The Manly Thing to Do Real men don’t do “wellness checks,” eat kale or run to the doctor for every minor chest pain. Real men don’t even talk about this stuff. Be a man, and just walk it off. Unfortunately, this isn’t just the popular perception of how men behave. Statistics prove it. As Maria LaPiana writes in “The Picture of Health” (pages 20-23) this month, a review of state employee health records in Connecticut found that women were twice as likely as men to go to the doctor for preventive screenings. The result of this and a general male inattention to basic personal health care needs? Real men die too soon—on average, six years earlier than women—and their families and loved ones suffer the consequences. Is this just part of “masculinity,” defined by Webster’s dictionary as “having qualities appropriate to or usually associated with a man?” “Usually associated with,” unfortunately, yes, but “appropriate to,” no. What’s manly about feeling sick and dying too young? As the country celebrates fatherhood in June, one of the most valuable conversations we can have centers around this question: What is healthy masculinity? Last month, we wrote about a statewide “Where Do You Stand?” campaign in Connecticut by the group Men Can Stop Rape (“Rape Culture,” May 2013), aimed at getting men to speak up and intervene when they hear derogatory language used against women and girls or fear sexual violence may be brewing. There’s nothing “manly” about demeaning women and girls that way. There’s nothing “manly” about treating or speaking about gay men that way. The picture of State Comptroller Kevin Lembo biking with his son Jordan with our story on men’s health on page 20 this month sums up why Father’s Day is a good time to talk about this. Our sons are watching and picking up on every subtle cue and example that we set. Do we really want them to ignore warning signs about their health, skip the colon cancer screening and put themselves into an early grave? Matt DeRienzo mderienzo@21st-centurymedia.com Twitter.com/mattderienzo Contributors WRITER Chris Hoffman “MOB STORY” (PAGE 43) Chris Hoffman is a freelance writer and public relations consultant. His work has appeared in the Hartford Courant, the New Haven Register and Yale Medicine magazine. He has spent more than a decade researching the history of the Mob in the state. He is a native of Connecticut. WRITER Erik Ofgang “RISE OF THE DRONES” (PAGE 12) “CLUB LIFE” (PAGE 50) Erik Ofgang is a freelance writer who lives in New Fairfield. He writes about history, science, politics and the arts, and is currently pursuing his MFA in Creative and Professional Writing from Western Connecticut State University. When he’s not writing he can be seen playing bass with the Celtic roots band MacTalla Mor. STYLIST Mary Younglove “BEACH SEASON” (PAGE 18) The go-to person for all things stylish, Mary Younglove does all the shopping and style pages for Connecticut Magazine and the Style pages for The Connecticut Bride. She lives in Westport.