Why is it that when we hear about problems with “masculinity” coming from the Right, it is always tinged with anger that they’re held back in being an assh*le, or that they’re upset that they can’t tell a co-worker, “You look so hot in that skirt”?

I’m not writing for the staff on this one (I’m the only man). I usually use “we” when writing because the women do more to get the articles up than I do. But “I” receive emails almost daily, and when I get them from MAGAs they generally accuse me of being a p*ssy, that any guy on the left isn’t a “real man.” I once engaged with a guy who sent me a picture of what he sees as the typical liberal and, as you would imagine, two women, overweight, not what most men would see as “attractive,” and crying about a policy. It was a bit shocking to him to tell him that some of us liberals played college hockey, beat the shit out of friends, drink beer, swear way too much, and do “just fine” with women.

Josh Hawley seems to be one of these guys who think that being a man includes the type of aggressiveness that society frowns upon, and he’s not happy about it. They see “PC” as feminized when most of us just see it as being polite and respecting everyone no matter who they are. But one gets the sense that Hawley is furious that men can’t call someone a “fag” anymore or take his interns arm after hours and swing her toward him:

Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley is writing a book called Manhood: The Masculine Virtues Americans Need, building off a speech he gave at a conservative conference claiming the political left is waging a war on masculinity. “

The American Founders believed that a republic depends on certain masculine virtues,” the book’s description on Amazon says. “Senator Josh Hawley thinks they were right. In a bold new book, he calls on American men to stand up and embrace their God-given responsibility as husbands, fathers, and citizens.”

The book’s announcement comes after Hawley was mocked by the U.S. House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, which showed a video of him running out of the U.S. Senate chamber.

God-given? This country rejected a government that had anything to do with God. And who’s God? I’m picking my own, “Hera,”

Hera
Queen of the Gods Goddess of marriage, women, marital harmony; protector of women in childbirth

So, Josh. As far as I’m concerned, the reason this country has many of the problems it has is that Trump unleashed the inner-assh*les in the men with toxic testosterone, men who thought they were God, and maybe need to practice some other godly things, like “Blessed are the meek, the peacemakers, etc. etc.” Plenty of “real men” (ask my daughter) do just fine from the left and contribute… something to this country.

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[email protected], @JasonMiciak, with Nicole Hickman