Rep. George Santos (screen capture)
News Round-Up: September 30, 2020
Greg Bloomer and Bisquit (via Instagram)
* Celebitchy: Coronavirus depression nearly caused designer Tom Ford to skip his next collection. “I was irritated when I had a Zoom meeting because it meant washing my hair and perhaps trimming my beard. At the time, the thought of designing a collection seemed frivolous when so many important and disturbing things were happening in our world.” • Reuters: Results from an early study of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine showed that it produced virus-neutralizing antibodies in older adults at levels similar to those seen in younger adults, with side effects roughly on par with high-dose flu shots, according to researchers. • Twitter: After telling the violent group Proud Boys to “stand by” at last night’s presidential debate debacle and refusing to denounce white supremacy, Trump told reporters today he doesn’t know who the Proud Boys are but “Antifa is the real problem.”
“Antifa is a real problem” — Trump on what he meant last night when he told the Proud Boys to “stand by” pic.twitter.com/B7B8dGE6gW
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 30, 2020
What Is The ‘Man Box’ And Do You Want To Be In It?
(stock image via Depositphotos)
Some of the statements included: • “It is not good for a boy to be taught how to cook, sew, clean the house and take care of younger children” • “Men should use violence to get respect, if necessary” • “A ‘real man’ would never say no to sex” • “A guy who spends a lot of time on his looks isn’t very manly” The researchers found higher scores on the “man box” scale often indicated higher levels of verbal, online, or physical bullying as well as sexual harassment. Additionally, men who landed higher on the “man box” scale were twice as likely to admit experiencing depression and/or suicidal thoughts. The five statements that had the strongest associations with violence and poor mental health were:
1. A man shouldn’t have to do household chores. 2. Men should use violence to get respect if necessary. 3. A real man should have as many sexual partners as he can. 4. A man who talks a lot about his worries, fears, and problems shouldn’t really get respect. 5. A gay guy is not a “real man.”
In regard to that fourth statement, it makes sense that men who repress or tamp down personal concerns or emotions would be more likely to experience challenges in terms of mental health. Dr. Coulter told Business Insider his research team was “quite surprised to see harmful masculinity is associated with negative outcomes (like depression and suicidal thoughts) for the men themselves.” ‘Harmful masculinity,’ sometimes referred to as ‘toxic masculinity,’ can be defined as damaging beliefs that can lead to strict, controlling, heteronormative and violent norms about what constitutes a ‘real man.’ The research team hopes their “man box” scale might be a tool for health care providers and public health workers to help “measure progress toward changing harmful stereotypes and advancing both gender equality and healthier versions of masculinity.” (source: Business Insider)
Gus Kenworthy Shares Isolation Struggles, Announces Fundraiser For First Responders
Olympic silver medalist Gus Kenworthy
Podcast: Trump Addresses Anti-LGBT Conference, National Parks Service Pulls Out Of Rainbow Flag Event, Colton Haynes Shares Struggles With Depression
In this week’s Randy Report podcast:
• The National Parks service pulled out of an event where the rainbow flag would fly, for the first time, on federal land
• Donald Trump became the first sitting president to address anti-gay hate group’s Values Voters Summit
• Out actor Colton Haynes (Arrow/Teen Wolf/American Horror Story) shared his struggles with depression & anxiety on World Mental Health Day
• In queer cinema, Tom of Finland and Professor Marston & the Wonder Women open in theaters
• Randy Rainbow parodies the summer mega-hit “Despocito” with a sharp as nails commentary on Donald Trump
All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report
The Science of Depression
In light of recent news events including Robin Williams’ suicide, this is a timely two-minute science lesson from the smart guys at AsapSCIENCE.
Canadian health official: Ecstasy is safe to take
The chief health officer of British Columbia said today that ecstasy, or MDMA, is safe for consumption and may not have negative long-term health effects.
HOWEVER – the official, Dr. Perry Kendall, who gave interviews to several Canadian media outlets, wants to be clear about one thing: There is a big difference between pure ecstasy and the stuff that gets cut with other chemicals and makes up the vast majority of what’s sold on the street.
“Unless you are getting it from a psychiatrist in a legitimate clinical trial, at the present time, you can’t guarantee what’s in it, how much there is, or its safety, so I would say, as we have said in the past: Don’t take it,” Kendall told CBC News.
As you might have inferred, ecstasy is indeed being given to volunteers in clinical settings. For that matter, so is ketamine, a club drug also known as “Special K” that’s shown promise in treating severe depression, as NPR’s Jon Hamilton has reported.
Canada has long had a more lenient attitude toward drugs. Vancouver’s city council is currently debating marijuana decriminalization; advocates for decriminalization say the illegal drug trade fuels violence in the city.
Kendall told media outlets that if ecstasy were legalized, it would also take control out of the hands of criminals and give the government the chance to regulate the trade.
Other physicians are exploring the use of MDMA for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder.
More at NPR