By Joseph Rittenhouse
Sedona, AZ — What makes a man in today’s world?
Not long ago, the blueprint for masculinity was simpler—flawed, yes, but clear: strength, authority, stoicism, provision. A man was expected to lead, protect, and conquer. But in the last few decades, that script has been torn to shreds and rewritten—often without handing the new script to the boys who most needed it.
Now, a generation of young men has come of age in a storm of shifting expectations, digital distractions, and identity disintegration. They are floating in the space between old myths and new realities. And into that vacuum steps a strongman.
Trump—brash, unapologetic, dominant—appears to these young men as a kind of mythic father figure. He speaks with certainty, even when he’s wrong. He commands the stage, never bows to shame, and embodies a kind of alpha confidence that many young men secretly crave but feel they have lost permission to access.
So, why are they drawn to him?
Because they feel powerless and only he can re-empower them.
They’re not sure who they’re supposed to be anymore. Women, in many circles, are finding their voice, stepping into leadership, crushing it in school, business, media, and culture. And that’s good—essential, overdue. But for the boy raised in a world where dad left, school bored him, and his phone became his only mirror, the rise of women can feel like the fall of himself.
Instead of being taught how to relate to empowered women, he’s told to shut up, sit down, and be less toxic. No one explains how to turn masculinity into a source of strength and service. No one mentors him in how to rise without dominating. So he either collapses inward—or reaches for the loudest voice that says it’s okay to fight back.
Young men are hurting. But they don’t know how to admit it.
Masculine shame runs deep. You’re not supposed to cry. You’re not supposed to be scared. You’re supposed to “man up.” So what happens when you’re twenty-two, chronically online, addicted to porn, unable to talk to women, unemployed or underpaid, and unsure what purpose even feels like?
You put on a mask.
You flex.
You vote for the guy who promises to make you a “winner.”
And when that’s not enough, you sign up for the military, or law enforcement, or some hyper-masculine identity that gives you the illusion of control.
The military commercials—those sleek, slow-motion shots of soldiers vaulting obstacles and scanning horizons in desert fatigues—they’re not just selling a job. They’re selling identity. They’re saying: “You matter.” “You’re strong.” “You belong to something bigger.” For the disillusioned, fatherless, forgotten young man, this can be intoxicating. It’s not just about serving your country—it’s about recovering a sense of worth.
In the absence of healthy male mentorship, authoritarian masculinity rushes in to fill the void.
Trump doesn’t hesitate. He interrupts. He boasts. He never apologizes. To a generation that’s grown up with uncertainty, economic instability, and a culture that often critiques traditional masculinity without offering something healthier to take its place—he looks like an anchor, one who punches for them.
The ruling class has always known how to exploit this.
You create a subclass of men who feel disenfranchised—strip them of economic power, drown them in debt, isolate them in algorithmic echo chambers—and then offer them a gun, a badge, a uniform, or a red hat. Tell them they’re the last line of defense for “real” America. They will do anything to feel needed again. And just like that, they become the enforcement arm of an elite they don’t even realize is exploiting them.
It’s not their fault.
These young men are products of cultural abandonment. The factory jobs disappeared. The working-class dreams evaporated. Their dads were addicts or absent. The schools labeled them. The therapists couldn’t reach them. So now they watch Joe Rogan clips, play war games at 2 a.m., scroll TikTok until dawn, and long for a fight that might prove they’re still alive.
Trump gives them a permission slip. Not to grow—but to rebel. Against women. Against minorities. Against the softening of their identity. He sells them power disguised as redemption.
But what they really want—what they need—is transformation.
They need to be told they’re not broken because they’re male. That their strength matters when used with integrity. That emotion is not weakness. That sex is not conquest. That power is not domination. They need elders, artists, teachers, and warriors to step in and say: “You’re not invisible. You’re not alone. And you don’t have to follow a tyrant to become a man.”
Until then, Trump will keep winning the hearts of the wounded. Not because he heals them—but because he tells them it’s okay to stay angry. Because he turns their pain into pride and their shame into a shield.
And in a world that keeps asking them to shrink, someone telling them to puff up and fight will always feel like an answer.
14 Comments
Good analysis. However, you know as well as I do that many people join the military to become independent and self sufficient. Then there are those who hate others for the color of their skin, religion or sexual orientation and they see the military as a step in the hate ladder to White Supremacy. There are but two types of soldier- The one who wants to help others or to “Free the Oppressed” and then there are those who enjoy inflicting pain and hate upon others by force. I saw photos of recent recruits taking the Oath of Enlightenment. Most were men and women of color (unlikely they support Trump in any way shape of form) and then there were 1-2 white males in a group of about 50 recruits. In my opinion the economy drives enlistments. Better to have a stable job and income than ending up on the streets where you are treated as non human. Problem is, exactly how many of these recruits will even make it through basic training or DOGE DEI cuts? In my basic training/AIT we started with some 320 recruits. After 16 weeks of training we had 180 and many of those were recruits from other units that had medical issues such as “Bone Spurs” and had to recover before continuing so they got bumped to the next unit due to graduate. So don’t think for a second that the recruitment numbers equal to the number of Active Duty soldiers that are up and coming. In fact many of those who do graduate boot camp are Reservist or Guardsmen not Active Duty because people still falsely assume those are safer bets than Active Duty when the reality is that they will likely deploy just as often if not more than their Active Duty counterparts.
When I enlisted I didn’t give a crap who was POTUS. What mattered was becoming independent and self sufficient not politics. I sure as hell wouldn’t enlist on behalf of a Convicted Felon Insurrectionist who bashes those who have and do serve but that would not have prevented me from enlisting to have a job with security. What will matter is how they are treated in service and afterward and neither looks very promising under GI loathing Trump at least not for those who aren’t white males.
Because Joe Rogan is a cancer? So was Rush Limbaugh! And you wonder why this country is turning into a S%$# hole?…..LOL…………..classic, stupid, and we are doomed…..But hey isnt it cool to live in a country with alternative facts!
Its been going on for 40 years now……
WS Dave,
Joseph Rittenhouse is allied with Democracy over Tyranny. His analogy is important as it is a clear eyed view of what drives young white men to Trump besides most young white men foolishly liking what the Nazi’s were and are. Rogan, Jones, Fox, NewsMax etc. are the Goebel propagandist of a much larger cancer- Fascism! For tough guy Nazi Fascist types they all sure whine a lot! It’s all a facade and Putin and Xi are enjoying every second of our demise by our own hand!
Rogan used to be your buddy. Then wised up. Now he’s your enemy. Almost comical.
Rogan is a propagandist wanker tool-period!
I have a very simple remedy all if you…move out of the country if it’s such a shit hole!
That’s a very ignorant suggestion to people who served and fought for your right to say such ignorant nonsense. Our country does not have to be fascist nor run by criminals! It wasn’t meant to be fascist or run by criminals. I took an Oath to Defend the country against ALL Enemies Foreign and DOMESTIC and that’s exactly what I am doing. Perhaps you should heed your own advice and leave if the country was such a shit hole before fascism and criminality took it over under MAGA.
The remedy is already in play and nobody has to do a thing because MAGA and Trump are rapidly imploding due to self inflicted ignorance. Makes for great television too!
Case in point Susan! Nobody is being unreasonably censored here. When people can say such ignorant things there is no bias here. Doesn’t mean you can incite violence or say things that violate Freedom of Speech laws.
Not really relevant but in an effort to preempt MAGA “Alternative Facts”-
What Marines deploying to LA amid protests legally can, and cannot, do
https://apple.news/Ak_9hOX1gSu2tKSfR9T3EgQ
Remember-The Law is the Law despite what MAGA creates to allow the current administration violate law after law! The World is watching!
The story behind the soldier featured with this write in-
Former Army Special Forces Captain Derrick Anderson was nominate to be the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict.
https://apple.news/AQFsFJ3mpQtezp3KHGjmL7w
https://www.thedailybeast.com/pete-hegseth-uses-d-day-as-an-excuse-for-pt-on-his-b-day/
That’s our Secretary of Defense doing PT while wearing a 75th Ranger Regiment Tab on his t-shirt. He’s not and has never been a RANGER. He’s not even jump qualified and has never been to Ranger School to earn the right to wear the tab. This is called Stolen Valor by definition and just like his fiasco of using unsecured comms to talk shop are both things he should very well know better than doing and yet through incompetence, ignorance and defiance of the rule of law this is what we get! If you didn’t earn it you can’t wear it! I know Trump really wanted to put on a real man’s hat today and wear the maroon beret of the US Army Airborne but wisely he chose the gift shop ball cap he can display next to his purchased Purple Heart Medal.
Hegseth suggests Pentagon has prepared plans to invade Greenland and Panama – video-
https://apple.news/AT8OPbzyoSwilgUY5Qwd5HA
The Mascara Wearing Highlight Haired Homophobic Sec Def says when asked about invasion plans for Greenland and Panama-“we have to have Contingency Plans for every scenario”.
Israel just launched WWIII and our troops and their families had to be pulled out of the entire SW Asia region but we’re War Gaming land grabs upon our Allies precious metals and mineral resources while making up fictional threats to Greenland (Putin can’t handle Ukraine let alone invade Greenland anytime soon) and Chinese Military units (alleged without evidence by Trump and MAGA) controlling the Panama Canal. I keep forgetting that he’s “smarter than the Generals” and his military is full of “Losers and Suckers” only he and he alone has the tactical knowledge skills and ability to maneuver upon our Allies.
Despite the world and country being torn asunder-The Parade must go on!
OK, King Minus got his parade. He didn’t look very thrilled to be there. Perhaps it was because he quickly realized that out of respect he had to stand and salute the Commanders of every single Army Unit performing a Pass and Review for his majesty. His options were to stay standing and continue to salute until every Unit passed or he could sit in between Commanders. Also there was no shoot em up bang bang or unarmed self defense displays. I’m pretty certain the lack of these are what disappointed him so regardless of the absolute nightmare it would have caused his entire Security Apparatus. He certainly looked unhappy all slumped forward with his pouty face on. I’m awaiting his critique of his $45 + million dollar parade. He already has a small handful MAGA Senators and Congressional representatives upset that he got his parade wait until he complains about it! Should be quite entertaining. Kinda like Rand Paul being refused entrance to the White House and his subsequent remarks which led to the laughable excuse to re-invite he and his wife from the White House. Whoopsie Poopsie!