[hedwall]

I read that sentence as 'there is a systemic problem in society that young men aren't allowed to be fragile, sad &c' and that with the overlap between men in tech and that problem, we have an opportunity to give you a nudge in the right direction, should you need it.

[coroxout]

I read it as that too, and I applaud that sentiment, but I agree that the "or understanding other people's" seems a bit harsh in context.

I'd even agree that in my own early 20s I was quite bad at appreciating the perspectives and life experiences of people from different backgrounds, but it's not the best way to gain the trust of people who might benefit from the service!

I suppose they mentioned it to suggest that you may not feel comfortable opening up to your colleagues and/or social group, especially if they are young men who are traditionally expected to put on a front of everything being fine and may not be open to emotional/personal discussions, which is a valid concern; but it's a shame it sounds like it's questioning the empathy of many of its readers.

Forgot to say: this is a really nice idea, I hope it works well.

[DanieleProcida]

Just to clarify: in saying that as a cohort, young men are not good at acknowledging their own difficulties or understanding other people's we don't mean that they don't care, or wouldn't care if they understood.

It's certainly not blaming them, or making a moral judgement. It's absolutely nothing to do with being "emotionally stunted". The gap is one of understanding, and it's a cultural one.

Since young men make up most of this industry, this tends to make the industry as a whole bad at understanding and dealing with these kinds of problems, which in turn makes it harder for the individuals in it to understand better.

[mcantelon]

Men don't have a monopoly on "burnout, exhaustion, depression" so the negative blanket statements about men could be left out entirely.

[DanieleProcida]

The first part of that is true, but they are the ones who are least likely to seek help, and the most likely to be at DjangoCon. This is why we are addressing young men in particular.

[parennoob]

I see what you mean; you were addressing the major target demographic.

I think the part about "not good at acknowledging their own problems, or understanding other people" could have possibly been phrased better (your "least likely to seek help" makes far more sense). However, given this broader background, I see that the intentions of this counseling are good.

Thanks a lot for making it happen!

[Dewie]

I think we have to forgive Daniele for making a bull-headed statement, since he is probably not that socially sensitive by virtue of being a man.

[Dewie]

I guess you didn't read the part about "have problems understanding other people's"? It seems like we need more awareness of mental health because (young) men are too emotionally stunted to relate to other people's problems.

Yes, it's also nice that they acknowledge that men sometimes have issues that they don't feel like they can tell other people about.

EDIT: Though strictly speaking there is a difference between "not being good at acknowledging your own problems" and "not being able to acknowledge your own problems because of societal factors". So I'm still not totally sure what they mean.

[hedwall]

I read the whole thing, but I didn't read as a mens issue at the root (again) but a issue with how we as a society bring up boys and how we expect them to be as young men.

(If it helps to understand my perspective, M/29 history of anxiety, panic attacks and depression).