2010 INTERNATIONAL MEN'S DAY: THOUGHTS FROM JASON THOMPSON

Popularizing IMD internationally has been a relatively effortless task in the context of an increasingly negative global discourse about males elaborated over the last 35 years which has encouraged indiscriminate stereotyping, denigration of, and concomitant neglect of males in areas of education, health needs, social services and law, and also in their sense of social and personal wellbeing. Without that sense of wellbeing men and boys have demonsted a lowered motivation to contribute positively to the building of personal relationships or to the creation of healthy growing societies, this due to the distorted belief that any contributions would be unappreciated, and indeed unwelcome. The rule for many young men who have come to feel 'forced out' by negative stereotyping has been to 'drop out'. Many males have dropped out of school and society and dropped into drugs, gangs, violence, isolation, depression or suicide. Knowledge of this problem required no explanation to persons approached to participate in an International Men's Day -men and women from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures and world views- as the problem had installed itself around the world and the majority of people were hungry for something, anything, which might turn the needlessly negative discourse around or at least balance that viewpoint with some needed positive discourse. The need to encourage men and boys back into mainstream society is obvious and IMD is providing just such a platform from which to reintroduce and promote a male positive discourse and in the process invite males back into the world.