Meet Graham Platner. Here is one white guy who can help save the Democratic Party from itself, imho.

[ariadne0614]

147. Thanks for the opportunity to clarify.

Anyone who knows me would be sore amused at the idea of me being impressed by typical pathetic displays of insecure masculinity, such as push-up contests, gun fetishes, and threats of violence on the Senate floor. Here’s the thing. Way back in 1994 I was in the library doing research for an assigned paper for a college course. A book sort of dropped into my hands, and I found myself scanning its chapter headings. Each one had a quote that drew me in. One was from Paul Fussell, “If we do not redefine manhood, war is inevitable.” That quote set me to wondering, and I’ve been fascinated with the male/female conundrum ever since.

In a nutshell (so to speak), here’s my take. Our reality is shaped by language. Without language we would still be just one of many primates. By its nature, language is coded. Over time, cultural influencers (predominantly male) have segregated certain behaviors/attitudes/preferences/etc. as either “masculine” or “feminine.” Popular culture buys into the Master Narrative, and here we are. Until we evolve a bit further, we’re mired in the world of opposites and stuck with the absurdity of gendered categories for this or that trait.

I recognize that each individual falls somewhere on the spectrum between the extremes on each end of the prevailing masculine/feminine scale. Women generally don’t have to prove we’re women, and fluidly express ourselves within the non-extreme ends of the spectrum. We can express as “masculine” or “feminine” without having to prove that we are still female. Unfortunately, due to the misogyny imbedded in our culture, women who go too far into the territory designated as “masculine” are punished, ignored, and/or not taken seriously within the patriarchal parameters of public life.

Sadly, too many men remain self-confined in the man box, constantly trying to prove their so-called manhood. Hegseth and Trump are notable current examples. Many men, thank goodness, have managed to escape their confinement and expand their bandwidth, like Jamie Raskin, Barack Obama, Sheldon Whitehouse, Robert Reich, and too many others to name.

As for GP, your assessment seems reasonable, and may be entirely accurate. In normal times I would fully agree that he should pay his dues and come up through the ranks. The fierce urgency of now suggests otherwise. Call me a silly female, but my intuition tells me he might be very useful in this current crisis. His communication skills are needed. He certainly isn’t the second coming, but he may be the right person for the moment we’re in. The dude factor would free many men to shift away from the Frankenstein monster version of manhood displayed by Trump’s goons, and be willing to align with Democratic values and ideals, leading to a more perfect union. I almost said, “. . .willing to embrace,” but found another word to avoid using potentially emasculating language. See how that works?

Your communication skills seem like a nice balance on the spectrum, and that’s a very good thing.