Sunday, December 1st, 2013
Stephan: The behavior of white male Theocratic Rightists is so bizarre I think it must be a triggered survival response. Men, in hunter gatherer cultures because they were the protectors, being bigger, stronger, and less involved with child care, had to anticipate for the safety of the tribe, and selected for that. Those men who were better able to have a presentiment of a perceived threat, survived better, and their genes passed on. Those who weren't so good, statistically their genes died out. The presentiment of change that is felt by all of us, is felt most strongly by men, and those with over active amygdalas -- which is to say mostly men -- respond as you see in the map at: http://www.digbysblog.blogspot.com/2013/11/demographic-winter-in-action-by.html which shows you what the last election would have looked like if only men had been allowed to vote. If you look you will see that only Washington, Oregon Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts voted Democratic.
I am also struck by the geographical positioning of the only five Blue states, based on male voting patterns. This data may also be telling us that Washington, Oregon, Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, all in coastal Northern latitudes are going to be subject to less negative effects of climate change than other parts of the country, and all have relatively good integration of races. Hence, less presentiment fear.
Get a copy of Angry White Men: American Masculinity at the End of an Era with a minimum contribution of $30 to Truthout. Click here now. Join the Truthout book reading community.
Perhaps the biggest evolutionary change in contemporary social attitudes in the United States has been an increased embracing of people regardless of gender or gender preference. Needless to say there are many battles to be fought, but as Truthout has documented over the years much progress has occurred. Enormous challenges remain, but the overall arc of gender equality is bending in the direction of justice.
With the sharing of power and acceptance of ‘non-masculine’ values, according to sociologist Michael Kimmel, also comes a backlash. The angry white male is a major force in the ferocious efforts to return the United States to a patriarchal society. Such is the topic of Kimmel’s latest book: Angry White Men: American Masculinity at the End of an Era.
An excerpt from the Introduction to ‘Meet America’s Angry White Men’:
Rick is one of the men you will meet in this book, men who feel they have been screwed, betrayed by the country they love, discarded like trash on the side […]
