Is there a trend toward strong masculinity that is having a negative impact on American society? And if so - where is this message of strong masculinity coming from? And did fear of a trend toward strong masculinity scare voters to vote for the more “woke” side of the political spectrum?
MS NOW host - Joe Scarborough recently criticized for NFL punter and ESPN host - Pat McAfee - accusing McAfee’s hyper-masculine persona of ruining ESPN’s “Game Day” on Saturday mornings during the college football season. But Morning Joe went a lot further with his criticism of McAfee. “I’ve just had enough of this. Pat McAfee is ruining ‘College Game Day.’ I look forward to waking up Saturday mornings and watching that. And I don’t know if they haven’t got the message yet, but the manosphere that we all thought was brought in in ‘24, it may get washed aside. And maybe you aren’t having to be, you know, yelling at people and being freaked out because two kids in Utah put up signs or say something that might offend you,” Scarborough said on MS NOW.
Morning Joe implied that a fear of over-masculinity in America may have caused voters to vote for Democrats.
The role of men has changed
In American society - the ever-changing roles of men and women have caused many young and adult men to question how masculine they should be. Since the Women’s Lib Movement in the 70s - women have continued to invade work spaces traditionally dominated by men. Women now earn 57% of college degrees compared to 43% for men. Close to 1 in 5 men ages 25-34 live with their parents because they have not been able to obtain economic security and independence.
There’s more to the battle over masculinity. Men account for 80% of all suicides and drug overdoses among men increased dramatically between 2003 and 2022. Much of the crisis over masculinity in America is blamed on men feeling a sense of despair and a feeling that they are not really understood. There’s confusion over what it means to be masculine.
The crisis over masculinity is playing out in a place known as the “manosphere”. The manosphere is a connection of online communities that promote male supremacy and even an anti-feminine view of life. Many men get drawn into the manosphere by inquiring about dating tips and health and workout tips - but get sucked into a darker area where misogyny and even promoting violence against women are the primary message for young and adult men.
Millions of men are vulnerable to misogynistic messages at a time when gender roles are fading in society. The question of how masculine should men be is a legit question. In recent years - we have heard the term “toxic masculinity” - which refers to a role of male dominance over women and even violence toward women.
In the State of American Men 2023 report - two-thirds of young men aged 18-23 said they felt like no one really understood them. The manosphere targets these men and attempts to enhance their feelings of isolation and blaming women for those feelings is popular.
There is a political divide to the crisis over masculinity with 53% of Republicans seeing themselves as very masculine compared to only 29% of Democrat men.
The current criticism of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is grounded in Hegseth’s super-macho persona. Hawkish on war and finding ways to bypass women - and people of color - for promotions - depict Hegseth as a man showing off his masculinity. This may be done out of insecurity over his masculinity. Often men over compensate out of fear they will not be viewed as masculine.
It’s fair to describe President Donald Trump as a very masculine male who has a history of having a problem with women - unless they are lying down. Trump’s bully attitude and the quickness with which he bashes female reporters all speak to a strong sense of traditional male dominance with a degree of misogyny.
President Trump’s influence in creating an attitude of men being overly-masculine is not without merit. Presidents are known to inspire trends in American society. On a hunting trip in 1902 - Theodore Roosevelt refused to kill a bear cub and that inspired a store in New York to create the “Teddy’s bear” - known today as the Teddy bear which is a mainstay in the toy industry.
In 1930 - President Franklin Roosevelt’s “fireside chats” inspired Americans to adopt more intimate and personal conversations.
In the late-1950s - the character “Mr. Clean” was created by Procter & Gamble during the Eisenhower Administration. President Eisenhower was bald. The actual “Mr. Clean” was modeled after a Navy sailor in Pensacola, FL - but consumers related the character’s bald, friendly look to the president. That connection added to the credibility of the product “Mr Clean.”
In 1961 - President John F. Kennedy made the decision to go without a hat during his inauguration. At the time - many men wearing hats was common. Look at vintage pictures of New York City or Canal Street in New Orleans and you will see most men wearing hats. But President Kennedy not wearing a hat started that trend.
There is little doubt that President Trump’s macho attitude has contributed to the crisis over masculinity in America. While men are taught to be respectful of women and resist any temptation to use their strength to dominate women - men are also being told that women are to blame for their feelings of insecurity and inadequacies.
For most men there is no crisis in masculinity. Men can understand that they can be sensitive and not overtly masculine and still feel like a man. The manosphere may provide some answers for confused men - but the profits are reportedly in convincing men that women are to blame for their failures or loss of confidence. I’m sure in most cases - the failure of many men is the result of their own actions and not because of women.
The promotion of super masculinity through the manosphere and through to image of the president is not an answer - it is a simplistic approach to convince men that they need to go back in time when men dominated the country. But male dominance to the point of justifying any violence against women will not advance the male gender.
I like Joe Scarborough on MS NOW - but I also can figure out that he is an attention-whore and sees himself more as a rock star than a TV host. Maybe to some degree Joe is jealous of Pat McAfee’s dominant presence on ESPN’s “College Game Day.” Maybe Joe wishes he could be more like McAfee? I also like Pat McAfee and think he is a great addition to “College Game Day” and his antics are refreshing and funny. His ESPN show is excellent and varied. Pat McAfee has a strong sense of who he is and he goes with it and he stands out on the set of “Game Day.”
Pat McAfee was drafted 222nd in the 2009 NFL draft as a punter from West Virginia. Punters don’t always land a prime spot of television - but Pat is a good-looking, masculine man and the amount of machismo that he possesses has worked to make him a vital TV personality. And Joe - if you decide to model your career after McAfee - please keep your shirt on and stay off the chair!
Pat McAfee is one of the reasons I really like waking up Saturday morning to watch “College Game Day.” Let’s not criticize masculinity in the case of an entertaining Pat McAfee and let’s focus on condemning the overtly masculinity that is sending the wrong message to men.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with masculinity - the problem comes from those who think overt masculinity is an asset and dominating women is the natural role of men. The need for openly strong masculinity may be covering up an innate insecurity in some men who feel threatened by the changing gender roles.
