Hizbululama.org.uk

'Viagra and Jack Daniels' culture is creating a crisis of masculinity for British men, claims Labour's Diane
Abbott
Generation of men in the grip of crisis, shadow health minister says
Drink and porn fuel anxiety about sexual performance and masculinity
Lack of jobs means young men live with parents in 'extended adolescence'
By Matta Chorley,Mail online Political Editor British men are in ‘crisis’, Labour wil claim today in a warning about the impact of unemployment, pornography, drink and drugs on half the population. A ‘Viagra and Jack Daniels’ culture is fuelling anxiety among men who worry about their sexual performance, masculinity In a major speech today sounding the alarm on the fears and worries of a generation of young men, she wil claim pressures in society are stoking homophobia and misogyny towards women. Crisis: Young men are turning to anti-impotence drugs under pressure to live up to expectations in a what Labour's Dianne Abbott calls a 'Viagra and Jack Daniels' culture It comes as Labour makes a major pitch towards family policy, arguing in favour of banning adverts aimed at children and offering more help to new mothers to cope with post-natal depression. In today’s speech Ms Abbott claims men in 21st century Britain face pressure to live up to the concept of a ‘real man’ seen in films, magazines and porn but feel unable to talk about their anxieties. ‘It's al become a bit like the film Fight Club – the first rule of being a man in modern Britain is that you're not allowed to talk about it,’ she wil say. ‘This generation no longer asks itself what it means to be a man.’ Healthy ‘Growing numbers of men of all ages [are] turning to the drug by themselves due to performance anxiety, triggered by a host of psychological issues – from our increasingly pornified culture making 'normal' sex seem boring, to financial ‘It may be a secret, psychological crutch for some men, who are under pressure to meet a pornified expectation,’ she Fight Club: Young do not talk about what it is like to be a man in modern Britain, Ms Abbott claims Unable to find jobs after leaving school or university, many return home to live with parents and ‘find themselves locked into a transitional phase at home, or find themselves voluntarily creating an extended adolescence, sometimes A must-have culture of buying expensive gadgets, clothes and jewellery is fuelling ‘hypermasculinity’, she suggests. ‘At its worst, it's a celebration of heartlessness; a lack of respect for women's autonomy; and the normalisation of homophobia. I fear it's often crude individualism dressed up as modern manhood,’ she wil say. The speech by Ms Abbott is the latest move by Labour to seize family policy as a political battleground Labour’s policy review is examining a raft of ideas aimed specifically at men, including obesity, alcohol and sexual The party also wants to give fathers a bigger role before and after the birth of their child. In a speech this week policy chief Jon Cruddas promised more support for new dads, including paid time off to attend ante-natal classes and al owing them to stay overnight in hospital after their partner gives birth. He warned the majority of men ‘feel fathers are undervalued’ and struggle to cope with parenting in the 21st century. New dads feel 'less informed than their partners and less competent to care for their baby', Mr Cruddas warned. Dads Mr Cruddas said: ‘More and more men want to be involved fathers. Fathers should be able to share involvement in their child’s school life and healthcare. ‘They should have rights enshrined in employment law; for example, we wil look at paid leave to attend antenatal sessions and hospital appointments during pregnancy.’ Many public services think involving fathers is ‘not important’, viewing al fathers as a posing a ‘risk’ of ‘violence

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