The "rightward movement of young men" consists of having realized that the Left is lying about some things and then, upon breaking that ground initially, being able to realize that the Left is lying about many more things.
They are not going off some deep end; they are still to the Left of the 20th Century center.
"The editorial board of the Washington Post was worried enough to devote a column to the dangers to the fertility rate of liberal women refusing to date conservative men."
--- What are they "worried" about exactly? Are liberal women "worried" about their fertility rate? If they are not worried what makes the Washington Post think they should or would consider dating convservative men? Is the WP hoping those women will convert to conservatism via dating conservaative men? There's enough liberal men out there for the liberal women who are "worried" about their fertility. If conservative men are so concerned then they should adapt and drop their conservative politics and see if dating opportunities increase.
I have five adults sons, four married with children, four with post secondary degrees. They are uniquely different from one another, as are their marriages. Yet, they all agree that males are being attacked, espeicially for something they are not- for instance the #Metoo movement that tarred all men, or the toxic masculinity ideology. None of them want to return to pre-feminism, yet much of what exists today is not working. Neither males nor females are content ; both want something different, something more ...shall I say, respectful about personhood, not about attacking simply because one is either male/female. As you say, it does not bode well, as both the left and the right accentuate the frustrations of both. This is not creating a place for dialogue, and to ponder together on how best to create a future that honours the potential in each male and each female, every individual .Which is precisely what we need.
I haven’t read all the comments here, but has anyone made the connection to transgender ideology? These ideas are further eroding relations between the sexes. We have men with narrow and stereotypical views on what it means to be a woman actually claiming to be a woman and then demanding access to women’s spaces. Words like “mother” and “breastfeeding” and any references to female anatomy are being erased.
Additionally, women’s empowerment is now defined as how successful you are at attracting the male gaze. Dressing provocatively and twerking on stage, having an OnlyFans account, being able to have sex without catching feelings, having sex Just. Like. A. Man. Why have women bought into the idea that self-objectification brings equality?
Well, if men were in charge of EVERYTHING and failed to share power with women, and women suffered as a consequence (rape, sexual assault, lower compensation, poverty, absentee fathers for this children, etc. etc. etc.), it seems perfectly reasonable to hold men responsible for the poor outcomes of their decisions.
Those men have doubled down and removed women's agency over their bodies and reproductive choices, without a commensurate effort to require men to step up and care for the children they helped create.
It sounds to me like you want men to have power but not responsibility or accountability. This is the logic of children, not adults. Man up.
Maybe and just maybe feminism was never an equality movement. Maybe it was an empowerment movement. That’s not inherently evil. However when you give it the weight of a moral imperative, it is shockingly used and abused to harm the people the movement defines as the enemy. It also does so with a “right” and “just” cause. So it is not shocking that traditionalism is responding back with the same arguments. Both are movements about power and control and who gets to hold it. They then use that power to enforce an artificial morality and ethic to justify abuse and reinforcement of that power structure.
I know this is going to sound completely tangential and maybe even somewhat insane, but I think a lot of this cross-gender alienation is downstream from the inherent structures of liberalism itself - broadly, the idea being that the 'pursuit of happiness' inevitably degrades into the pursuit of pleasure (because all forms of free market capitalism eventually converge on *limbic capitalism*).
So, we're entrained to view one another transactionally and this transactionality means each gender fundamentally views the other only in terms of a utility function (pleasure). In my view, this is the schism around which other problems crystallize and compound.
I've tried to cover this in my literary novel, INCEL, which leans into this bio-materialist tragedy and examines the psychology of the modern male reactionary in great detail:
They hate toxic masculinity. The Andrew Tate breed that dismisses and ridicules them. The subset that doesn’t do their share of parenting or household crap that no one wants to do.
Men are afraid women will reject them.
Women are afraid they’ll be assaulted, or worse.
It’s just not the same.
I have 2 teen boys, and they are getting a world of support from me and their schools and community. As should both genders.
Good article. Great comments. Is there a problem here? Maybe. Is the problem we're trying to understand why the gap in ideologies is widening between men and women? I think that was what the article was pointing at. If this is a problem, we, obviously, need a solution. A solution, whatever it may be, will produce a result and a change in our culture. What do y'all think the solution should be, and what will the future look like as a result of this solution? I think this question is extremely loaded because, both men and women are looking for the "same" overarching thing (happiness, security, ect.) To some extent, I believe people should have a burning desire to not be so easily manipulated. I believe people should have a burning desire to truly understand and express what they want. If a woman wants to be traditional, then she should be traditional, and she should wear her tradition with pride regardless of if she is in the majority or not and regardless of what others think. Same goes for the traditional man and the career oriented woman, but this sort of embracement does beg the following question. What will our culture look like in 50 years if this is the solution? Once again the solution I am proposing is embracing what you want to be within reason, of course. I definitely think men shouldn't want to be women and vice versa. I think the solution I am proposing is in agreement with what others are suggesting, which is that men and women should collaborate and pair up with a partner that is a good fit.
Thanks for sharing this and for providing a balanced view. The root of interpersonal conflict, and much suffering, stems from our tendency to "other." Politics does this in order to garner votes, the media does this to attract eyeballs, individuals do this to feel like they belong. It's more likely to happen when a person, or a group, are having a hard time in some way (barely covering rent and expenses with a high 5-figure salary, having very few friends, knowing they're being paid less b/c of their gender or name etc.), so they naturally look for external causes. Every piece of narrow, black or white information only acts to fuel our ego, which happily chews on this, only further building the rage, hatred, and separation.
The other option is to turn inwards first, before going “out there” to try and fix things, although this is rarely what we do. The solution here doesn’t require an intellectual approach, I feel, but it’s more about finding a common ground, acceptance and understanding through our shared humanity — which you hint at in your post, as it’s clear all the finger-pointing is only creating more animosity. This is much more about relinquishing hatred, negativity, and the victim mentality (on both sides). What if, instead, the suffering of both sides was acknowledged? Yes, women have it hard. Yes, men have it hard. Everyone ultimately wants something similar — to be happy, to be healthy, to be free. That empathetic understanding is the starting point, which then can lead to compassionate action.
Profound stuff here. I am writing on similar subjects, such as the centuries-long battles between male and female. I don’t want patriarchy or matriarchy. For life to continue, we need the cooperation between men and women. Legitimate grievances on both sides, absolutely. Endless battles are not only not “won” but metastasize into worse evils. Help us, Oh God!
I'll ask, everyone assuming that males choosing to vote right wing is a bad thing while not stating females voting more left wing is also a bad thing.
Why is right wing politics wrong and left wing politics right?
I saw a guy giving a talk and answering questions.
A lefty called him a Nazi.
He responded with, "Can you name any right-wing political party that have the word 'socialist' in their name"
Then he talked about right wing government means less government not more, the Nazis had an enormous governmen reaching into people's lives.
So I ask, what exactly is wrong with voting right wing, compared to voting left wing?
Does anyone here have links to studies showing that “men’s violence against women has escalated”.
I read this every day, especially on LinkedIn, but without a shred of hard evidence. Like here https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sarah-nelson-41b775200_these-last-few-weeks-have-been-alarming-activity-7188827623261667329-LsAC?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios
Typically there’s an anecdotal reference to a specific event - which is not the same thing as a factual trend (even if it is heart wrenching).
I see this now in reference to this murderous vengeful hate crime in Australia.
My understanding was that men’s violence toward women was FALLING not increasing and I’ve not seen evidence otherwise.
The narrative has always been that if women have more power then the violence will diminish (see https://plan4womenssafety.dss.gov.au/resources/what-is-violence-against-women/) . Is that not thus happening?
I also wonder why the goal is only to end violence against women? https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/facts-and-figures
The "rightward movement of young men" consists of having realized that the Left is lying about some things and then, upon breaking that ground initially, being able to realize that the Left is lying about many more things.
They are not going off some deep end; they are still to the Left of the 20th Century center.
Older men must pay more attention to young men.
"The editorial board of the Washington Post was worried enough to devote a column to the dangers to the fertility rate of liberal women refusing to date conservative men."
--- What are they "worried" about exactly? Are liberal women "worried" about their fertility rate? If they are not worried what makes the Washington Post think they should or would consider dating convservative men? Is the WP hoping those women will convert to conservatism via dating conservaative men? There's enough liberal men out there for the liberal women who are "worried" about their fertility. If conservative men are so concerned then they should adapt and drop their conservative politics and see if dating opportunities increase.
I have five adults sons, four married with children, four with post secondary degrees. They are uniquely different from one another, as are their marriages. Yet, they all agree that males are being attacked, espeicially for something they are not- for instance the #Metoo movement that tarred all men, or the toxic masculinity ideology. None of them want to return to pre-feminism, yet much of what exists today is not working. Neither males nor females are content ; both want something different, something more ...shall I say, respectful about personhood, not about attacking simply because one is either male/female. As you say, it does not bode well, as both the left and the right accentuate the frustrations of both. This is not creating a place for dialogue, and to ponder together on how best to create a future that honours the potential in each male and each female, every individual .Which is precisely what we need.
I haven’t read all the comments here, but has anyone made the connection to transgender ideology? These ideas are further eroding relations between the sexes. We have men with narrow and stereotypical views on what it means to be a woman actually claiming to be a woman and then demanding access to women’s spaces. Words like “mother” and “breastfeeding” and any references to female anatomy are being erased.
Additionally, women’s empowerment is now defined as how successful you are at attracting the male gaze. Dressing provocatively and twerking on stage, having an OnlyFans account, being able to have sex without catching feelings, having sex Just. Like. A. Man. Why have women bought into the idea that self-objectification brings equality?
Well, if men were in charge of EVERYTHING and failed to share power with women, and women suffered as a consequence (rape, sexual assault, lower compensation, poverty, absentee fathers for this children, etc. etc. etc.), it seems perfectly reasonable to hold men responsible for the poor outcomes of their decisions.
Those men have doubled down and removed women's agency over their bodies and reproductive choices, without a commensurate effort to require men to step up and care for the children they helped create.
It sounds to me like you want men to have power but not responsibility or accountability. This is the logic of children, not adults. Man up.
Maybe and just maybe feminism was never an equality movement. Maybe it was an empowerment movement. That’s not inherently evil. However when you give it the weight of a moral imperative, it is shockingly used and abused to harm the people the movement defines as the enemy. It also does so with a “right” and “just” cause. So it is not shocking that traditionalism is responding back with the same arguments. Both are movements about power and control and who gets to hold it. They then use that power to enforce an artificial morality and ethic to justify abuse and reinforcement of that power structure.
Huh, it's almost as if demonizing men and blaming them for everything might have some drawbacks.
Anyone who wants to exit the unreal fantasy world of feminism and return to reality should read John Tierney's "The Misogyny Myth": https://www.city-journal.org/article/the-misogyny-myth
This is utterly terrifying. And depressing after a two decades of pushing for better gender balance in business around the world.
A related piece I wrote in FORBES a few years ago...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/avivahwittenbergcox/2023/02/03/the-tragic-disconnect-between-men-and-women--no-sex-no-babies-lots-of-loneliness-shrinking-populations/?sh=5254a03a4c0d
I know this is going to sound completely tangential and maybe even somewhat insane, but I think a lot of this cross-gender alienation is downstream from the inherent structures of liberalism itself - broadly, the idea being that the 'pursuit of happiness' inevitably degrades into the pursuit of pleasure (because all forms of free market capitalism eventually converge on *limbic capitalism*).
So, we're entrained to view one another transactionally and this transactionality means each gender fundamentally views the other only in terms of a utility function (pleasure). In my view, this is the schism around which other problems crystallize and compound.
I've tried to cover this in my literary novel, INCEL, which leans into this bio-materialist tragedy and examines the psychology of the modern male reactionary in great detail:
https://www.decentralizedfiction.com/p/incel-a-novel
Women and liberals don’t hate masculinity or men.
They hate toxic masculinity. The Andrew Tate breed that dismisses and ridicules them. The subset that doesn’t do their share of parenting or household crap that no one wants to do.
Men are afraid women will reject them.
Women are afraid they’ll be assaulted, or worse.
It’s just not the same.
I have 2 teen boys, and they are getting a world of support from me and their schools and community. As should both genders.
Good article. Great comments. Is there a problem here? Maybe. Is the problem we're trying to understand why the gap in ideologies is widening between men and women? I think that was what the article was pointing at. If this is a problem, we, obviously, need a solution. A solution, whatever it may be, will produce a result and a change in our culture. What do y'all think the solution should be, and what will the future look like as a result of this solution? I think this question is extremely loaded because, both men and women are looking for the "same" overarching thing (happiness, security, ect.) To some extent, I believe people should have a burning desire to not be so easily manipulated. I believe people should have a burning desire to truly understand and express what they want. If a woman wants to be traditional, then she should be traditional, and she should wear her tradition with pride regardless of if she is in the majority or not and regardless of what others think. Same goes for the traditional man and the career oriented woman, but this sort of embracement does beg the following question. What will our culture look like in 50 years if this is the solution? Once again the solution I am proposing is embracing what you want to be within reason, of course. I definitely think men shouldn't want to be women and vice versa. I think the solution I am proposing is in agreement with what others are suggesting, which is that men and women should collaborate and pair up with a partner that is a good fit.
Thanks for sharing this and for providing a balanced view. The root of interpersonal conflict, and much suffering, stems from our tendency to "other." Politics does this in order to garner votes, the media does this to attract eyeballs, individuals do this to feel like they belong. It's more likely to happen when a person, or a group, are having a hard time in some way (barely covering rent and expenses with a high 5-figure salary, having very few friends, knowing they're being paid less b/c of their gender or name etc.), so they naturally look for external causes. Every piece of narrow, black or white information only acts to fuel our ego, which happily chews on this, only further building the rage, hatred, and separation.
The other option is to turn inwards first, before going “out there” to try and fix things, although this is rarely what we do. The solution here doesn’t require an intellectual approach, I feel, but it’s more about finding a common ground, acceptance and understanding through our shared humanity — which you hint at in your post, as it’s clear all the finger-pointing is only creating more animosity. This is much more about relinquishing hatred, negativity, and the victim mentality (on both sides). What if, instead, the suffering of both sides was acknowledged? Yes, women have it hard. Yes, men have it hard. Everyone ultimately wants something similar — to be happy, to be healthy, to be free. That empathetic understanding is the starting point, which then can lead to compassionate action.
Profound stuff here. I am writing on similar subjects, such as the centuries-long battles between male and female. I don’t want patriarchy or matriarchy. For life to continue, we need the cooperation between men and women. Legitimate grievances on both sides, absolutely. Endless battles are not only not “won” but metastasize into worse evils. Help us, Oh God!