USAmericans are living in turmoil, struggling to makes ends meet; We see headlines like this, and then we see our representatives—Democrat representatives—sit around. I’m aware this order is illegal, and maybe it would be “pointless” to reiterate that; but maybe it wouldn’t. Maybe restating the president can’t take control of elections would actually persuade enough of the Supreme Court to tell Trump to ask Congress. Maybe a few defectors would join Democrats in refusing to give Trump that control. What else are our representatives going to be doing? Attending lobbyist parties?
This is why so many USA folks are bitter and jaded about our nation, the Democratic Party, and voting in general. We have seen resistance efforts against ICE, especially now in Minneapolis and St. Paul. We’ve seen lawyers and civil rights activists assemble to assist marginalized groups. Soup kitchens and food pantries continue to get essential support, even during this economic recession. During the shutdown, while SNAP benefits were illegally withheld, even restaurants were offering free meals to SNAP recipients. And not one bit of this was thanks to the so-called opposition party. People with local businesses or full-time jobs—people with family members to care for—are taking on this effort; and the vast majority of the folks making $174,000 a year in their political representative job aren’t involved beyond showing up to their cushy office, walking into the chamber, and pressing the “No” button that they know won’t stop anything. Then, when that vote would have power, they give the All-Clear to the fascists…all three times now.
Not one member of the Senate even requested the “Big Beautiful Bill” be read out in full—a procedure which likely would have delayed the bill by months. Introducing the bill by name alone requires unanimous consent; and Republicans got it. Again and again we watch as limp-spined Democrats follow their geriatric delulu leader Schumer, and their followers yell at everyone who criticizes them—pro-Palestine protestors; Newsom critics; those calling for resistance—It’s agonizing.
You can prove it. YouTube gives ad revenue to affiliate and partner creators. Manosphere content pushes the argument that “Life is hard for men”—verifying the feelings of stress and FOMO and resentment and inadequacy natural for all in this social sphere; blame that as being “because modern women…blahblah”—presenting a worldview that puts that responsibility on another group that isn’t their audience; and then tears down some strawman of said “modern woman”.
This content validates the painful feelings that toxic masculinity tells young men to suppress, without giving a tangible responsibility to the target audience. The narrative is simple: men need good women to be successful; and woke women are bad. This narrative also provides a justification for any feelings of inadequacy that again shifts the blame onto women. If a man needs a good woman to be good, and you aren’t happy with your life, then that’s not your fault—it’s the fault of women!
The difficult aspect is that this content connects with real feelings that need to be validated; and many of them are based in reality. Like… HR is shredding your resumes, but that’s still true if the rep/higher-up is a man. Work culture is toxic, but not because of feminism. You probably aren’t doing as well as prior generations; but that’s the economy and the underlying trauma of 21st century chaos. School did fuck you over, but not because it “emasculates boys”. We can’t just attack their manosphere beliefs; and labeling it as Misogyny or Violent just makes young men identify with those labels. We have to provide an alternate worldview.