Why are winos so disproportionately male?
Suppose someone says, “There’s a bunch of winos on that street corner.†You approach the indicated area. You expect to see a group of women in ragged dresses passing around a bottle of wine that is perhaps still in its brown paper bag. Or at least that is what you expected to see prior to the feminist movement of the 1970s.
No?
No.
The image of the wino has always been, and still is, a male image. It’s a man, ragged and worn down, dirty and disheveled, who lives from drink to drink.
Winos are among the most despised of the impoverished and often homeless. I remember a grungy man walking around saying, “Who’s going to help a wino?â€
A woman nearby sniffed, “All he wants to do is buy some more wine so he can get drunk again.â€
Indeed, winos often evoke disgust and contempt because they “brought it on themselves.â€
However, it needs to be asked: Why do men sink into this deprived and despised state so much more frequently than women do?
I believe there are several reasons.
It is possible that there is a genetic factor in men’s falling to the bottom in this horrendous manner. There is a genetically based tendency for the human male to have greater variation in some areas than the human female. While the two sexes are roughly equal in intelligence, men are greatly over-represented among both geniuses and idiots. This is why Camille Paglia has said, “I’m convinced that if civilization had been left in exclusively female hands, we’d all still be living in grass huts.â€
Another reason that winos tend to be men may be that there has traditionally been a greater stigma on the drunk woman than the drunk man. The greater freedom men have had in this area is a two-edged sword as it amounts to a freedom that can lead to a destructive addiction.
Another possibility is that the true number of women alcoholics is not that much less than that of men alcoholics but that the women are better able to hide their addiction by withdrawing into their homes. They may be less apt to end up among the despised alcoholic homeLESS because family and friends have greater sympathy for them and are willing to contribute to their support. The government may be more likely to give wino women hand-outs through the welfare system and thus prevent their conditions from becoming as public and as dire as those of wino men.
It also seems to me that there are aspects of the male role that may lead some men to severe alcoholism. Men have traditionally been expected to suppress emotional expression. Trying to keep a lid on their feelings may mean that negative feelings that are not cried out end up poisoning them. Men are usually less verbally skilled and the reasons for this deficit are, in my opinion, probably due to an interplay of biology and socialization. The inability to talk out their sorrows may lead them to try to drown them with booze. Depression is often thought of as a female ailment but I cannot help wondering how many men are genuinely depressed but not diagnosed as such because they feel that they must mask their depression – and how many unconsciously or semi-consciously try to medicate their depression with liquor.
Those are my thoughts on why winos have always been and still are overwhelmingly men. Readers, what are yours?
| More from Denise Noe
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July 1st, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Largely I believe that they are alcoholic because they are destitute, not so much the other way around. A destitute woman has a considerably wider range of options open to her than does a destitute man and drunken oblivion must seem like a more attractive condition than sobriety under such desperate conditions.
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:11 am
I wonder how many of these “winos” were created by the VAWA?
When one is forced out of their home by false accusations of abuse, they are usually also made “poor” by having to spend all of the money they have left on a defense which for the most part is very ineffective. Many of these accused end up living out of their cars and many have already lost their jobs. When one does not have a home, it is very difficult to find a new job. I agree with DrDamage when he said: “Largely I believe that they are alcoholic because they are destitute,”
I also wonder how many never make it to this point either because they have taken their own lives or they have been “murdered by cop”
http://shatterdmen.com/murder.htm
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:57 am
Ditto much of your suppositions, Denise, and those of the two good chaps above.
Additionally there is the word issue itself.
Many European languages have gender assigned to words. Masculine and feminine. There are some ‘neuter’ words too. The endings of the words are the gender indicators although very slight changes to the spellings are often used too. So, winOS is masculine; whinERS is feminine.
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:59 am
Denise Noe
Yor article and the 3 comments are the best description I have seen about male-winos. Men are also afraid to complain or demand similar services as for women, lest they be labeled as “wimps”.
While movies such as “Born on the Fourth of Jouly” etc may be labeled as anti-war themes. The fact was while the draft waas on and abolished to defuse the protests over Vietnam War,58,000 men and 8 women diet in Vietnam. Many of the “walking wounded” became winos. After the volunteer Mid East war they often commit suicide.During the previous Iran hostage crisi draft registration was requested for both men and women, but Congress refused to authorise fund.
President Carter-Congress conflict revived the District Court ruling that male-only draft registration was unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed the ruling in Rostker v. Goldberg (1981)
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0453_0057_ZS.html
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:42 am
It’s not just family and government that are more willing to help women, it’s people in general. Men have to be providers or else they are worthless losers, women have choices. Imagine a woman somehow not being taken care of by herself, family, friends, or government. Unless she is extremely nasty, a male or female stranger could easily take her in and take care of her.
Now consider the reverse, a man who does not or cannot provide for himself. Women and men alike will just want him to go away, maybe call the cops to have him arrested.
A woman also has the option of getting pregnant, at which time massive government machinery will come into play to make sure her every need is at her fingertips. She’ll get welfare at least until she names a man as the father who must then give her half of her income of go to prison.
Now if the male winos could get handouts by getting women pregnant, they would at least have a second option. Somehow society isn’t ready for giving handouts to males because they became a parent, but there seems to be no end to the benefits to women for doing the exact same thing.
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:55 am
A destitute woman has a considerably wider range of options open to her than does a destitute man…
Therein lies the root of why most of the homeless are men. The destitute woman, can use many means to secure a domicile. Sex, being the primary commodity being exchanged in a barter transaction, or for straight up cash. In the case of a barter exchange, the opposite party may not even be aware of the quid pro quo. Many men, myself included have tried the White Knight for the damsel in distress. An expensive choice and it’s an easy scam for a woman to play.
A destitute man, on the other hand, has no such opportunity as he has nothing of real value to offer a woman of means.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:52 am
When finances take a dive, Men are laid to waste while the woman will shack up with another man or marry again. It’s much tougher for a man especially the older a man gets. If a man looses a good corporate job in his late 40’s and early 50’s He is less likely to find a job that paid the same much less a job period.
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:08 pm
There you go again, Denise.
What about all the wino women sitting around at home watching Oprah? What about all those wino prostitutes hanging out on streetcorners?
If you go to a few AA meetings, you will find that alcoholism is an egalitarian disease.
I know you like to pretend you are a reincarnation of Phyllis Schlafly. You have a very long way to go. Your attitudes towards men are disgusting. And that is not considering the rest of the political mismatches.
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:00 pm
David R. Usher said,
There you go again, Denise.
What about all the wino women sitting around at home watching Oprah? What about all those wino prostitutes hanging out on streetcorners?
If you go to a few AA meetings, you will find that alcoholism is an egalitarian disease.
(Denise) So wino women get to stay home and watch Oprah while wino men end up homeless, right? Why is that? Why do wino women have the privilege of staying at home and watching TV while the men are so often without even a roof over their heads?
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:52 pm
You might recall that the elephant’s child got spanked regularly by all his aunts, uncles, and cousins for asking tons of stupid questions.
This is a stupid question that goes nowhere. And your piece does not alleviate the overarching attitude on which the title is based.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Simply put, a Man is valued for his back. A woman is valued for her front. I agree that destitute women have many more choices than destitute Men do…
Until we as a society acknowledge that we have systemically placed women on a pedestal, men will continue to be forced to build those pedestals! And, when you can no longer haul enough stone for the task, out on the corner you go!
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Good God, that can’t be ‘Hugo’, shirley?
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:59 pm
I know many stay at home moms that are alcoholics and drug users while their husbands are hard at work supporting the family. If the shoe was on the other foot the woman would kick the guy to the curb literally, take the house, the car, the kids and file for child support. Men try to do the right thing. Women on the other hand….
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:14 am
#
amfortas said,
Good God, that can’t be ‘Hugo’, shirley?
July 2, 2008 at 11:04 pm
1) Yes, God IS Good;
2) I CAN be Hugo. And, I AM Hugo;
3) Stop calling me “Shirley”!!!
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:35 am
(Denise) So wino women get to stay home and watch Oprah while wino men end up homeless, right? Why is that? Why do wino women have the privilege of staying at home and watching TV while the men are so often without even a roof over their heads?
July 2, 2008 at 5:00 pm
David R. Usher said,
You might recall that the elephant’s child got spanked regularly by all his aunts, uncles, and cousins for asking tons of stupid questions.
This is a stupid question that goes nowhere. And your piece does not alleviate the overarching attitude on which the title is based.
(Denise) My questions go to the very heart of the issue: why do so many more men than women end up on the streets or on skid rows? This is not a new phenomenon but a very old one which badly needs to be addressed. Men have always been the ones who slip through the cracks. Why is this? And what can be done so that men don’t fall to the very bottom?
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:49 am
David R. Usher said,
I know you like to pretend you are a reincarnation of Phyllis Schlafly. You have a very long way to go.
(Denise) I have nowhere to go as there is one — and only one — Phyllis Schlafly. I believe Erma Bombeck, who did not share Schlafly’s political views, said there will be no one to replace Schlafly when she dies.
However, Phyllis Schlafly did find my essay, “Phyllis Schlafly, Champion of Women’s Rights and America’s Military Might,” to be “complimentary.”
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:32 am
I’m disappointed to see Mr. Usher insulting Denise Noe in this manner.
I think she’s got a reasonable point. Female alcoholics don’t very often get to the street-corner wino stage, and it’s an interesting issue to raise. I know a bunch about this disease, having been near it and worked for a while in a shelter that catered to street alcoholics. I think her theory is right: women are perceived as the weaker sex, and female drunks manage to find people to take care of them: parents, siblings, children, and of course paid social-worker types. Dependency in a woman is less disgusting; people adjust to it. There are a lot of variations–and social expectations are part of this. Still, the weakness is women is protected, but weakness in men is rejected. And men end up in a society of rejected men, living in the weeds.
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:04 am
John Maguire said,
I’m disappointed to see Mr. Usher insulting Denise Noe in this manner.
(Denise) Thank you, Mr. Maguire.
<>
(Denise) Bingo!
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:23 am
John Maguire,17
Thanks for defending Denise Noe. I too am baffled by Mr. Usher’s remarks. That strategy would lead men into a circular firing squad, sniping at each other and their supporters, instead of fousing on feminist falsehoods.
July 4th, 2008 at 2:36 am
May I address David Usher here viz a viz his comments?
David, I admire you. I always read what you have to say as you are a proven leader of the movement for equal rights for men and families. You have a fine sensitivity for reasonable and good people regardless of gender. You are such a good bloke. So it comes as a disappointment to see you act so rudely to Denise.
My comment at #3 was slightly off-side but was not aimed as a reprimand to her. I hope I didn’t lead off a poorly expresses strain. I often disagree with Denise. I often take her to task over some point or other. I have often challenged her stance on some feminist issues.
But Denise always provides interesting topics and is always polite and kind and thoughtful. Even when people here are very direct, she will parry with grace. She will give me as good as she gets and often with gusto.
But I cannot remember an occasion where Denise has denigrated anyone who she has a disagreement with.
I like Denise. She is quirky and intelligent, superby well-read and a tad naive. She can be provocative in her pieces and certainly gets a discussion going – with plenty of passion. But above all she comes across as a Good Person.
Just how you can be so rude to her and make that feeble ‘accusation’ that she is no Phyllis, without even seeing its ridiculousness, astonishes me. It is clear to blind Freddy where Denise’s major interest areas are – predominantly crime analysis and literary criticism – and not the fields that Phyllis is so often found tripping gaily around with a horsewhip in hand.
You are a better man than that, David, even on your bad days. So, what is up, my friend?
As my recalcitrant and tongue tied nephew Percy failed to ask me, at that defining moment in his life, “What ails thee?”
July 4th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Amfortas the Articulate.
You certainly have a way with words. I wish I had a half of your skils.
Happy 4th of July to you and all others.
July 4th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Please, please, AAG, express your appreciation to my Gentleman’s gentleman who is about to pass among you with a tin.
July 5th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
amfortas said,
Just how you can be so rude to her and make that feeble ‘accusation’ that she is no Phyllis, without even seeing its ridiculousness, astonishes me. It is clear to blind Freddy where Denise’s major interest areas are – predominantly crime analysis and literary criticism – and not the fields that Phyllis is so often found tripping gaily around with a horsewhip in hand.
(Denise) Perhaps I need to explain why Mr. Usher so often derides me as a Phyllis Schlafly-wannabe. Awhile back, I put up an essay entitled “Phyllis Schlafly, Champion of Women’s Rights and America’s Military Might.” In that essay, I wrote that, as I saw it, Schlafly’s battle against the proposed Equal Rights Amendment was motivated by 1) a desire to protect the rights of women who were fulltime homemakers and married with the understanding that their husbands would be legally obligated to be responsible for family support and 2) a desire to ensure that the U. S. military would be legally able to make gender distinctions when those distinctions were important to military effectiveness.
Mr. Usher enjoys the privilege of being a personal friend of Phyllis Schlafly. He disliked my essay because he found my characterization of her as a “champion of women’s rights” to be an effort to drive a wedge between her and the father’s rights movement to which Schlafly is very sympathetic. He gave me an email to write to her and show her the essay. I did so and she returned a brief note stating, “I agree that your essay is complimentary.”
Ever since I put that essay up, Mr. Usher has seen me as attempting to portray myself as a second Phyllis Schlafly or to somehow usurp her.
It doesn’t seem to me that paying someone a compliment should indicate that I worship her or am trying to become her.