Who is the NZ Suicide Prevention Trust?
While on the way home I got accosted - yes that is the correct word - by an angry man demanding that I sign a petition for the NZ Suicide Prevention Trust.Another man with a clipboard was also collecting signatures. Having not heard of this Trust I asked what the petition was about, and what it aimed to achieve. Other than "creating awareness of male suicide" he wasn't able to tell me.When I asked for further details he told me to "sign the petition or f... off and get a social conscience". I asked for his card, he said he didn't have one. So I snatched it off him. While the card had an 0508 number, that number is the same answer message as the number in this link, the only thing I could find out about this Trust after a quick search.
Now I have a social conscience. And I am also wondering how legit this petition is. If anyone on behalf of this trust tries to get you to sign a petition, don't sign.
Update There's more stuff on the petition here.
Labels: suicide
4 Comments:
They're somehow related to the Republic of New Zealand Party's Jack Gielen:
http://www.hurtlemusic.com/jackgielen.htm
http://www.communityradio.co.nz/index.asp?PageID=2145827056
http://menz.org.nz/2010/male-suicide-petition-please-sign/
Basically they're "men's rights" nutbars who annoyingly try to high-jack any other issue (e.g. republicanism, suicide, the flag debate) to push their own views.
Given that 80% of suicides are male, maybe the nutbars weren't hijacking anything. Maybe, in fact, the nutbars were the only ones that even noticed there was a problem.
Public awareness is one thing Paul, but creating an entire political party based on a policy that's only a small part of your platform is another issue entirely.
I've got not argument that male suicide is a problem. My argument is that, like Dave, I find the means of promoting discussion to be completely counter-productive and laced with unhelpful anti-feminist rhetoric.
How sad and bad to be treated badly by someone collecting signatures when you are being nice to them.
BTW, a man named Craig Jackson in Wellington made the petition and MP Annette King is presenting it to Parliament today.
I hope this doesn't affect your support for future petitions.
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