CHRIS CRUCIAL: Why I HATE the 'beta male' attack 💪

PLUS: Harris' popularity surges

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1. On Deformed Masculinity

Earlier this week I was watching Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff speak about his wife, Kamala Harris. I thought he was doing a really good job of humanizing her.

So, I wrote this tweet:

Quickly, a slew of people began responding — mostly critical of my assessment of Emhoff’s speech.

Here’s a typical example of what they said:

“Snowy 2014” has an X bio that read this way: “Very opinionated white fluffy dog. #Alldogsmatter #MAGA #Trump2024”

If you are not familiar with the term “beta male,” the idea, very broadly, is this: Alpha males are tough and cool and take care of business. By contrast, beta males are subservient, whiny and, well, not real men.

Through this lens, Emhoff is a “beta” because he was speaking empathetically and emotionally about his admiration for his wife. And because, I guess, she is vice president and he’s not.

This focus on “alpha” vs “beta” men has been a consistent strain driving Donald Trump and Trumpism for a long time.

Back in 2020, I wrote this of the twisted way that Trump (and his acolytes) define being a man:

For Trump, being strong and being tough is tied directly to winning, to dominating, to using overwhelming force to get a desired result.

In his mind, might makes right. And the world is split between people willing to use their power over others and those too afraid to exert it.

Examples are everywhere. Trump as “Rocky.” Trump as a muscle-bound body builder. Trump holding two assault rifles, shirtless. You’ve seen this images.

And the people that Trump venerates — and that have come into his orbit as surrogates and influencers — fit this mold perfectly: Dana White, Nick Adams and, yes, even Tucker Carlson.

I honestly don’t know how this plays politically. But here’s what I DO know: I HATE IT. And it is terrible for us societally.

The idea that “real men don’t cry” or men don’t talk about their feelings has gotten us into a pretty big societal mess.

This, from a 2023 Washington Post article, speaks to that problem:

Being male is the biggest risk factor for suicide, yet that fact isn’t widely known, says Richard V. Reeves, author of “Of Boys And Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What To Do About It” and a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution. In the United States, nearly four times as many males die of suicide than females, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

We are in the midst of a mental health crisis among boys and men. Not all of this can be blamed on the idea of being an “alpha male,” of course, but some of it sure is tied to it.

I have two boys — a 15 year old and a 12 year old. They both use the term “sigma” to denote coolness — a word taken directly from this alpha male culture that predominates, especially online, for boys. They talk about being a “Giga Chad” — again terminology that emerges from the dark corners of toxic masculine Internet culture.

We — my wife and and I — work to counteract this at every turn. I talked openly with them about my struggles with being laid off. And about how, sometimes, we all struggle — and it’s important to share that.

But it’s tough. Which is crazy! Because we need, societally, to focus on raising boys who can talk about how they feel. And who respect women. And who understand that being a “man” isn’t about always acting tough or brash.

Donald Trump didn’t create the idea of the need to be an alpha male. But he lionized and glorified it. And there are legions of young men (and not-so-young men) who now adhere to the idea that being an emotionally-grounded husband or dad is somehow bad.

We HAVE to stop thinking like this. The damage being done to our boys is immeasurable.

2. How Kamala got popular

Back in June — before the first presidential debate — there was a palpable sense in Joe Biden’s political world that he couldn’t step aside because Kamala Harris couldn’t beat Donald Trump.

Which, at the time, was a logical conclusion. For most of her four years as vice president, Harris was viewed unfavorably by a majority of the country. Even Democrats weren’t totally sold on her.

Then the debate happened. And Biden dropped out. And Harris emerged as the Democratic nominee.

And, suddenly, all of those doubts about Harris were gone — or at least significantly lessened.

Look at the contrast between how people perceived Harris in a June Gallup poll versus how they see her now:

Remarkable right? Nothing really changed about Harris over those two months. Yes, she went from VP to Democratic presidential nominee. But she is still, fundamentally, the same person she was in June.

So what happened? Two things, I think.

First, Democrats had grown so dispirited about Biden’s chances that they were ready to celebrate ANYONE who wasn’t Biden. Harris was, in that regard, in the right place at the right time.

Second, I think Harris’ decision to embrace “joy” as the core of her campaign was a very smart one. People like to feel good! To believe that things are going to get better! To feel like they are on the front foot — or soon will be.

Will Harris’ roll continue? I think that there will come a time between now and the election where the honeymoon will end. Where people will ask what’s behind the joy, what it means in terms of policy.

But, right now, Harris is riding high with no end in sight.

3. “Project 2025” is a political disaster

If you were trying to win a national election, it’s hard to imagine doing something more counter-productive to that goal than putting out an 800+ page document of how you would run the entire federal government if you won.

On my YouTube channel, I made a video about “Project 2025” and how Democrats are effectively weaponizing it against Donald Trump.

4. My plan for the DNC Night 4

I will be hosting a live chat via the Substack app tonight. The post will likely go live around 8 pm eastern — although I am not going to be actively posting until a bit later than that. This is for paid subscribers only. So if you’re not one, become one now!

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

"We need to unfuck our economy.” — Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Labor Federation. Well ok then.

ONE TWO GOOD CHARTS

I am feeling generous today. So I am giving you two charts rather than just one.

The first shows the length of vice presidential acceptance speeches at party conventions. (Tim Walz’s speech was the shortest in 40 years!)

The other is more, well, delicious. Here’s when Starbucks has rolled out its Pumpkin Spice Latte over the years (they did it today!):

SONG OF THE DAY

I had never heard of the band Everything, Now! until Steven Hyden recommended them. I have NOT stopped listening to their new album “Hideout Mountain” since. This song is called “All My History.”

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