Incessantly calling men toxic is a bad way to get their votes
How to win 'em over: Less dunking, more persuading.
Itās my fault. As ambassador of the elites, I take full responsibility for this defeat.
First off, letās admit it: Heās the greatest con man ever. The first time around, people might not have understood what was happening. This time, everybody knew ā and they went for it anyway. When you get the marks to volunteer for the duping, youāve achieved true con mastery.
Am I mad? Nah. Frustrated, but this is just who we are. Itās the same way I feel about the rise in antisemitism. We act like something new is happening, but really we just moved the rock and are now seeing what was underneath all along. Iād rather stare it in the face than pretend itās not there. This is who we are.
(Also, letās be real: Iām a white dude who lives in NYC so Iāll probably be insulated from the worst of it.)
Plus, I kinda saw it comingā¦
The media lesson
America just learned what everyone in comedy figured out a few years ago: podcasts and YouTube have way more power than legacy media now. Dear elites: Stop fighting the last war. Theo Von now has more pull than 60 Minutes. (Gulp.)
Comics know this because weāve seen how these things move ticket sales. A few viral vids and all of a sudden guys who couldnāt sell out clubs began headlining theaters. Guys who got pod listeners to feel like part of their tribe saw ridic Patreon earnings. (The Tim Dillon Show has 42,674 patrons which means it earns over $200K/month from it.)
āButts in seatsā is the comedy version of elections. Itās our way of saying, āScoreboard!ā The lesson weāve learned: You can go on Colbert 15 times and it wonāt have the impact of one Rogan appearance. Especially if you wanna reach dudes.
Ezra Klein explained this in the NYT:
She shouldāve gone on Rogan, and much else besidesā¦But Rogan is symbolic of something bigger. There is an alienation thatās grown between young men and much of the Democratic Party. For years, thereās been no real way of talking about masculinity in liberal circles that didnāt attach the word ātoxicā before it. Thereās been a reveling in growing female strength and a deep critique of male culture. You can have any view you want on the merits of that, but itās had consequences.
FYI Rogan desperately wanted to talk to Kamala. But her team insisted on him travellng to her, doing an interview that was 45mins max, and having others in the room during the discussion. He refused because that's just not what he does. I get that. (Iām with Ezra though: Man, I wish she had gone.) If your media sources portrayed that differently, consider how much theyāre failing to provide the full picture elsewhere.
As an exercise, Democrats should figure out how to make a podcast that appeals to men who like sports. Give bros a lane for something (anything!) that codes masculinity, strength, sports, etc. in a way thatās not considered misogynist. Because the closest dudes get to leftism like that is one tweet every four years from Lebron. Too little, too late. Build an infrastructure (manosphere 2.0?) that streams aspirational masculinity. Otherwise, lilā fellas gonna keep winding up in a Jordan Peterson vortex and no one should take advice from a guy who wears suits like that.
The Republicans are the roast and the Democrats are the HR department. And America wants cruel jokes more than a DEI seminar.
If any/all of this annoys you, I return to this question: Do you want to win next time or nah?
Because what Iām really getting atā¦
Itās time to realize that incessantly calling men toxic is a bad way to get their votes.
Men are sick of being labelled inherently evil. You know how āthe way you were born is badā shouldnāt be said to gay/trans folks? Well, same thing for everyone, including SWM. No one likes āyou peopleā pile ons.
Wanna win āem over? Go for less dunking and more persuading.
Also, stop falling for the culture war traps set by the right. Instead, focus on things that help the millions of Americans who have seen their lives downgraded in the face of globalization.
Yāknow, like this guy's been saying all along:
Dems donāt have to go full socialist, but they should speak more to peopleās economic needs instead of scolding them for not updating their cultural software quickly enough.
Me: āHereās how to persuade people toā¦ā
The internet: "When do you dunk though? I ā¤ļø dunking on people!"
I said that over at Threads and Brad Grier asked me, āHow exactly would you persuade young men to vote for Kamala Harris?ā
My answer: First off, don't attack them. That just puts āem in a defensive crouch. Second, make them feel seen/heard. Third, give them programs that will help them (as opposed to scolding them).
The truth is men are suffering and retreating right now. Richard Reeves has been discussing this at length. Here's a taste.
I worry that weāre not signaling strongly enough to young men now we need you. We in very different spaces. We the families, we the mothers, we the labor market, we the community. Not just we need people, but we need you. And absent that sense of we need you, I think we see a lot of young men retreating.
Hey ladies
Also, we canāt blame it all on men. 53% of white women voted for Trump.
Same as it ever wasā¦
Check out the 2024 results by gender/race:
Tell white men they suck: āYouāre not getting my vote.ā
Tell white women they suck: āI knew it.ā
I guess this is some kinda political negging. Trump out here doing double duty as a con/pickup artist.
In the end, this election felt like trying to decide between your abusive ex and the new match on Hinge who keeps love bombing you. America forgot about all the bad stuff in the past and just remembered āhe did make me laugh.ā
Now what?
Letās go, institutions!
Also, Iām excited to watch him turn on all these bootlickers, the way he always does. Whatās the over/under for when Elon and Trump have a falling out? Iām going February 2025.
Personally, my plan for the next four years is to stop following the laser pointer. I aim to tune out the daily meshugas of ācan you believe he saidā¦ā crap. I refuse to let that man control my nervous system. Theyāre eating the dogs? Fine. Hannibal Lecter did what? Cool. Windmills are doing trans surgery on kids? Whatever.
Itās all Misdirection 101. The wild stuff he says is the magicianās patter that keeps us from paying attention to the Saudi wealth fund up his sleeve. Iām gonna try to ignore the garbage island jokes and keep an eye on the Peter Thiels of the world.
However, there is one quote that keeps sticking in my head thoughā¦
After describing the American public as āa 2-year-old smearing the contents of his diapers on the wallā and āa hormone-addled 15-year-old girl slamming the door and giving you the finger,ā a red-faced [Tucker] Carlson proposed a solution. āThere has to be a point at which Dad comes home,ā he said, to full-throated cheers from the crowd. āDad comes home and heās pissed. Heās not vengeful, he loves his children. Disobedient as they may be, he loves them, because theyāre his children. ā¦ And when Dad gets home, you know what he says? Youāve been a bad girl. Youāve been a bad little girl and youāre getting a vigorous spanking right now. And no, itās not going to hurt me more than it hurts you. No, itās not. Iām not going to lie. Itās going to hurt you a lot more than it hurts me. And you earned this. Youāre getting a vigorous spanking because youāve been a bad girl, and it has to be this way.ā
Um, does this mean Tucker Carlson gets to spank me now?
Comedy
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Quickies
šÆ Had people tell me they prefer voting on Election Day because they ālike the energy.ā Thatās like saying you prefer being awake during a colonoscopy because you ādig the vibe.ā
šÆ Flight attendant is the craziest job. You're a greeter, server, nurse, public speaker, and security guard all at the same time.
šÆ Sharks, my idea is an airline that forbids babies. Itās called NBA (No Baby Airlines). Tagline: WHERE EVERY SEAT IS FIRST CLASS!
šÆ Sharks, my other idea is Activist Soup. Itās soup created specifically for throwing on art masterpieces. Extra staining impact, low carbon footprint, and, in solidarity with Palestine, zero matzah balls.
šÆ Itās cute how baseball players all put on mittens when they get to first base. Iām always hopeful theyāre about to make a snowman.
šÆ I have been overwhelmed with authenticity and would greatly prefer if people would start pretending more.
šÆ My air conditioner wants to connect to the wi-fi and now Iām afraid itās going to have more followers than me.
šÆ "Skunk" is such an incredible word. Exactly what that animal should be called. Sharp, funny, and close to "stink" but not. Kudos to whomever named 'em.
šÆ Everything is more complicated than it seems. That overnight sensation took a decade. That war had multiple causes. That simple solution took thousands of iterations. I call this OCCAM'S HAIR GROWTH.
šÆ The 90's seem downright innocent now. Sir Mix-A-Lot was all "I like big butts" and we were like "Whaaaa?" And then Cisqo told us about thongs and we went, "No way!" Cut to now, when we have an entire generation who considers first base hawk tua and second base eating a**.
šÆ Really thought the election would be decided in January with Mike Johnson and AOC competing in a jousting competition.
Live
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-Matt
Hit the nail on the head again, man. Good stuff.
"Do you want to win next time or nah?"
Yea I would love to... But I think I prefer feeling self-righteous and believing every other human being is an idiot. (shrug) That's my comfort zone.