Radicals and rituals BE a fly on the wall of a men's group and you might see men talking about their relationships, grieving for their fathers, designing an anti-violence workshop, invoking the god Zeus or giving a massage. Men's groups usually consist of four to eight men who meet regularly. Several sorts of men's groups exist among the network of groups in Australia. Support groups exist for men to gather together to experience the support of a group of men, to share the pain and joy of their lives and to learn more about what it means to themselves and to others to be a man. Spiritual discovery is the focus of some men's groups.
Participants use rituals, ancient myths and initiations to redefine men's role.
Men's groups vary wildly in their perspectives on men and masculinity, sexism, feminism and gay issues. I attended the meeting of a Canberra support group in which, in two years, the issue of sexism had never been raised. Luckily, such groups are so far only a small part of the Australian men's scene. There are some men's groups I love, some I don't mind, and some at which I cringe and groan. I won't defend all men's groups, because I think that some groups are destructive to the community or to their own members.