Search

"Losing his speech": Home Alone star's major health update

Home Alone star Ken Hudson Campbell's daughter has shared a health update for fans after the actor underwent surgery to remove a tumour in his mouth. Speaking to People Magazine, Michaela revealed that her father is "doing well" after his 10-hour surgery last week, but there are still a few challenges their family will have to face, as Campbell will need to have radiation treatment five times a week. "I think the hardest part of this is going to be him losing his speech and his ability to talk. So speech therapy is going to play a big role in it," she told the publication. "We're kind of playing it one step at a time, depending on how debilitated he is. "If he needs extra help, we might put him into a nursing home for a little while, but if not, we're going to take him back home and we still will be hiring post-op care help with that." This comes after Michaela and her family managed to raise $102,000 USD ($AU 152,000) for their father's treatment through crowd-funding, after the actor lost his SAG-AFTRA health insurance in January last year. Campbell, who played Santa Claus in Home Alone, "burst into tears" when he saw the messages and well wishes on the crowd-funding page. He was diagnosed with Squamous cell carcinoma - or oral cancer, on October 27. His family are hoping for a full recovery for the actor who they described as "a loving father of two children with an admirable lust for life, and a passion for acting, writing, & sports." Images: Instagram

Caring

Ken’s rights? Our research shows Barbie is surprisingly accurate on how ‘men’s rights activists’ are radicalised

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lucy-nicholas-145660">Lucy Nicholas</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a> In the Barbie movie, we open with a picture of a perfect Barbieland where (almost) everyone is happy, diversity and sisterhood are embraced, and Barbies hold all positions of power. The Kens however, reflecting the popularity of the dolls in the real world, play a mainly decorative role. Spoilers for Barbie follow. In the film, we see a disgruntled Ken (played hilariously by Ryan Gosling) follow “Stereotypical” Barbie (Margot Robbie) to the real world where she has to find her human owner. This is all to fix an error that is allowing the real world to seep into Barbie land, with symptoms such as Barbie having an existential crisis. In the real world, Ken discovers the concept of the patriarchy. This sees him take a journey that is clearly influenced by, and pokes fun at, many aspects of contemporary anti-feminist men’s rights culture. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pBk4NYhWNMM?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Barbieland and the matriarchy</h2> It has been proposed that <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-greta-gerwigs-barbie-land-the-matriarchy-can-be-just-as-bad-as-the-patriarchy-209317">Barbieland is a matriarchy</a>, but I would argue that their attitude to Kens is instead indifference. Ken was aggrieved that Barbie didn’t notice him and reciprocate his affections. This is not dissimilar to the grievances of some real-life men under contemporary feminism. Why don’t women’s lives revolve around them? And what can they do to address this perceived injustice? The movie cleverly parallels the emotions, narratives and logics that lead men to extreme antifeminist and misogynistic thinking, and in doing so exposes the flimsiness of their foundations. Having undertaken <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-12/apo-nid307612.pdf">research</a> on online antifeminist discourses, Ken’s journey from aggrievement to masculine “enlightenment” parallels themes we found in Men’s Rights Activist spaces. Radicalisation into this world is often motivated by a feeling among boys and men of being left behind by a feminist world or system that doesn’t value them. This then leads them to long for an imagined natural order of patriarchy where women are back in their place and men regain their entitlements. These logics underpin <a href="https://theconversation.com/yes-the-incel-community-has-a-sexism-problem-but-we-can-do-something-about-it-207206">incel</a> culture, a movement that is increasingly understood as a terror threat, and has been associated with various acts of terror, such as the 2022 Aotearoa New Zealand <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/closest-to-an-incel-attack-nz-has-had-experts-concern-after-attempted-murder-of-auckland-schoolgirls/HYPEVZ6F4BFT3CV2O4SXS5FR7U/">Epsom crash case</a>. <h2>The manosphere and MRAS</h2> The “<a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-68360-7_2">manosphere</a>” can be understood as a loose coalition of antifeminist online subcultures. This includes MRAs (<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1097184X15574338">Men’s Rights Activists</a>) who claim reverse discrimination and that feminism has gone too far, and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1097184X18816118">Redpillers</a> who claim to have swallowed the “red pill” to see the truth about feminism’s dominance. PUAs (<a href="https://repository.upenn.edu/entities/publication/d8971ded-1ec3-4939-8c0a-ab248dad62ba">Pick up Artists</a>) teach men how to manipulate the women they feel they are entitled to, to give them sex; and MGTOWs (<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369118X.2020.1751867">Men Going Their Own Way</a>), who are antifeminist separatists (from women). Some of the most well known members of the manosphere are incels (involuntary celibates) a misogynistic community of self identified “beta-males” who want an end to women’s rights which prevent them from getting sex. <h2>Ken’s grievances</h2> Like many MRAs, Ken struggles with a sense of entitlement romantically (rather than sexually in genital-free Barbieland), and in attitudes to power and respect. Ken was being “<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/friend%20zone">friend-zoned</a>” by Barbie, who despite being “boyfriend and girlfriend” wouldn’t let him stay over at the Dream House, because “every night is girl’s night”. This is coupled with a feeling of not being special, as Ken is essentially interchangeable with any other Ken. He is also “alpha’d” by other Kens: in the language of the manosphere, Barbie is a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-27/incels-inside-their-terrifying-online-world/9700932">“Stacy” and the other Ken is an alpha “Chad”</a> preventing him from getting what he wants. In <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-12/apo-nid307612.pdf">our data</a> we found women are often described as “overlords”, man-haters, misandrists and “feminazis”. Among other concerns, men perceive economic loss due to women’s participation in the workplace, and crucially a lack of men’s sexual access to women brought about by the gains of feminism such as the awareness raised around consent by the #metoo movement. These men all share a starting point of grievance at women and their perceived indifference towards them. When Ken goes to the real world, he discovers patriarchy and he LOVES it. He has been “redpilled”. Patriarchy explains his aggrievement, and affirms his feelings. He takes patriarchy back to Barbieland and transforms it to Kendom, where the men change it to a society oriented around men and their power (and horses…). <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y1IgAEejvqM?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Redpilled ken</h2> This redpilled Ken is a hilarious parody of the “neomasculinity” of the pick up artist (PUA) movement, that seeks to restore a masculine-centred world. Neomasculinity is about a belief in biological difference, traditional masculinity and heteronormative gender roles. The amusing depiction of the Kens trying to perform traditional <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/hypermasculinity">hypermasculinity</a> and needing their egos stroked – such as in a hilarious scene where the Kens are serenading the Barbies on the beach with an acoustic rendition of Matchbox Twenty’s <a href="https://youtu.be/HAkHqYlqops">Push</a> (“I wanna push you around … I wanna take you for granted”) – brilliantly shows the extent to which toxic masculinity is learned. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HAkHqYlqops?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Additionally, the competition among the Kens (that the Barbies ultimately stoke to overturn the Kentriarchy) is the perfect illustration of the damage toxic models of masculinity does to men. As Australian sociologist Raewyn Connell has long argued, almost no men can live up to <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/27640853">masculine ideals</a>, resulting in negative outcomes not just for women but also for men themselves. <h2>Finding the real Ken</h2> The movie ends with Barbie, her human (America Ferrera), “Weird Barbie” (Kate McKinnon) and Allan (Michael Cera) deprogramming the brainwashed Barbies and turning the Kens against each other. But what of Just Beach Ken? And what can we learn from this for preventing or managing radicalisation of this feeling of aggrievement in real men or boys? Well, Barbie and Ken reach a middle ground. Barbie encourages Ken to work out who he is outside of his relation to Barbie, and to learn being Just Ken is enough. This isn’t dissimilar to the methods of men’s behaviour change programs and counselling for men who use violence, which use <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10926771.2023.2189043">trauma-informed motivational interviewing</a>, reflect on challenging gender norms and breaking down rigid thought processes, and developing emotional literacy and communication strategies. But it also illustrates that men and boys need alternative narratives to make sense of themselves in the world, and alternative communities for affirmation, before it gets to this stage. In <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-12/apo-nid307612.pdf">our report</a>, we recommended: "Providing alternative narratives and considering how far-right [or MRA] groups provide men with emotional support networks, with a view to providing better alternatives." Feminism has consistently been about separating attributes from their gendered associations, breaking down the Barbie/Ken binary. So if there is one thing we can take away from the Barbie movie, it is that hierarchy and rigid gender benefits nobody, and power and social roles have nothing to do with the genitals you are born with.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210273/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lucy-nicholas-145660">Lucy Nicholas</a>, Associate professor Sexualities and Genders / Sociology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/western-sydney-university-1092">Western Sydney University</a> Image credits: Warner Bros. This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/kens-rights-our-research-shows-barbie-is-surprisingly-accurate-on-how-mens-rights-activists-are-radicalised-210273">original article</a>.

Caring

What I’ve learnt about dying as an intensive care physician

Ken Hillman is Professor of Intensive Care at the University of New South Wales, the Director of the Simpson Centre for Health Services Research and is an actively practising clinician in Intensive Care, at Liverpool Hospital. As an intensive care physician I’m increasingly confronted with managing patients who are at the end of their life. Australians need to be aware that the way that they will spend the last few days or weeks of their lives is largely predetermined, not by their own wishes but by a medical conveyor belt from the community into acute hospitals and from there into intensive care units. There’s no conspiracy behind this, it has just happened this way. The drivers include unreal societal expectations of what modern medicine can and, more importantly, cannot offer, fed by daily reports of the latest miracle cures; a medical profession that’s uncomfortable with discussing dying and death; medical specialisation that has resulted in amazing advances but focuses on specific single-organ problems and not the patient’s overall health status; and a lack of doctors who can stand back and recognise patients who are at the end of their lives. All this is reinforced by a society reluctant to openly discuss issues around ageing and dying. The perfect storm. Interestingly, nobody wants it this way. Almost 70 per cent of Australians want to die in their own homes. Yet, almost 70 per cent will die in acute care hospitals. People who suddenly become ill in their homes or in the community usually have an ambulance called. They are now on the conveyor belt. Ambulance personnel have no discretionary power – they have to take the patient to an acute hospital for further assessment. Acute illness or trauma is frightening and most of us have little knowledge of what is available in the acute hospital. So, the journey starts – and for many, it’s appropriate. Medicine can perform some miracles. But for others, the so-called illness state is a normal and expected part of the dying process. Differentiating can be difficult. The major challenge is to identify a potentially reversible component of a disease. Something that medicine can recognise and reverse – a patient who has fallen and fractured his hip can have it repaired, for instance. But for many older people, there’s often little that’s amenable to modern medicine. As people age, they collect chronic health conditions or co-morbidities – this is the medicalisation of the ageing process. These conditions can sometimes be controlled but they’re not usually reversible. Organ function declines markedly with age. Muscles become weaker, bones become more brittle, vital organ function deteriorates, brain function diminishes and wrinkles appear. The rate at which this occurs is encoded at conception and is called apoptosis – the programed death of cells and tissues. You can optimise your chances of reaching your apoptotic potential with the help of living healthily and modern medicine. Diabetes can be controlled, for instance, and coronary arteries unblocked. Nevertheless, ageing is unavoidable and dying inevitable. Eventually the combination of chronic conditions means that even a small acute problem such as a simple urinary tract infection can result in death. This presents the dilemma for medicine and patients – how far do we go to sustain life? Doctors are programed to cure. In an age of medical specialisation, they concentrate on incremental improvements in care of their own organ and refer to colleagues for advice about the other problems. As a result, elderly patients are often taking many medications with little or no benefit in the context of their chronic health status. Clinical trials showing the efficacy of medicines are conducted in selected patients, not 90-year-olds with many chronic health problems. And when the end is finally near, those at the end of their lives come to hospitals for their last few days or weeks. Many are placed on life support machines and can no longer relate to their relatives and friends. Those who are conscious often plead to be allowed to die. As an intensive care specialist I often become frustrated with my colleagues’ failure to recognise when patients are at the end of life. One of the worst phone calls an intensivist can receive from a colleague goes something like this, “I’ve had a chat to the relatives and they say they want everything done, can you help?” This puts people like me in a difficult position. First, there’s an inference that what we can do will make the patient better. Then there’s the difficult situation of having to explain for the first time that we believe the patient is at the end of her life and any further active management would be futile. The speciality of intensive care has a special responsibility to begin a frank and open discussion with our society about the limitations of modern medicine and the inevitability of ageing and dying. Hopefully, this will help people think about how they want to end their life. This article first appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/reflections-on-dying-from-an-intensive-care-physician-10082" target="_blank">The Conversation.</a> Related links: <a href="/health/caring/2016/05/ageing-in-home-in-the-21st-century/">A look at ageing in-home in the 21st century</a> <a href="/health/caring/2016/04/tips-for-choosing-a-carer/">Top 5 things to consider when choosing a carer</a> <a href="/health/caring/2016/04/tips-to-for-finding-short-term-carer-help/">What to when you need a carer NOW</a>

Caring

Diana’s bodyguard reveals who he blames for the crash

Princess Diana’s one-time royal protection officer Ken Wharfe has outlined the reasons he believes the tragic Paris accident should never have happened. In an extract of his memoir published by the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/" target="_blank">Daily Mail</a>, Wharfe states, “On behalf of all the professional men and women of the Met's protection squad, let me say that neither (bodyguard Trevor) Rees-Jones nor any of the other bodyguards who attended Diana in the two months preceding her death were from our department. I am still angry beyond words that this team of 'bodyguards' let her come to harm.” Wharfe served as Diana’s royal protection officer for six years before resigning from the position in 1993, and believes his team would have been able to prevent the accident. In his memoir, Wharfe alleges that Trevor Rees-Jones (the sole survivor of the crash) should have intervened at a number of crucial points, but likely would have been reluctant to do so in the circumstances as a direct employee of the Fayeds. Wharfe writes, “I can say with certainty, drawing on decades of police experience, that Diana's death was not murder but a dreadful accident that should have been avoided. She was not the victim of shadowy figures who regarded her as an embarrassment to the Establishment, but of her boyfriend's erratic behaviour and her bodyguard's mistakes.” Rees-Jones has said under oath that he has no concrete memories regarding the tragic incident, due to a head injury that was suffered as part of the collision. Wharfe has also addressed the rumour that Prince Harry’s biological father was not Prince Charles in his book, refuting rumours that Harry’s father is actually James Hewitt, writing, “A simple comparison of dates proves it is impossible for Hewitt to be Harry's father. Only once did I ever discuss it with her, and Diana was in tears about it.” What do you make of these revelations? Let us know in the comments. Image credit: Twitter / The Daily Beast Related links: <a href="/lifestyle/relationships/2016/08/most-iconic-couples-in-history/">10 of the most iconic couples in history</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/07/price-harry-regrets-not-speaking-about-dianas-death/">Prince Harry reveals he regrets not speaking about Diana’s death</a> <a href="/news/news/2016/07/photos-of-princess-diana-in-1991-circulates/">Photos of Princess Diana in 1991 circulates</a>

News

The man that wants you to talk about how you want to die today

Have you thought about your death lately? It’s not a train of thought most people want to spend too much time thinking about, and that’s exactly the problem, according to intensive care specialist Ken Hillman. The professor of intensive care at the University of NSW spoke yesterday at TEDxSydney about the need for us all to have the end-of-life conversation, to talk about how we want to die. Professor Hillman says our society is afraid to speak about the reality of death, instead focusing on the miraculous medical stories of overcoming the odds to survive. Unfortunately, those stories are rare and the brutal truth is, at least for now, modern medicine can’t solve everything. That’s why Professor Hillman says we need to be prepared to plan how we want our lives to end. “Ask yourself, what sort of state would be unacceptable?” Professor Hillman told <a href="http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/why-you-need-to-talk-about-death-today/news-story/dfcfe8966739fa3e8bd76a210fcddcef" target="_blank">news.com.au.</a> “You might not want to be in a state of constant pain. You may not want to live if you have no control over your bowel movements, you’re demented, bed-bound or you don’t recognise your family.” He revealed, “Hardly a day goes by when I don’t look at someone on a life-support machine and think, ‘Don’t ever let this happen to me.’” He hopes his talk will provoke people to think about their death and have the frank conversation with their family about what their wish your “advanced care directives” to be, before it’s too late. “I want to spark more end-of-life conversations which I believe are currently happening too late,” says Professor Hillman, in a UNSW media release, ahead of his TED talk. “The elderly, their caregivers and loved ones need to talk about how far they would like to pursue medical treatment to prolong life when their condition deteriorates, including admission to intensive care, rescue surgery or futile chemotherapy.” Professor Hillman added, "I want for people to be more aware of the inevitably of ageing and dying.” Have you had end-of-life discussion with your family? Share with us in the comments below. Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/caring/2016/04/why-men-dont-go-to-doctor/">Why won’t my husband see the doctor?</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/caring/2016/04/why-women-need-other-women/">Why women need other women</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/health/caring/2016/03/how-to-declutter-your-life/">7 ways to declutter your life</a>

News

Long lost photo series captures timeless nature of motherhood

A rediscovered long lost collection of photographs taken over 50 years ago captures the timeless nature of motherhood. American photographer Ken Heyman, whose career spanned seven decades and saw him photograph famous stars like Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe, recently received a call asking him to collect some of his work from a storage facility that was closing. There the 83-yer-old photographer stumbled across a folder titled “Mother”. Inside was stacks of intimate images of mothers with their children that he shot in the 60s when travelling the world for a photography book called Family, released in 1965. The Pulitzer-nominated book sold over a quarter million copies and was one of the ten biggest selling photography books at the time. Scroll through the gallery above to see the timeless and poignant portrayals of mother and child. Do you have a cherished photo that captures a beautiful moment with your child? Share it with us in the comments below. Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/04/a-letter-to-by-new-granddaughter/">A letter to my baby granddaughter I’ve yet to meet</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/04/tips-to-avoid-family-dramas/">5 tips to avoid family dramas</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2016/04/grandparents-share-timeless-love-advice-kids/">Grandparents share timeless love advice with grandkids</a>

News

Older Australians – an untapped wealth of wisdom

<div> Ken Wyatt is the Assistant Minister for Health in Australia. One of the biggest challenges we face as a society is how best to support Australians as they get older. Australia’s rapidly ageing population is characterised by longevity, diversity and a desire for independence. This is as relevant in relation to workforce participation as it to the policy decisions we make in health and aged care. </div> <div> But there’s an important difference. Policy can effect major change in heath and aged care. Keeping older Australians in the workforce needs something more – cultural change. </div> <div> Sure, encourage older Australians to take a Sabbatical. Most have been working for decades and deserve a well-earned break. But then – let’s draw on their skills, their wisdom, and get them back into the workforce. </div> <div> Increasing the labour force participation rate of older people is seen as one way to help soften the economic impacts of an ageing population. Over the past decade, successive Australian governments have recognised this and developed policies aimed at lifting participation among older workers. </div> <div> We think about the challenges older people bring to the health and aged care systems. But we don’t think nearly enough about tapping into their brains, using their skills, knowledge and experience. Older Australians are an invaluable resource. </div> <div> We can learn much here from other cultures, such as many Asian cultures, and among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, where elders are treasured as experienced experts who continue to mentor and teach younger generations. Let’s bring this to the broader Australian society. </div> <div> Older people are in a different stage of life, where generally, they’re not as easily distressed or distracted as their younger generations. They have learned life-skills, and developed character traits that only time and the challenges that life brings. Things like patience, resilience, humility, and good humour in difficulties. They have built networks. They have wisdom. They don’t panic. They listen, learn and mentor. They take fewer sickies. And they get things done. They make excellent staff members. </div> <div> The trends are positive. The participation rate of Australians aged 55 and over has increased from 25 per cent to 34 per cent over the past 30 years, with most of the increase occurring in the past decade. </div> <div> Post-GFC it is likely that the labour market will continue to strengthen for the foreseeable future. As demand for workers picks up, it is likely to create even greater opportunities for those able to extend their working lives beyond the traditional (and increasingly meaningless) retirement age. </div> <div> As well, there is a growing recognition of the value of older workers, which is likely to reduce some of the barriers that might previously have prevented some from participating in the labour force. </div> <div> But it’s not just about economics or stats. And it’s not about keeping older people working longer – after-all, these people deserve a well-earned break, a rest from working hard throughout their lives. </div> <div> What it is about, is Australian society not losing out. Our society cannot afford to lose the knowledge, experience and wisdom by older people leaving the workforce - being put out to pasture so to speak – just due to reaching some arbitrary use by date. We need to find better ways to be able to tap into their wisdom, to draw on it. </div> <div> This has to be a joint effort across society, from all levels of governments and employer organisations – including developing comprehensive strategies around the right retirement income policies, including super and pensions; redressing incentives to early retirement; and providing job search and placement support for older job seekers. </div> <div> I think that much work is yet to be done to draw on older Australians experience in the workforce – to be contributing to both their own wellbeing and sense of worth and the economic growth of the nation. </div> <div> As a society, we need to change our perspective. We need to understand that old is not useless, or irrelevant. Just because you’re older doesn’t mean you’ve run your race. You’re still very much part of building Australia’s future, you are important, and Australia’s economy needs the experience of elders in the workforce. If you would like to contribute to Over60, please email our Editor - alexandra@oversixty.com.au </div> <div> </div>

News

Older Australians – an untapped wealth of wisdom

News

Our Partners

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Games

Information

Keep up to date

Search

"Losing his speech": Home Alone star's major health update

Ken’s rights? Our research shows Barbie is surprisingly accurate on how ‘men’s rights activists’ are radicalised

What I’ve learnt about dying as an intensive care physician

Diana’s bodyguard reveals who he blames for the crash

The man that wants you to talk about how you want to die today

Long lost photo series captures timeless nature of motherhood

Older Australians – an untapped wealth of wisdom

Older Australians – an untapped wealth of wisdom

Our Partners