GOP: The Party of Macho

[jmondine]

People are asking why right-wingers are all for small government when it comes to social services, but still want the most bloated military budget in the world. It's very simple: The military is macho, taking care of poor people is not.

Look at any political issue, and conservatives will be on the macho side of it. The environment? Bring in the bulldozers. The energy crisis? Drill things and blow them up. Guns. The death penalty. Gay rights. The list goes on and on. The thing is, machismo has absolutely nothing to do with being truly masculine. It has everything to do with being not-feminine. It stems from a deep, paralyzing, all consuming fear of femininity in our society, particularly the feminine sides of our own personalities, along with the myth of the "opposite sex".

Masculine and feminine are not opposites. They are not even mutually exclusive. Each one of us possesses both a masculine and feminine side. But this phrase perpetuates the concept that it frames, that to be feminine in any way is to therefore be not masculine, and therefore for anything that is either truly or stereotypically feminine, the opposite must be masculine. Giving birth is feminine, therefore killing must be masculine. Being gentle and thoughtful, caring and considerate, open to other viewpoints, tolerant of others, appreciative of the arts, all of these things are stereotypically feminine. Thus, someone in the throes of femiphobia will go out of their way to prove to themselves and the world that they possess none of these traits, and in fact proclaim very loudly (being meek and silent is "feminine") that they are the exact opposite of all these things.

The GOP is the Party of Fear, and femiphobia is a fear that they are masters of exploiting. As a result, they always have a hook into the inner psyche of not only their base, but a good number of independents as well.

In the short term, we must turn the tables on them with our framing. When John Boehner yells on the floor of the House, call it, "impotent rage". With financial reform, the GOP is "soft on Wall Street". Real men go to sports bars, not "tea parties".

Long term, we have to start talking about masculinity in our culture, and redefine it. The Women's Rights movement has done a wonderful job in the last half century of empowering women, but that's only one half of the problem. Men have been encouraged only to get in touch with their feminine side, as if their blustery machismo was evidence that they fully understood and embraced their masculine power. Totally wrong. True masculinity is about being a provider and protector of others. It is selflessness, sacrifice, discipline, integrity, honor and bravery.

Interesting thing about the list above: Not one of them is a Republican trait. If we redefine what it means to be a "real man" in these terms, it will expose the right-wingers as the selfish, petty, greedy, impulsive lying amoral cowards that they are. And all the remaining support that still clings to the Party of Macho will crumble away to dust.

[phaseolus]

1. Spot on. As a man, I've seen this in action, for decades.

I think many of "us" often confuse posing like a man with actually being a man.

For years we've seen polling data showing support for Republicans broken down by gender, and the macho-posing thing is really the only explanation I can come up with for why people thought GW Bush was a good candidate for anything. I've seen it in person often enough, too -- I can pretty much predict a man's political views after seeing how much they buy into stereotypical male 'dog pack' kinda behaviors. (...at least with men over 40. I think it's different with younger generations, thank god...)

My only quibble with your essay is the word "redefine". Everything you've said after that point is 100% true, but hearing that one word will make certain minds snap shut and say stupid things in response like "you want us all to start wearing dresses HAW HAW HAW", despite the fact you've said nothing like that. I'd think about framing it in terms of posing.

[jmondine]

2. You're right about the redefine thing...

Perhaps a better framing would be to get back in touch with what is truly masculine. There are many people and groups in history which exemplify the truly masculine traits I laid out.

Oh, and this doesn't only apply to men. Just as we all have a feminine side, we all have a masculine side as well. I've known many women who embody bravery, integrity and sacrifice better than a lot of guys.

[holiday]

4. I HAVE THOUGHT THE SAME THING

so much so that i think republican men are unhappy with their penis size

[SpiralHawk]

5. "I are as nach-O as any other Republicon chickenhawk. Smirk." -xCommander AWOL (R)

[calimary]

3. LOVE It! LOVE It! LOVE It! LOVE It! LOVE It! LOVE It! LOVE It! LOVE It! LOVE It! LOVE It!

YES!!!!!!!!

If only I knew how to make this a bigger font size!!!!

I LOVE AND ADORE that "Impotent Rage" framing!!!! Turn it inside-out and on its ass! These folks need to be turned into sad, pathetic cartoons - even more than many of us here already recognize them to be. Awww... look at you, boner, huffing and puffing like some big bad wolf. Oooooo I'm so scared!!!

This is EXACTLY what we have to do. Start framing the whole idea of this activist macho crap as just what it is - paper-tiger crap. Misguided Macho. Anybody out there toting their cutesy little pop-guns and playing their cutesy little cowboys-and-indians crap just like the spoiled-brat, tantrum-throwing, snot-nosed, sore-loserman three-year-olds they are. Every time I see one of those guys swaggering around wearing their six-guns in their holsters, I personally can't separate that image from someone who's CLEARLY overcompensating for something... Evidently not enough of a gun behind the ol' zipper and Junior has a complex about it maybe? Sure, simplification and snark on my part, but that's where these adorable folks take me.

Or how 'bout this? Hey you hotshot out there wearing your handy little Mr. Macho gun - suit up! Put your macho where your mouth is and enlist in the military. That look-at-me-mommy-I'm-a-rootin'-tootin'-tough-guy crap belongs in Afghanistan - not here.

[saulmart]

6. Republicans are VERY Macho...

except, of course, when it comes to the actual FIGHTING!

[jmondine]

8. Fighting would require bravery and self sacrifice

So, of course they're not going to fight their own battles.

They will torture, though, inflicting violence against an opponent who can't possibly fight back. The ultimate act of cowardice.

[tavalon]

7. This magnificent feminist is my hubby

Yes, I'm bragging.

[craigmatic]

9. It's more like the party of macho stupidity. Their health care plan might as well be drinking beer.

They'd rather seem tough than smart. It seems that we're more inclined to be right than win sometimes.

[jmondine]

10. Smart = thoughtful = feminine, so of course they take pride in their ignorance and stupidity

[abq e streeter]

11. Good to know others have seen this and agree with the OP

I have been saying for a long time how much of a psychosexual aspect there is to the whole right wing onslaught of recent decades; back to Reagan at least . I think it's the most obvious and logical explanation, even more than racism, for the preponderance of white males voting against their own interest.