(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Tim Walz is Redefining Masculinity in a Way That Makes Trump Look Pathetic [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-10-24 If you don't pay close attention, it's hard to notice exactly what Tim Walz is doing. The result has been left behind Democratic consultants trashing Tim Walz at every opportunity. But if you pay attention, you'd find that Tim Walz is effectively redefining masculinity and creating a permission structure for men (especially young men) to vote for the nation's first woman President. He's so good at it that the Russians are running smear campaigns against him. Walz Instagram account, previously a sleepy corner of social media, has ballooned to 2 million followers. I'm an avid runner and yesterday a non political friend from the running club posted an interview Walz did with Kate Mackz while on a run in Central Park. I watched the interview and realized something: they are attacking Walz with baseless lies because he's creating something that's extremely dangerous to Trumpism: a positive, optimistic take on masculinity. Trump thrives on negativity. "The worst it's ever been" is one of his favorite phrases and "terrible" seems to be his favorite word. In a world where young men have reacted to challenges (a lower standard of living in industrialized nations, income inequality, increased competition for jobs due to a higher labor force participation rate from women) by swinging hard right, Walz' understated positive vision of masculinity is a threat to Trump world, hence the smears. The American Prospect phrased Trump's appeal to young men this way: Trump offers young men a fantasy of manhood as an unapologetic assertion of dominance. It’s a vision that celebrates fame and power, aggression, and sex without obligations—the fantasy behind Trump’s taped Access Hollywood line, “When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.” Trump’s efforts to identify himself with fighting sports, like Dana White’s mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship, are part of his carefully cultivated image of dominance and toughness. His first public appearance after his criminal conviction in New York was at a UFC event. White introduced Trump for his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, and the former wrestler Hulk Hogan stirred up the crowd for him, calling Trump a “gladiator.” Trump entered with “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World” playing in the background. He may be shrewd, but he is not subtle A lot of men are familiar with this version of masculinity. It was dominant in our culture from the late '90s to the early '00s. Back then, I was a very good runner, good enough to be recruited by colleges and run at State Championship meets. The running scene at the time was extremely homophobic, slurs flew left and right, about opponents, about teammates. It really hurt me and caused me to stop running. It was driven by coaches, especially the football/track coach who wanted to be seen as manly. That culture hurt so many people and kept so many people from doing healthy things like running or playing other sports. I eventually stopped running and didn't run for many years because of that culture. A key facet of Tim Walz' biography is that he was the football coach who walked into that culture and helped students form the straight-gay alliance. He preached tolerance and inclusion and actively tore down a homophobic and bigoted culture. There are LGBTQ running clubs, soccer teams and football teams in rec leagues around the country because guys like Tim Walz tore down a bigoted culture in the mid-2000s and 2010s. When I was watching Tim Walz' interview with Kate Mackz, I realized that he's selling a version of masculinity that is extremely dangerous to Trump. Instead of blaming transgender women for the problems of young men, the way Trump does, Walz is articulating an inclusive vision of masculinity. One where everyone has their place, and using his story to sell it. Struggling to pay for college? I did too, Walz says, I joined the National Guard. Having a hard time finding a job? Become a teacher, the way I did. Having a hard time staying in shape and feeling isolated? Yeah, I did too, I picked up running and met great people Walz says. Essentially he's showing men how they can lead normal lives without being a raving lunatic like Trump, and how that leads to happiness. Donald Trump, who was born rich and has zero understanding of the economic struggles that are driving the despair of many young men, can't really respond to this positive vision of masculinity. The result was Russian smears distributed on Elon Musk's slander factory. That effort failed and backfired spectacularly, but the fact they did it tells you just how to effective Walz has been. Walz' quiet redefining of masculinity to be more inclusive exposed how Trump's hate and anger leads to the isolation and loneliness that many men are feeling and frustrated with, and how Trump wants to use this hate and anger to get elected but doesn't actually want to solve the underlying problems of income inequality and social isolation. And for reporters who complain about not getting interviews with Walz, take up running. Once you can average 9:16 a mile for 10 miles the way Walz did three years ago at age 57, you too can run with Tim Walz. 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