Dan GriffinDan Griffin
  • Home
  • About Dan
  • Contact

Muddy Waters – Episode 56

March 26, 2018Dan Griffinarchive 1, archive 2, The Man Rules Podcast

Dan Griffin talks with Mary Woods, CEO of WestBridge Community Services, about gender equality on The Man Rules podcast.

A major shift is happening in how we view gender, sexuality and violence. Many people, like our guest Mary Woods, see echoes of the 60s civil rights movements in this modern era of protest and consciousness raising. But, many men feel confused about their place in these movements. In the stories we hear day after day, men are the perpetrators of the sexual violence, racial violence, and gun violence. Much of the conversation focuses on how to change men–and no doubt, change is needed. But, as Dan often says, “We can’t just change what men think, we have to change what we think about men.”

Change cannot happen when people are silenced or dismissed. The Women’s Movement has had its success through teaching women how to understand the day-to-day mechanics of their oppression and the importance of speaking out against them. In order to speak out, they had to build a huge community of people who would lend their support and make it safe for them to speak out and take action.

We have to do the same for men.

In this episode Dan and Mary talk about the ways that we can support men as they confront the injustices of their socialization as men (i.e. be the biggest, the baddest, the richest, the meanest), wrestle with their relationships to power, and try to build a canal through the muddy waters of gender expectation.

Practical and Tactical

  1. Sit down with someone of a different gender and ask them “What is your experience like living in our society today? What was living in your family like? And listen. Then, ask yourself if your ideas and perspectives changed, even just a little.
  2. Look at the history of the women’s rights movement, the civil rights movement, and treatment of veterans. If you don’t study your history, you’re doomed to repeat it.
  3. Join a group that will help you look at things from a different perspective. Joining with others to tell the truth about your experiences and listen closely as they tell the truth about theirs.

About Our Guest

Mary Ryan Woods holds a master’s degree in human service administration, is a Board Certified Licensed Registered Nurse and a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor, who has over 37 years’ experience in substance abuse services and community mental health programs. Woods began her career in the addictions profession working in a variety of settings. Currently, she is the Executive Officer for WestBridge Community Services a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the treatment of individuals and families with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders. WestBridge has programs in New Hampshire and Florida. She is a Past President for NAADAC the association of addiction professionals.

Mentioned in This Episode

WestBridge

Dual Diagnosis

The Post (movie)

George Carlin

All in The Family

The Lion’s Paw (Note: There are several variations of this story.)

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Tags: civil rights, Dan Griffin, equality, mary woods, men, men's mental health, social justice, the man rules, the water, westbridge, women
Dan Griffin
Previous post Truth and Consequences – Episode 55 Next post How to Reconnect After a Fight

Related Articles

Episode 22: The Deep Dive Guys Start Making Cents! Dan Griffin, Tim Walsh, and Michael Dinneen Talk Money

August 29, 2017Dan Griffin

Support the Podcast

September 3, 2019Dan Griffin

Making Habits Last

January 7, 2019Dan Griffin

Recent Posts

  • That’s All Folks.
  • What Men Would Tell You… About Having All The Answers
  • Childhood Heroes and Personal Mythologies
  • Coping with Changing Gender Expectations
  • All Good Things Must Come to An End
  • How to Stay Sober AF
  • What Men Would Tell You… About Winning
  • Leggo my Ego
  • Support the Podcast
  • Loving Like You Mean It

Privacy

Privacy Policy

Dan Griffin

424-254-9946

[email protected]

GRE, Los Angeles, CA

Speaker

Author

A Mans Way® Consulting

Resources

Privacy

The Man Rules Podcast

The Man Rules

What Men Would Tell You

All Dads Matter

A Mans Way® School

 

© 2021 Dan Griffin - A Man's Way