CONTACT CAROLINE
facebook
rss
tumblr
twitter
goodreads
youtube

  • Home
  • Write Away Blog
  • Books
    • Books
    • Trompe l’Oeil
    • Heart Land
    • Gothic Spring
    • Ballet Noir
    • Book Excerpts
  • Video Interviews
  • Press
    • News
    • Print Interviews
    • Plays
    • Ballet Noir in the Press
    • Trompe l’Oeil In The Press
    • Gothic Spring In The Press
    • Heart Land Reviews
  • Contact
  • About
  • Resources
    • Writer Resources
    • Favorite Blogs
    • Favorite Artists



A Masculine Irony

Apr 20, 2023
by Caroline Miller
aggrieved male psyche, banning foreign words, Charles Dickens, decline in American I. Q., Donald Trump, Ernest Hemingway, fascism, Giorgia Meloni, Henry James, Josh Hawley, Make America Great Again, need for a new male role model, Nun Study, political shift in the Republican Party, reading and I. Q., Thomas Mann, underclass men, underclass men flock to Republican Party, value of complex sentences, work transitions in the 19 century
10 Comments

Courtesy of wikipedia.org

The young woman seated opposite me at the restaurant was an orphan. A few months earlier, her mother had died of cancer. Her father had departed this earth years earlier after a fall from a ladder. Both parents I’d known since college, a bookish pair who remained in the same four-storied house they’d purchased after they married.

Over the years, the couple had managed to fill the space with books, giving each room the appearance of a cozy library. Now the daughter was tasked with clearing away their history and she felt guilty. “I’m not much of a reader,” she admitted, her eyes meeting mine as if seeking absolution.   “Who reads these days?” I shrugged as a way of satisfying her.  

 Oddly enough, I’d read an article that morning that said I.Q scores in the U. S. were falling.  Could a general decline in reading be at fault? To my dismay, I’d learned earlier that among the younger generation Charles Dickens, Henry James, and Thomas Mann had fallen out of favor. The reason?  Their sentences were too long.  As a teacher and a writer, I felt my brain shudder when I read that.  No better way exists to reveal the connection between disparate ideas than with long sentences.

Science agrees.  For example, the Nun Study which has been underway for many years revealed that participants who wrote long, convoluted sentences in their diaries lived dementia-free lives.  Could the data also suggest that a decline in the nation’s IQ stems from a decline in verbal reasoning–the capacity to understand complex ideas in written language? If so, then abandoning James’ literary flourish for Earnest Hemingway’s grunt-like sentences has done the human brain no favors.

Dictators are aware of the strong connection between the mind and language. That’s why they burn books and suppress free speech.  Mussolini’s stench rose anew, recently, when Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni proposed banishing foreign words.    

Not long after reading the I.Q story, my eyes fell upon an unrelated article reporting on a different decline. Young men are leaving the workforce in greater numbers than in the past.  One expert explained why.  Men are unhappy with their social status.  Another labeled the condition an aggrieved male psyche.  The root of the problem lies in a machismo nostalgia that is compatible with fascism. The hallmarks are homophobia, hostility to women’s rights, gun idolatry, and a wiliness to see violence as legitimate political action.

Donald Trump, a candidate for President of the United States in 2018, tapped into this angst when he vowed to “Make America Great Again.” (MAGA)  The core of his platform was a promise to return manufacturing jobs to the United States, enabling men with little education to earn good wages. In response, these underclass males flipped their loyalty from the Labor movement with its Democratic leanings and voted Republican.

Overnight, the party of large corporations and one-percenters became a party that feared foreigners and embraced a narrow set of religious values. Out of sync with the majority of Americans, the recruits had enough political clout to divide the country and create a cultural upheaval not seen since the 19th century.  

In the 19th Century, as the economy began to transition from rural labor to urban labor, people began to worry that boys were becoming weak because women were playing a larger role in their upbringing. So they attempted to find ways to encourage young men and boys to engage in physical activity, creating things like body building and later the YMCA and Boy Scouts.  

Today, a similar challenge confronts undereducated men who cling to outmoded “masculine” values. For example, they choose to drop out of the workforce rather than transition into healthcare where jobs are plentiful. Caring for others is women’s work they say and point to the poor pay as a disincentive. Sociologist Michael Kimmel admits that before these men can transition, they will need a new male role model.

As a feminist, I will note that no similar generosity greeted women as they struggled to transition themselves.  But I get it. The Republican Party will be short-lived if it is dominated by men who look back in anger.

In any case, a return to the past isn’t possible. Technology precludes it. What’s more, progress in that direction requires more light than falls from the discontent of disillusioned men.  But where do we look for masculine role models? Republicans like Trump and Josh Hawley may imagine they fit the bill, but as they were born to privilege and received expensive educations, can their claims be creditable?  Probably not.  Still, they will attempt to create that illusion. They have no choice. The men with whom they have little in common control the launching pad for their ambition. These politicians may mumble shibboleths to attract supporters but that doesn’t make them role models.  It makes them opportunists.

For the moment, the Republican version of masculinity looks like a snake attempting to swallow its tail.  Who’s leading and whose following isn’t clear.  What’s obvious is that both ends are promoting a cultural stagnation that will imperil the future.

Social Share
10 Comments
  1. Deanna Woods April 20, 2023 at 7:30 am Reply
    Thank you! A timely and important article!
    • Caroline Miller April 20, 2023 at 8:02 am Reply
      I appreciate that you took the time to comment. Thank you!
  2. louis wachsmuth April 20, 2023 at 9:26 am Reply
    Would you fault me if I tell you that I actually burn books in the fireplace? Let me explain. I found that used books in thrift stores are only one or two bucks. Sure, they are old, used, sometimes with marks. However, being cheap, a person can take a chance and buy the book. If it turns out valuable, I catalog it and put it in my library. If it is trite and worthless, into the fire it goes. Here are a few recent books which I found valuable to help me understand the human experience. America is Better Than This, Trump’s War Against Migrant Families, Jeff Merkley. The Lexus and the Olive Tree, Tomas Friedman. George Washington Carver, (a really worn book, but one I read in grade school, so happy to find a copy for my library.) Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Amy Chua.(an interesting examination of cultural styles in family management, also a fun read). Life Below Stairs, True Lives of Edwardian Servants, Alison Maloney (I had no idea of the amount of cruelty of the upper class toward fellow humans, in civilized England, too). I won’t list the books burnt, all ashes now.
    • Caroline Miller April 20, 2023 at 10:57 am Reply
      Remember, before you burn that next book, one person's junk is another person's treasure. Thanks for sharing your list of oldies but goodies. As I am about to turn 87 shortly, I have no problem with "old, used, sometimes with marks"! :)
  3. Ollie April 20, 2023 at 9:58 am Reply
    "When You're Right, You're Right!"
    • Caroline Miller April 20, 2023 at 10:51 am Reply
      I can't help myself, Ollie. It's a curse! :)
  4. Jane+Vogel+Mantiri April 20, 2023 at 10:14 am Reply
    Another favorite Caroline quote: For the moment, the Republican version of masculinity looks like a snake attempting to swallow its tail. Lots of good stuff to digest.
    • Caroline Miller April 20, 2023 at 10:51 am Reply
      Always vlue your comment.Thank you!
  5. louis wachsmuth April 20, 2023 at 12:50 pm Reply
    I hate to break your heart, but I volunteer at this local thrift store, so I see the back rooms. There are several very large containers where all the ‘trash’ books are put, to later be thrown away. Too much damage, stinks like mold, etc. I find enjoyment digging through these ‘free, take home’ books. Most are popular trashy, grocery store novels, but some are old family heirlooms. For example, one hundred year old family bibles, with names, dates, marriages, divorces, deaths. But beyond this, you would not believe the massive amount of other stuff coming in. Skis, china sets, DVD’s by the hundreds, coffee mugs, figurines, board games, Christmas themed stuff, etc. So, ain’t America great or not?
    • Caroline Miller April 20, 2023 at 1:08 pm Reply
      First, thank you for your volunteer work. Second, America is great. It's going through a hiccup. We'll find our feet again.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

*
*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Buy This Book on Amazon


“Heart Land: A Place Called Ockley Green” is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The novel is also available as an eBook (Kindle and Nook.


Or buy directly from the publisher by clicking on the “Buy Now” button below.

Heart Land




Image of author Caroline Miller


Interview: Caroline Miller on Back Page with Jody Seay

Banner art “The Receptive” by Charlie White of Charlie White Studio

Web Admin: ThinPATH Systems, Inc
support@tp-sys.com

Subscribe to Caroline's Blog


 

Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Sitemap | Privacy Notice

AUDIO & VIDEO VAULT

View archives of Caroline’s audio and videos interviews.


Copyright © Books by Caroline Miller