I am the mother of two grown sons. Years ago, when my kids were very young, my sister (the mother of daughters) had a question for me. She was wondering about the behavior of a boy about the age of my oldest son. I don’t recall what it was, but it was not behavior I would have tolerated in my boys – think shoving other kids.
She said the boy’s grandmother chocked it up to “boys will be boys.” I said, no that is not how boys should act. All that is is excusing bad behavior.
For some reason, we have a different set of behavioral expectations for boys and girls. Anything rough is ok for boys. It’s just them expressing their innate selves.
Please read that one more time – anything rough is ok for boys. It’s just them expressing their innate selves.
Do you realize what that says? It says that rough behavior is acceptable because it is an inherent part being male, that they have no control over it. That does a huge injustice to our boys. Instead of teaching them to control their impulses (which they can), we set them up for a lifetime of failure – failure in school, in relationships, sometimes with the law.
I recently read an opinion essay in the New York Times: “The Achingly Simple Lesson That Democrats Seem Determined Not to Learn” by Michael Hirschorn. (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/10/opinion/democrats-liberal-podcasters.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare) Seems he has the answer to Democrats struggles with young men.
There is a new crop of comedians turned podcasters, or “bro-casters,” led by Joe Rogan, who attract millions of listeners. Mr. Hirschorn suggested Democrats want to find their own podcast stratosphere for the left. This, he believes, is the mistake they make. They can’t.
It’s because these guys aren’t politically minded. They are all over the map. It’s their way of unrestrained way of communicating that resonates with young men. And, that is the genius of it and why Democrats struggle to replicate.
According to Mr. Hirschorn, though the bro-casters lack expertise and knowledge (all the better, actually) one might expect in a podcaster, they speak “authentically.” Democrats problem is they have forgotten how to do that – to speak in a manner that isn’t condescending.
These bro-casters tend to be scorned by liberals so Mr. Hirschorn praises Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders for being on Andrew Schulz’s podcast. He notes Democrats are missing the boat in avoiding the bro-casters (he chides Kamala Harris for not accepting an interview request) and instead trying to create their own “ecosystem.” His reasoning is the bro-caster ecosystem has cadre (is that too “woke” of a word?) of listeners is already there. Democrats are just too woke and liberal minded to take the leap.
Here’s the point I feel Mr. Hirschorn misses. The bro-caster is an adult “boys will be boys” excuse to act badly.
Per the essay, the word retard has risen from the dead: “The word ‘retarded’ is back,” Mr. Rogan recently announced, ridiculously, “and it’s one of the great culture victories.” Mr. Schulz wound up his latest Netflix standup special with a long bit, the upshot of which was basically that people from Staten Island were a super race of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Retards.”
Regarding the Buttigieg interview: “Once Buttigieg weathers a couple of pro forma gay jibes, he has the opportunity to speak at length, in detail, with humor and passion, about why Trumpism is bad for America.” Mr. Hirschorn took note that Buttiegieg used “a few curse words.”
As for the Sanders interview: “Mr. Schulz introduced him as ‘the last honest man in politics,’ and — after Mr. Sanders recited the lineup of the 1957 Brooklyn Dodgers — said, ‘I think now we call that autism.’ Mr. Sanders laughed.”
Mr. Hirschorn ends his essay with “Who knows if things would’ve been different had Ms. Harris not avoided the bro-casters last year. Either way, fellow Democrats should take the opposite approach. They’d reach a bigger audience and they’d learn a lot, even if they do get called ‘retarded.’”
Wow. How refreshing and fun is all the un-wokeness? Right? I mean, gay jibes, being called autistic or retarded. Liberating!
Unless, of course, you are autistic, gay, or someone with an intellectual disability (pardon my wokeness there).
I think this line from the essay sums it up pretty well: “The bro-caster ecosystem is a safe space for men to such a comical degree that it seems less menacing than juvenile.”
Mr. Hirschorn’s got that right. It is juvenile . . . draped with, at best, hurtful words and, at worst, in cruelty that others mimic without any intention of being comedic about it.
No doubt the Democrats need to find their voice with young men. But, is this really the answer?
Right now, our young men are in crisis. They are struggling to find their place in a changed world. Wokeness is a rebellion against this changed world.
I think you can attribute a lot to the term or idea of wokeness. But I think it is a term driven by fear, fear of a diminished place in the world. No one should feel threatened by equality for all, nor should anyone be denied opportunities based on their sex, race, etc.
What these young men would do well to understand, though, is fighting change is futile. Adaptation is key. Go forward to a better you, not regress to a lesser self.
Clearly, young, white men feel alienated. This, I believe, is where the Democratic party needs to work. First, Democrats need to find their authentic voice (of course, in a non-condescending way) to convey an inclusive message that everyone in the United States deserves the opportunity to achieve the dream of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Then, they need to back that up with policies that genuinely reflect that message.