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Melissa Deckman writes that Trump’s improved performance in 2024 was bolstered by an unexpected shift among male Gen Z voters. Analysis by CIRCLE at Tufts University found that young women favored Harris over Trump (58% to 40%) while young men backed Trump over Harris (56% to 42%) — a significant shift from 2020.


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thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4

A female student writes anonymously to report today in The Guardian about the changes she and other girls in her unnamed high school in a "mostly liberal" town in the Hudson Valley saw with boys in the school when Trump was elected.

"Subtle high fives" the morning after the election; whispers about the "impending success of the next four years," etc.


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theguardian.com/commentisfree/

The Guardian · The boys in our liberal school are different now that Trump has wonBy Guardian staff reporter

"The boys that were the most vocal in their enthusiasm about the election results have progressive parents just like ours."

Girls in the school had already seen telling shifts among boys in the school: an increasing obsession with "the ideal masculine appearance" as shaped by the gym, "the creation of new male-dominated social activities like the infamous exclusive poker night."


/4

"All that seemed as if it was just the beginning of a new wave of male conservatism that was infiltrating our school. Obsession with achieving a more muscular body through excessive exercise and intense dieting fueled by ridiculous social media campaigns fell far outside the realm of healthy self-care. And the desire to socialize only with other boys stood in stark contrast to the co-ed activities we were accustomed to since childhood."


/5

"It hadn’t taken long for this focus on machismo to creep into these boys’ mindsets and conversations. Seemingly harmless disrespectful comments with witty undertones toward girls became commonplace, and feelings of traditional male dominance started to sneak back into our friend groups."


/6

"What we saw now was that all this was the result of an obsession – perhaps somewhat subconscious – with preserving an idea of traditional masculinity that both Biden and Harris threatened, in different ways. ...

Young, well-off white boys from liberal families are being tempted by conservatism simply to protect an archaic idea of masculinity that guarantees them inherent power."

Trump promises young men dominance.


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@wdlindsy Men who need to be "dominant" are just fucking little toddlers that never grow the fuck up.

@darwinwoodka There's definitely a huge connection between male insecurity and the allure of gender notions that are all about male dominance.

@wdlindsy Black and Latino men think they will be let in the club.

@i_gvf Yes, they do. As John Ganz says in an interesting discussion today, the price they'll pay, though, is being informed that though they're part of the club, they have status subordinate to the state of white males. If they're willing to pay that price, they'll be welcomed.

thenation.com/article/politics

The Nation · Party Under Country: Dissecting the Democratic MalaiseThe party continues to operate in an overcredentialied fever dream in the face of an America becoming ever more red in tooth and claw

@wdlindsy Sure, Blacks and Latinos have always been waiters and janitors in the country clubs.

Oooo, dream big!

@i_gvf Right up the street from me, a block away, some of the super-rich country club members in this area held a pre-wedding party in the beautiful gardens around a mansion a few years ago. All the food and drink was served by Black women in white bathing suits — and it goes without saying that all the guests were white.

@wdlindsy This is serious, but I can't help but laugh at the, "Is it gay to hang out with girls?"

@wdlindsy great article however trump only won because more than 60% of white women voted for him. White women handed him the victory!

@peaceforeveryone Yes. Though I'd say the choice of a majority of white women to vote for Trump isn't the only reason he won.

@wdlindsy I feel such disgust at these miserable insecure followers who think they can become something great by turning #masculinity into a cult, and looking down on #women. Thereby these "men" sacrifice a large part of their humanity. John Stuart Mill had it right: "Woman is the female of the human species, and not another kind of animal." Any "man" who believes, or professes to believe, otherwise has dehumanized himself.

I'm also reminded of the saying about Bismarck: "He made Germany great by making the Germans small." I don't believe #Trump and #Vance can really make America great. But they're doing a hell of a job of making American #men small.

@dedicto I share your sense of disgust.

@wdlindsy I saw the same sort of stuff when I was in high school and Reagan won. Went from peaceful coexistence to race based fights in a year.

@QRSS_Test Economic elites have been adroit at pitting us against each other for years now, using race, gender, and other dividing lines to tear us apart.