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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 2019)
6 Wednesday, January 23, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon The Bunkhouse Chronicle Craig Rullman Columnist A very close shave N o w t h a t t h e A PA (American Psychological Association) has decided that the political opinions of psy- chologists are a legitimate factor in mental-health care, we9ve reached another cross- roads on the sordid trail of modern American history. Under the guise of con- cern for <the impact of power, privilege, and sexism on the development of boys and men and their relation- ships with others= 4 the APA has helped to create, legitimize, and now openly supports, a burgeoning new mental illness known as <Toxic Masculinity.= Essentially it boils down to this: If you are a man, there is probably something wrong with you. Imagine the possibilities. Claims of Toxic Masculinity, which is really just a new paint job on old Bolshevik furniture, can now be used to discredit or destroy any indi- vidual 4 preferably white heterosexual males 4 or any power structure involving men that the new American Cheka find offensive. If you fail to see the dan- ger in this kind of think- ing, consider this: the APA9s guidelines can be used, and eventually will be used, to inform legal proceedings, and therefore these opinions will become relevant as an element of law enforcement or the outcome of civil dis- putes, like divorces and child custody. The guidelines can be used by various arms of government to pry into the workings of your friendships, your family relationships, and even the sanctity of your home. In the wrong hands, they will become a tool used against men and boys who stray from the APA9s idea of acceptable maleness under the false-flag of <helping= them. T h e p h r a s e To x i c Masculinity is, in fact, an allegation, a blanket charge tossed over every man in America every time it is used, and is only a few steps removed from becoming a device for banishment, per- secution, prosecution, and possibly even imprisonment. Isn9t that just wonderfully modern and inclusive? It gets worse, of course. Proctor and Gamble, which between 2017-18 spent over $5.5 million on political lob- bying 4 the American busi- ness practice of buying votes 4 last week released an internet advertisement that appears to lay each and every contemporary social ill at the feet of the American male. Bullying? Check. Sexism? Check. Privilege? Check. Competitive Nature? Check. Sparks will fly! Racism? Check. P&G, and subsidiary Gillette, seem to believe this campaign will help sell razors, by tapping into some phantom guilt, or phantom damage, that men are alleg- edly suffering from and car- rying around in their beards and mustaches. It9s notable that there is no mention or hint of a parallel Toxic Femininity anywhere, even though every single one of the behaviors assigned to men as toxic are also behav- iors found in women. Perhaps you see the prob- lem here. Not only does Toxic Masculinity smack of old bad ideas repackaged with slicker phrasing, it also smells a lot like such long discredited <sciences= as phrenology, which was rac- ism used by quacks to bolster the legitimacy of slavery. This sort of politics, masquerading as science in an attempt to claim legiti- macy, isn9t new. It was also a favorite tactic of the 15th century, as Bill Schutt writes in his book, <Cannibalism:= <...when millions of indig- enous people living in the Caribbean and Mexico were summarily reclassified as cannibals for reasons that had little to do with people- eating. Instead, it paved the way for them to be robbed, beaten, conquered, and slain, all at the whim of their new Spanish masters.= What9s even more disin- genuous is the APA9s bait- and-switch routine, which finds them backsliding 4 after the release of their guidelines met with appro- priate dismay 4 from the Quality Truck-mounted CARPET CLEANING 541-549-9280 | 207 W. Sisters Park Dr. | PonderosaForge.com Carpet • Upholstery • Tile Grout • Area Rug• Hardwood Granite & Tile Polishing g Look for us on the Web at BendCarpetCare.com Thank you for your business! FIREWOOD SALES — Kindling — — — SISTERS FOREST PRODUCTS 541-410-4509 SistersForestProducts.com Let us show you how much you can save this year! Call 541-588-6245, for a free quote! 257 S. Pine St., #101 www.farmersagent.com/jrybka Auto • Home • Life • Business TRAVEL-EASE ENVIROTECH 541-771-5048 8 pieces = a week of great outfi ts! RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL PHOTO HOTO BY ALEX EX J JORDAN ORDAN CCB# 87640 Year-round Travel with ease. Come see our mix-and-match, easy-care travel line. Licensed • Bonded • Insured • CCB#181062 “Your Local Welding Shop” Superfund sites, and gender doesn9t have anything to do with it. Lately, I find the most toxic people come in a mixed bag of delights. What unites them isn9t some gender- based predisposition, it9s their overwhelming desire to take things away from other people. And there doesn9t seem to be a limit on what they want to take. It might be your guns, your dig- nity, your voice, your vote, your religious beliefs, your money, or just your point of view. It might even be your job, which toxic people in Sisters tried to do to this col- umn once 4 when they just couldn9t tolerate an unrepen- tant voice for freedom. 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