Canada’s recent federal election suggests a growing gender divide in political preferences.
Polling indicated women voters leaned strongly toward the Liberals, while an increasing number of men — particularly younger men — gravitated toward the Conservatives.
This polarization was not simply a matter of partisan preference but reflected deeper social, cultural and economic realignments rooted in identity politics and diverging values.
The gender gap also mirrors patterns across western democracies, where far-right populist parties increasingly draw male support through nationalist, anti-immigration and anti-feminist narratives, while women — especially racialized and university-educated — opt for progressive parties promoting equality and social protection.
I see. You are resentful for having your flaws exposed by people who do not concern themselves with making this comfortable for you. That, I can agree, is a common experience for men. It’s not the same thing as “the left says that you’re evil because you have a Y chromosome”, though.
The irony is that this isn’t specific to men either. The same journey applies to everyone. Hope you find a group that can help you grow in a safer space, though such things are not a given, unfortunately.
You weren’t interested in generalities and I don’t believe there’s anything approaching hard data on this, so I personalized my point. I had my awakening, humbling, and re-habilitation of self-identity before any of this came up (for me), and it only did because I started noticing how increasingly harder it was for other men to to navigate that same path. I’m one of the lucky ones because of the support system I had before I “deserved” one.
Even then, I’d be perfectly happy sticking to my own tiny community, if not for my nation’s willingness to join the broader movement nurturing backlash against growing hardship into grievance politics and the same steady slide right as every other major nation.
I miss having my head in the sand.
The only thing I could be credibly accused of resenting is the realization that I have to take more responsibility for the state of society around me, and start doing the work on behalf of people beyond my inner circle. For a long time, I said nothing in defense of men because it was very much not expedient to invite the associated judgements. Besides, there isn’t exactly a shortage of (I used to think) higher priority groups to defend. Men still aren’t the highest by a mile, but they’re doing a good job of escalating it.
But I’ll dock no points for jumping to the simple, stereotypical conclusion. It is, after all, a very popular psychoanalysis. ;)
I mean, I have no shame in acknowledging that I too had and may still have from time to time some resentment. Maybe I’m projecting? But I do see in your writing the mindspace I recognize personally. It’s part of being in a privileged position while also suffering the negative consequences of said privilege. It really is uncomfortable to be told that I’m the problem when, from my point of view, I’m trying to get rid of the problem.
But both are true, so I do think it’s easier to get through this by letting go of this peeve. Yeah sure a bunch of women will say they’d rather come across a bear when hiking, some will wear t-shirts saying that all men are garbage, some misandrists will yell that all cis males need to have their dicks chopped off. But if that’s what the majority of your experience of “the left” is, there’s something wrong with the composition of your social life. “The left” is more than that, and in that regard it’s just a fine place to be, even if it’s one that will not let me forget that I still have lots of ingrained sexism - I really do, I would not pass infinitely narrow “purity tests” as you say. Same for racism, transphobia, ageism, ableism etc (which is why I said this experience is universal).
The trouble with
is that
In political terms, I’m affected in so far as disaffected men are storming the halls of power and pursuing agendas that will make everything worse for all of us. In interpersonal terms, “I got mine.” And in subsequent identity terms, saying and doing nothing feels a bit like pulling up the ladder behind me.
Ok I’m signing off now. Cheers.
I think I understand where you’re coming from, but if you can let go of having the guard up against the very real barrage of criticism you have to face as you dive deeper into deconstructing masculinity, you can still try to provide the safe space you wish you had on your journey. It’s not a matter of silencing yourself, it’s more like: understanding where that friction is coming from, then learning how to plow through and still develop oneself with the constructive feedback, then being there for others you recognize could use a gentler nudge towards a better path.
Rest nicely and be safe out there.