Sir, - In discussing the rising toll of male suicides, John Waters (Opinion, April 4th) asks the rhetorical question: "what is breaking the spirits of our young men?" The reason men in this society are in crisis is that they are constantly and relentlessly fed the message that men are either incompetent, infantile, or bad.
This message is put across through films, TV programmes, newspaper and magazine articles. Turn on almost any TV or radio programme and wait for the commercial break. There will be at least one advertisement containing a subtle (or not so subtle) derogatory portrayal of a male, normally shown to be the foolish foil to the smart, strong woman. While this may seem to some to be harmless, when this message is reinforced ad nauseam, it does of course have a negative effect, particularly on younger and more impressionable men and boys.
Boys are being brought up to feel that they are stupid and worthless, and girls are being brought up to despise men. That men are constantly derided and held in contempt is unarguable, as is the fact that this has a disastrous effect on young men's self-esteem and sense of worth.
The tragic culmination of this constant anti-male barrage is evident in the appalling rise in male suicide. The fact that we as a society choose to allow this to happen rather than discuss the reasons why is nothing less than despicable. - Yours, etc.,
Derek Lambe, Butterfield Drive, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14.