Social media is abuzz with a survey showing 12th-grade boys are twice as likely to identify as conservative. The reality is a little more complicated, writes Arwa Mahdawi
Sorry, OP, but this is a garbage op-ed. It offers very little information about, much less insight into the study in question, meaning mostly the article just serves to give the author a chance to express her political slant via pejorative adjectives towards right-wing groups. The fact that I happen to agree with her slant doesn’t change the fact that it’s not a good article.
I for one think it’s a phenomenon worth investigating further, this question of why young men in particular are saying they feel alienated from both political parties. I don’t know, but I strongly suspect the extent to which Democrats embrace increasingly exclusionary and misandrist slogans created by feminists is part of it.
Feminism is very important for women’s rights, but I’ve realized as I’ve grown up that the movement’s leaders have absolutely zero interest in policing their man-hating radicals. Whenever said radicals are brought up—even when it’s in a mainstream context—feminists are quick to dismiss them and claim it’s unfair to judge the movement by their statements. To which my response is: if you can’t be bothered to keep their misandrist talking points out of your mainstream discourse, then I have no reason to believe they’re as fringe as you say, much less that you actually disagree with them.
To the extent that democrats either embrace or tolerate this kind of talk (and they do), I can easily see how a teenage boy who leans liberal would hesitate to identify as such when they hear liberal mouthpieces pushing language and concepts that either demonize, exclude, or minimize men. It’s a problem the Democrats have not taken seriously, and I sincerely hope they start to, because the Right is eager to capitalize on it.
It’s not an op-ed, it’s just reporting on the study and reactions to it. The whole article is barely six paragraphs long and doesn’t get into any editorializing. The survey also says about a third still haven’t made up their mind.
And if you’re going to spout of reasons why this is the case, it would be great if you would have something concrete to back up your assertion beyond your gut telling you this is the case. Do you have statistics about how much exposure the average teenage boy has to radical feminists?
It’s literally in the “Opinion” section of the Guardian’s website.
Do you have statistics about how much exposure the average teenage boy has to radical feminists?
No, not on hand. This is just my opinion, but the author of the op-ed above even suggests feminist slogans might be part of the reason why the data from the study looks the way it does. Teenage boys are at least as exposed to social media as the rest of us (or do I need an official study to make that claim too?), so I think it’s safe to assume they’re exposed to posts about “toxic masculinity,” “mansplaining,” “manspreading,” “#yesallmen,” “ironic misandry,” and articles like this and this.
To be pejorative of course, most of those are objectively actual things. It’s like when I say they’re entitled to their “opinion” I’m actually implying they don’t know asshole from elbow.
Well, I’m sure you realize you’ll be taken less seriously when you take such a broadly mocking approach up front and then only temper it when asked. You sound a bit like the feminists you’re criticizing.
So you’d rather all women spend their time running around shouting “not all women” instead of like…being whole humans with their own interests and personalities? What a creepy take.
I think you will find some articles you like and some that you don’t. Politics is a large umbrella and not everything will be a subject you are interested in.
Sorry, OP, but this is a garbage op-ed. It offers very little information about, much less insight into the study in question, meaning mostly the article just serves to give the author a chance to express her political slant via pejorative adjectives towards right-wing groups. The fact that I happen to agree with her slant doesn’t change the fact that it’s not a good article.
I for one think it’s a phenomenon worth investigating further, this question of why young men in particular are saying they feel alienated from both political parties. I don’t know, but I strongly suspect the extent to which Democrats embrace increasingly exclusionary and misandrist slogans created by feminists is part of it.
Feminism is very important for women’s rights, but I’ve realized as I’ve grown up that the movement’s leaders have absolutely zero interest in policing their man-hating radicals. Whenever said radicals are brought up—even when it’s in a mainstream context—feminists are quick to dismiss them and claim it’s unfair to judge the movement by their statements. To which my response is: if you can’t be bothered to keep their misandrist talking points out of your mainstream discourse, then I have no reason to believe they’re as fringe as you say, much less that you actually disagree with them.
To the extent that democrats either embrace or tolerate this kind of talk (and they do), I can easily see how a teenage boy who leans liberal would hesitate to identify as such when they hear liberal mouthpieces pushing language and concepts that either demonize, exclude, or minimize men. It’s a problem the Democrats have not taken seriously, and I sincerely hope they start to, because the Right is eager to capitalize on it.
It’s not an op-ed, it’s just reporting on the study and reactions to it. The whole article is barely six paragraphs long and doesn’t get into any editorializing. The survey also says about a third still haven’t made up their mind.
And if you’re going to spout of reasons why this is the case, it would be great if you would have something concrete to back up your assertion beyond your gut telling you this is the case. Do you have statistics about how much exposure the average teenage boy has to radical feminists?
It’s literally in the “Opinion” section of the Guardian’s website.
No, not on hand. This is just my opinion, but the author of the op-ed above even suggests feminist slogans might be part of the reason why the data from the study looks the way it does. Teenage boys are at least as exposed to social media as the rest of us (or do I need an official study to make that claim too?), so I think it’s safe to assume they’re exposed to posts about “toxic masculinity,” “mansplaining,” “manspreading,” “#yesallmen,” “ironic misandry,” and articles like this and this.
Why did you put quotes around toxic masculinity?
To be pejorative of course, most of those are objectively actual things. It’s like when I say they’re entitled to their “opinion” I’m actually implying they don’t know asshole from elbow.
Well, I’m sure you realize you’ll be taken less seriously when you take such a broadly mocking approach up front and then only temper it when asked. You sound a bit like the feminists you’re criticizing.
Look at usernames, prepare yourself.
I really should.
So you’d rather all women spend their time running around shouting “not all women” instead of like…being whole humans with their own interests and personalities? What a creepy take.
This is such a brain dead take on what they said.
I think you will find some articles you like and some that you don’t. Politics is a large umbrella and not everything will be a subject you are interested in.