I watched a video today talking about common talking points concerning how „the left has failed men“
I would argue F.D argues that while this is often cited as a critique on how „the Left“ is losing young men to right grifters like Tate, Peterson, etc.
He eventually argues that these misogynistic forces are not new and have only been thriving because of economic problems (capitalism yaaay) faced in the present.
As I really like this community I thought I give it a shot to post something. If I should try to give a broader summary of the video please feel free to tell me.
Thanks for reading :)
Politics, on the left and right, is about taking people’s struggles and suffering and giving them purpose, meaning, and catalyzing them to action that will improve their situation and society.
The left used to be the party of the people, peaking in the new deal era of the 30’s. After the great depression into the baby boomer era and the early 2000’s, middle class white men and boys had it pretty good and lost interest in leftist ideology instead adopting to the “got mine” right wing libertarianism typical of the era. The left in this time focused on minorities and women who had a lot to gain from progressive socialist ideology and political action with great success in this front.
With this historical focus on minorities and women it’s easy to forget that socialism is about the power of what can be achieved by working together instead of on your own. Young boys and men right now are crying out to join something and work together. Their suffering is caused by the patriarchy and their needs are well aligned with leftist ideology. If we capture them we have a chance at locking down DECADES of strong leftist and progressive policies and putting a full generation of gap from racism and bigotry. If we give up young boys and men to the right we’re going to be locked into the current situation where we’re barely able to keep fascism at bay.
Just to give some examples, the suffering of young men and boys is broad and spread across many aspects of society from education
- lower grades
- lower post secondary education
- cuts to physical education
- reduced recess
- lack of male mentorship in schools
To general success in society
- toxic masculinity
- Lower job prospects due to lower academic achievements
- lack of social networks
- difficulty maintaining friendships and support networks
- inability to bond emotionally with peers due to repressive gender norms
To the problems we all share
- lower incomes
- need for better infrastructure
- Need for cities with lower cost of living (walkable cities, public transit, affordable housing)
- regulating corporate greed
I could go on, but the point of this list is to show just how well aligned the needs of boys and young men are with socialism and anti-patriarchal ideology. We could have better schools and a more loving and accepting human-centered society for all.
I frankly can’t believe the right is winning this fight when they have NO SOLUTIONS TO OFFER AT ALL. Right now all the right is doing is saying “Yes you’re suffering. It’s society’s fault, they repress you because they fear your ‘innate superiority’. Come with us and we’ll show you what you need to destroy to be happy and reclaim your rightful place” Then they point to all the leftist stuff and vaguely gesture that it’s causing suffering without real supporting facts.
I honestly believe that victory is at hand, we just need to grasp it. The only way to lose is to ignore this massive opportunity.
