Donald Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance and Kamala Harris’ vice-presidential pick Tim Walz — who are set to debate each other on Tuesday — epitomize different versions of masculinity in an election that’s shaping American men. And dividing women like never before.
Vance’s definition of family on the Republican ticket is conservative.
The Ohio senator has been criticized for denouncing “childless cat ladies” who have no “direct interest” in the welfare of the country because they have no children, he alleged.
As a former soldier from a lower-class family, Vance sees himself as a spokesperson for the downtrodden Americans he grew up with.
A staunch opponent of abortion, he also criticizes the Vance family’s progressive views, which, in his view, “encourage people to change spouses like they change their underwear.”
Democrat Tim Walz, on the other hand, attempts to present a different image of a good family man – one who doesn’t hesitate to show a more vulnerable side of himself, such as when he opened up about fertility issues with his wife, Gwen. Was discussing.
“I remember praying every night for a phone call,” he said at the Democratic National Convention.
“There was a pit in your stomach when the phone rang, and there was extreme pain when we heard the treatment wasn’t working.”
The governor of Minnesota, a former teacher, also frequently retells the story of how he helped form the first LGBTQ student club at the high school where he taught, long before gay rights became widely socially accepted. First.
‘Toxic Masculinity’ Alternatives
Walz, who also coached high school football and served 24 years in the National Guard, still plays up the classic male archetype, whether he’s discussing his favorite hardware store on TikTok or talking about his hunting habits. bragged about skills.
For example, in reference to Vance, Walz said: “I guarantee you he can’t shoot pheasants like I can.”
“The Harris campaign is offering an alternative to the ‘toxic masculinity’ that has taken over the Republican Party,” said Karin Wasby Anderson, a professor of communication studies at Colorado State University.
And Walz is not alone, he added.
Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff, enthusiastically supports his wife and has no problem making himself the butt of jokes, including describing the awkward voicemail he left her after their first date. .
This posture is a far cry from Donald Trump’s “macho man” stance – which he refers to by playing the Village People hit of the same name to start his rallies.
Anderson argues that for social gains by women and people of color “white men need to make adjustments in how they speak, what jokes they tell, how they conduct themselves in romantic relationships, how they How to conduct yourself at work.”
“Some men don’t like change,” he said.
gender division
According to recent surveys, a large number of youth are throwing their support behind Trump, whose rhetoric focuses on strength, authority and even violence.
The Republican is taking advantage of this support by increasing the number of events he holds with influencers involved in cryptocurrency, video games and combat sports, many of whom have millions of followers.
In an extremely close race for the White House, Trump hopes to energize voters who have not historically turned out strongly in elections.
Harris, on the other hand, often says that “the true measure of strength is based on who you pick up, not who you beat.”
The Democrat, who fiercely defends abortion rights, is counting on mobilizing women, who vote in greater numbers than men in the United States.
According to the Center for American Women and Politics, 82.2 million women went to the polls in the 2020 election, compared to 72.5 million men.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)