Hannah Rosin's recent book, "The End of Men", is in fact a misnomer, hence the reworded title of today's post; what we're really talking about here, is the End of White Men - which is what we saw the beginning of last night.
Please do not let anyone tell you different - what we all saw yesterday, the utter thrashing of Mitt Romney and the GOP by the Obama-led Dems, had zilch to do with "immigration", or "racism", or "homophobia", or even the "economy" - and EVERYTHING to do with Sexual Politics. Particularly, that obtaining between White Men, and White Women. Simply put, Mr. Charlie and Ms. Ann ain't gettin' along - and not only is this glaring fact being played out on the political landscape, the rest of the country (read: everybody who ain't White) is going along for the ride.
The few words of a lowly Midwestern Congressman turned the entire election season from what should have been a focus on the lukewarm performance of Barack Obama on an anemic economy, to a focus on what some have referred to as a "War on Women". Todd Akin's commentary as to what he considered "legitimate rape" and what resulted therefrom, is one for the record books in how to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. In what should have been a slamdunk for Akin in a traditionally solid red state, he handed his beleagured opponent, the Democratic Claire McCaskill, a landslide victory - due in large part, to White GOP Women crossing the aisle to vote for her. That, is the power of Sexual Politics, folks.
And it ain't no joke.
Of course, the question turns to what the GOP - which is, let's not mince words, the Defacto White Guy Party - is going to do in the weeks and months ahead. Will they ride or die by playing to their base? Will they attempt to pander to Hispanics, White Women - even Blacks? Will they kick the abortion rhetoric and nativist talk to the curb? Will they drop the fight against Gays?
Personally, I don't see any of that happening. For one thing, the GOP has way too much invested in cultivating a Moral Majority stance; any deviation from that, essentially means an end to the GOP as we know it. Secondly, they have effectively run out just about all of the moderate Republicans under the tent - with the last one possibly being Chris Christie, who, I would wager, won't make it through the 2016 nomination process, because he won't be able to appeal to red state White Guy voters.
Given the demographics of White America - where marital rates are at all time lows and and out of wedlock birthrates are all time highs (while the overall White birthrate goes below replacement), all signal a seachange for the GOP - and it's not a good one. Simply put, White Guys are looking social, political, economic and definitely sexual, extinction in the face.
One simply has to ask - why did Akin even go there, when the debate didn't even center on anything coming close to rape, or abortion? I argue, the reason for it is because of the aforementioned - that he, and many White Guys, instinctively know what's going on; that they are facing an existential struggle for their very existence.
Of course, this goes right to the heart of "a Woman's right to choose" - because Female Mate Choice is the driver of all mammalian reproduction - and rape, "legitimate" or otherwise, takes away a Woman's choice of a mate. White Women having access to lives beyond the purview of White Men, means the very real possibility that they won't choose said White Men for mates - and that is a very, very scary notion to contemplate. Hence Akin's and others' remarks. It all makes perfect sense when you stop and think about it.
The handwriting is on the wall - we are truly now, in A Woman's Nation - and White Women in particular, have seen to it that they will not tolerate any White Man who is in any way unpleasant. So long as White Women have political allies in the form of reliable Democratic voting blocs, like Blacks and Hispanics, White Women's not needing White Men will be all but complete.
So - where do White Guys go from here? Here's a few ideas:
1. White Guys double down - play even more to the GOP base in upcoming elections, and "lose on/with principle". This means that they continue to lose an increasing share of White Women in the GOP, because they've proven that when push comes to shove (McCaskill), they can and will split their votes to support White Women across the aisle on Sexual Politics issues.
2. White Guys drop out enmasse - something that's already happening (Murray's Coming Apart talks about this per Fishtown; White Guys going to/graduating from college less and less, etc.). I think this is connected to point one above, and I think we'll see this ramped up as it becomes increasingly clear that White Guys are basically Men without a country, so to speak.
Because White Guys have since the nation's inception had access to everything worth having in American life, it will be extremely difficult, if not next to impossible to see anyone having much sympathy for their decline; indeed, in the minds of many, many White Women, they'll be like "good riddance!". This leads me to...
3. More and more Marginal White Males going the Anarchy Route - and basically aping George Sodini. And you can be sure that they'll be put down with all deliberate force and speed by law enforcement, while at the same time burnishing their image as recalcitrant haters who can't adapt to a Brave New World.
As for the nascent Men's Rights Movement? It's DOA, in large part because of its own inability to get its act together, to say nothing of internal squabbling and refusal to make allies (alienating Black Men, Women etc.). In the end, it makes itself look like a bunch of disaffected losers, a relic of a bigoted, benighted era that people will be happy to see go. They will have proven themselves not only organizationally impotent, but politically tonedeaf.
This is a truly historic election, much moreso than the one that took place four years ago; it will be most interesting indeed to see what, if anything, White Guys on the Right can or will do about what went down last night.
Now adjourn your asses...
The Obsidian
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