Democrats need to embrace males with affection, not political strategy, NYT columnist argues

New York Times opinion columnist David French suggested the Democratic Party's $20 million effort to address their fallout with male voters might be the wrong approach, arguing that men needed to be embraced with "sincere affection."

"Speaking with American Men: A Strategic Plan" is Democrats' $20 million project to "study the syntax, language and content that gains attention and virality in these spaces" of male voters, the Times reported Sunday. Known as "SAM," the study will specifically examine young male voters and how the party can connect with the demographic. Additionally, the study advised rolling out pro-Democrat ads in video games. 

French acknowledged the Democratic Party's fallout with young male voters, as the voting bloc was instrumental in re-electing President Donald Trump, but argued the party was "getting the challenge of reaching young men backward," because the "manosphere is not about politics."

"You can’t write a history of the manosphere without acknowledging that it was a response to a genuine crisis," French added. "Slogans like 'the future is female' created the impression that the sexes were in competition, and for women to win, men had to lose."

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The headline for French’s column read, "The Democrats’ 20-Million-Dollar-Man Problem." 

The term "manosphere" has been used to describe podcasters or online personalities that appeal to male listeners and viewers. 

French also pointed to the American Psychological Association's study from 2019, which deemed traditional masculinity as "harmful." The study described it as being "marked by stoicism, competitiveness, dominance and aggression." 

The NYT columnist wrote, "The message seemed clear. Men, you don’t have a problem; you are the problem."

The 2024 election cycle included a push from both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump's campaigns to speak to podcasters and other non-traditional media voices. 

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The NYT reported that part of the Democrats' push to regain support from young male voters is to "shift from a moralizing tone."

"The manosphere succeeded not by refusing to condemn men and not by avoiding a moralizing tone, but by choosing to love them and by choosing to help them," French wrote.

French also argued that the "manosphere" has been planting "seeds for its own failure," and Trump’s involvement with it means that many men are "doubling down on the worst versions of themselves."

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French said men needed to be embraced with "sincere affection."

"The answer to the manosphere’s dark turn is rooted in embracing men with sincere affection, shunning the zero-sum calculus of the gender wars and offering a vision of masculine virtue that inspires men to heroic acts of compassion rather than vicious acts of aggression," French added. 

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"America doesn’t need a left-wing version of Joe Rogan. What it needs is our parents, pastors, teachers and coaches to fill the void in young men’s hearts. Our sons should not have to turn to books or podcasts or social media to hear this simple and powerful message: I like you. I want you to live a good life. Let me show you how," the New York Times columnist concluded. 

Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this report.