my big picture take on walz is that the right has spent the last 10-15 years aggressively pitching themselves to disaffected men, mostly white men, and attempting to monopolize masculinity with an unbelievably toxic branding. the left is way behind in offering healthy, non-toxic alternatives

My pet theory for the popularity of a dipshit like Rogan is he identified a vacuum for guys to talk about dude shit. His shows are basically just about the dumbass shit guys used to talk about with your friends in real life - lifting weights, fighting, sex, etc. Now it's this goofy parasocial thing.

I hate not to have alternatives

I think this is correct. I understand why the left doesn’t want to do this. Because there is no ideal version of gender one should try to be and instead people should undertake an individual process to discover what it means for them. But that pitch doesn’t work on young men in crisis today.

❤️ Walz reflects the non-toxic alternative, "tonic masculinity"😄

Being an actual full adult is not “behind” nonsensical idealism

And if they had listened to George Lakoff they would've nailed this decades ago.

Walz is everything that conservative America claims to aspire to be. Guy was in the military, a football coach who won state, rural farmer type but instead of being a foaming at the mouth bigot he's just a guy who thinks everyone should live the way they want.

There is some toxic masculinity on the left too unfortunately. Have you heard of this guy @notalawyer.bsky.social 🙃

Joe Biden is a good example too. One of the reasons his victory was such a relief is that he is the opposite of the toxic male the GOP holds up as a true man.

Also concerning how the far right has been able to recruit current and retired military/law enforcement. I am not a bootlicker, but it is such a strategy failure on the left’s part to not really fix that somehow.