I’m super annoyed by this “how to be a man” stuff the press pushes right now. Walz is being a normal, well adjusted human being. This should not be about gender. Harris is also being a well adjusted human being, compared to trump who is a toxic fuck. And women can be just as toxic (see MAGA women). I realize that ‘toxic masculinity’ is real, but women can act exactly the same way. We need to stop dividing people by gender and then blaming their gender for the behavior. A shitty person is a shitty person. Call it what it is, stop blaming vaginas & penises.
I totally agree in principle, but to give this particular article the benefit of the doubt, I feel they’re specifically trying to directly counter right wing talking points. So rather than saying “being a man is meaningless” to a bunch of people who feel strongly about male identity, they’re instead saying “there’s more than one way to man. Here’s a good male role model now!” to try and reach some middle dudes who are conflicted and getting preyed upon.
I agree that in the fullness of time we shouldn’t focus on this stuff, but I’m a bit worried about perfect being the enemy of good, and continuing to preach to our choir while 40% of dudes fall into a belief that women are the enemy and need to be controlled and shit.
Ehh. There is a particular sickness among white men. It’s a failure of masculinity. It’s also a failure by the Left.
Men are screeched at about toxic masculinity, especially young men. Many societal ills are blamed on white men, (hell, I blame them, rightfully so).
The Right welcomes them with open arms, tells them it’s a liberal conspiracy. It fills their heads with empty hate and silly alpha/beta crap.
The Left says not much in the way of what positive masculinity should look like.
Men experience heightened levels of anger, aggression, mature later, poor impulse control. This is a natural part of having a male hormonal system. Without a good support system and role models, this can lead to ugly places for young men. When it’s young white men, the Right scoops them up.
The men that look like me, talk like me, have interests like me almost always have abhorrent political beliefs and are full of conspiracy theories. I’m a redneck and often hate my own people. It’s like the self hating Jews or black folks you hear about.
Positive white masculinity is absolutely in crisis in America. I don’t know what the answer is, but it is absolutely a problem that affects all genders, orientations, and minorities. It’s a problem because white men hold so much power and will continue to have that power for a long time.
The Right has won the hearts and minds of many white men. The Left needs to pull its head out of its ass and figure out a strategy to win back at least some of these men. It needs to help young white men grow into manhood in a positive way.
Walz as the Democratic vice-presidential candidate in an age when so many men have been “red-pilled” into reactionary politics — and with Vance as the other ticket’s comparison — is a real opportunity for a different vision of masculinity to culturally take root.
In many ways, an excellent article, but I do take minor issue with the way it is framed here.
I think that this different version of masculinity was always there, culturally. I think it was because if it wasn’t men like Walz would not exist already. Many men like this do and many men like this did. I think it does them a bit of a disservice to talk about their masculinity as though it’s not culturally accepted. Rather, it’s like the article discusses, the left just fails to meaningfully describe these men and why their masculinity is good and what you should aim for. Meanwhile Walz is seemingly actually fairly good at, if not necessarily articulating why his version of masculinity is good, showing why is it good.
Which is also I think an aspect of why we forget that these men were always there culturally. Traditionally, these men have often been quiet stewards, not the kind of men who would seek any kind of media attention. So while the manosphere festered with freaks who simply won’t shut the fuck up with outright drivel, misogyny, and racism, these men have simply been… existing, being good fathers, uncles, and brothers in their families, not trying to win awards or accolades.
EDIT: For example, I think there are many more Joe Peras out there than people think.
it’s not really related but when I think about being a “man” this quote from Pip (South Park) comes to mind
“Well, I’ve certainly learned a lot. That being a gentleman doesn’t mean learning to dance, or proper table manners. It means being a gentle man. Gentle to everyone.”
You mean the right way and the wrong way. I would much rather display Tim’s big dad energy with compassion and empathy than the bullshit Vance is doing. Vance just comes off a spineless little weasel with no real moral compass.
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