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Travis Lacour's avatar

I recently picked up bell hooks’ “The Will to Change”. It was published in 2004 - the year I graduated high school - and while I’m glad I’m reading it at age 39 I wish I’d picked it up at 18. I hope Dems can catch young men earlier in the cycle, before they’re inculcated with much of the same toxic/gendered thinking I’m now actively trying to unlearn

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Liz Plank's avatar

it’s the best book of all time. but i also think about what bell hooks would think or say about where we are at right now

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Travis Lacour's avatar

Yes indeed - that thought crossed my mind as well. What a time to be alive.

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AndersKrag's avatar

Perhaps “For The Love of Men” could play a part with the DNC now going Marlboro Man ;-) as we all know Marlboro cigarettes were originally a women’s cigarette - an advertising campaign changed all that! Happy I’m not voting in the US because men who are uncomfortable with feminism (and they’re many) make me uncomfortable 😉

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Robert DeBell's avatar

I'm hopeful but the brosphere has been around at least ten years and is significantly more financially backed. The infrastructure is crazy too. As Laura Bates pointed out on tiktok if you just have a man sign up on the site they are fed misogynist bro stuff within minutes. It's going to take a long time and a lot more money but we can hold onto hope they get the message

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Travis Lacour's avatar

Bro. I watched a couple of boxing videos on YouTube, and all of a sudden started getting the douchiest ads imaginable. Quickly went back to fashion vids so I could get the usual exhortations to overconsume, but but not everyone is conscious of that

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Emerson White's avatar

Well, this is hopeful. I also hope the effort lasts longer than the GOP effort to court minorities did.

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Liz Plank's avatar

such a good point

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Cathy Reisenwitz's avatar

I hope it's half as successful

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Alex's avatar

Liz! They should 100% recruit you to help with this effort. I'm serious!

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Liz Plank's avatar

👀 👀 👀

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Ramona Beresford-Howe's avatar

Well said and Bravo! As a former (female) psychologist in a male prison, I can add that respect is THE most important thing for many young men, followed only by a feeling of being in control. (Not to be confused with the feeling of power, which, while important, of course, is often misused. Duh. See Republican thinking…..). It will be interesting to see what they come up with that will be effective in helping men associate strength, power, and respect with kindness and equality.

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Tom Brady's avatar

The DNC brain trust needs to resign and let a new generation take over.

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Liz Plank's avatar

i think young men know how to talk to young men!!

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Ryan Herrmann's avatar

It's about time that they did SOMETHING. They lost a lot of men in the past few elections by not even acknowledging their existence. You don't need to tell them what they need to hear, just that we are here and even though there are more issues that need more attention, we still see you and have better options for you than the Republicans.

The DNC needs way more than $20 million to start however, that's just not enough to counter all the programing by the conservatives.

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Barbara's avatar

If they prefer to stay angry, perhaps they can learn that the libs are not the enemy, the oligarchs are. Then we can fight a common foe instead of each other.

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Anna Mahoney's avatar

Come to Aotearoa, Liz, and give our Bros a little love. Our administration is bursting with toxic masculinity, they just cancelled decades-in-the-making pay equity claims for thousands of Kiwi women FFS!

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