustly.

Of course it's fashionable to be a victim. To claim victim status e.g. in an educational institution or on TV it's helpful to
not be a male
protest about something
be failed by someone
have some weird cause that you hold on to despite all logic

Then people will pick up your case and argue till blue in the face…………….

A thoughtful piece, thanks.
I think, with the benefit of seventy years of hindsight, it is more difficult for both men and women to feel they are doing the 'right thing' and to feel satisfied with themselves and their lives today, than it was fifty or more years ago.
We have too many options, too many temptations, too many people telling us how to love, what to value...that we can do anything, be anyone because 'success' is merely a matter of wanting it hard enough and working at it. All media inundate us with visions of famous people living lives we are told are what we all 'deserve'. Apparently we all have the 'right' to do as we want. And we have elected governments that have decided their function is not to take care of all their citizens, but to protect the profits of 'big business'. Citizens no longer own the assets of their country which their taxes have made possible. They're sold off to 'Big Business' along with what used to be public services of health, education and welfare...because these too are seen as opportunities for 'Big Business" to make a profit. When our Law Courts follow the prisons into private ownership, then people might realise we are selling off our rights for baubles and fast tracking it towards serfdom. I'm very, very glad I am not a father today.

Yeah if it's "sharing the pain" how come we are cutting out the mining tax and allowing foreigners and Aussies to make huge gains negative gearing?
Oh, but of course governments are raking in the profits on that.......