The mind tends to wander in the face of something as grim, dystopian and toxic as last week’s Republican “debate” in Milwaukee. I mean, even at this point in the collapse of Ye Grande Olde Party into a shreiking variation of The Real Housewives of The Villages, you expect something a tad more uplifting than, “This country is in decline” and “We are in a dark moment” from the same brand that perpetrated doddering ol’ Ronnie Reagan on us.
Jesus, what a collection of bummers.
But as I endured the polished ravings of far right wing America’s flavor-of-the-month, Vivek Ramaswamy, the pious nattering of Mike Pence, the cruelty-is-the-point jeremiads of Ron DeSantis and so on, I kept toggling back to … Taylor Swift and “Barbie.” And who young men in 2023 America have to take their culture cues from.
Whatever else this summer will be known most for, the truly remarkable tour of Ms. Swift across the country, filling gigantic football stadiums with adoring legions of (mostly) young women paired with the billion dollar success of “Barbie”, again mostly thanks to the delight it inspired in young women, makes a case that 2023 has been The Summer of Babs and Taylor.
Being just a wee bit of a curmudgeon I can make a modest case that the overwhelming appeal of Ms. Swift and “Barbie” is not without some concern.
For example, there’s something a bit mercenary in Swift’s incessant extraction of disposable income from her fans. Never mind the sky high ticket prices, how about the re-re-release of her various albums in … different colors of vinyl … at $30+ a pop? And the vast array of “Taylor approved” merch? And … . Well it goes on and on in ways that I’m sure Mick Jagger kicks himself for never thinking of back in the early ’70s.
Beyond that, on an artistic level, I do wonder what Ms. Swift’s pervasive indulgence in personal relationship melodrama signals to impressionable young women? What lovelorn 16 year-old doesn’t listen to any of 50 of Swift’s songs and presume that that cute guy she’s developed a crush on is in fact a rat bastard? (Which of course they could well be.)
Similarly, fans of “Barbie”, and I’m one on a clever filmmaking level, argue that it’s real message is how both genders are locked into counterproductive stereotypes, not just all the doofus Kens strutting around. I guess I can see that, given some reflection. But I seriously doubt the majority of “Barbie’s” fans register much beyond, “Wow! Are boys dumb.”
Which, again, they most certainly are. Especially if you pay attention to modern American politics and watched even 10 minutes of last week’s debate.
There’s a new book out titled, “Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling” by a Brit named Richard Reeves.
It’s received a middling amount of attention for its thesis — backed up by abundant data — that today’s males are fairing quite badly in comparison to their female counterparts. The fact that 57% of college degrees are now being awarded to women tells you something about how significantly young men in particular are falling behind in terms of higher education. After that you get into truly grim trend lines on addiction, various other forms of self-abusive behavior and suicide. Point being the picture isn’t encouraging … for men … and us, when you consider how all this anti-intellectual, overly-aggressive, self destructive behavior affects society at large.
You can see where I’m going with this.
Niggles aside, the over-arching cultural message from Taylor Swift and “Barbie” is something positive, community-enhancing based in a deeply enriching sense of gender pride and possibility. By the starkest of contrasts you listen to … Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron De Santis and of course He Who’s Name I’m Trying Damn Hard Not to Say for Fear of Spoiling My Lunch … and your reaction is basically the same as if confronted by a rabid carnivore in a dark alley. Lacking an escape route you want to find something with which to beat it over the head. It’s so goddam ugly.
It seems to me there’s an indisputable direct line from the self-pitying, sullen, greivance-soaked animosities discussed by Reeves in his book and on various podcasts and the predominately under-educated male’s identification with The Orange God King and all those — Ramaswamy — shamelessly trying to out-dystopia him. (Gotta love the Dickensian name on that dude, btw. An obnoxious peddler of magical, mystical thinking: Rama – swami. Can’t make it up.)
Young women can look on Taylor Swfit and think how wonderful and fun it would be to be her. But let’s imagine young men this summer — or over the past long eight years — looking at DeSantis, Ramaswamy and Him. What is their takeaway from the behavior they see there?
My hope is that one takeaway from this moment is that young men in particular, males who took their culutural dominance for granted as some kind of god-given biological right, come to understand that they have genuinely failed to keep pace with the Summer of Sunny Girls and the 21st century.
