Jerry Seinfeld And Conservatives Want To Make America Masculine Again

Recently, comedian Jerry Seinfeld publicly mourned the societal loss of “dominant masculinity” during an appearance on the “Honestly With Bari Weiss” podcast. 

“I miss dominant masculinity,” the actor said, referring to the days of yesteryear when “an agreed-upon hierarchy” reigned supreme, helmed by “real men” like John F. Kennedy Jr., Muhammad Ali, Sean Connery and Howard Cosell.

“Yeah, I get the toxic [masculinity], but still, I like a real man,” Seinfield added.

The comedian’s remarks are hardly original — in fact, lamenting the so-called extinction of the virile dude brah bro man is a conservative staple. In his final address on the U.S. House floor, Madison Cawthorn — who lost his reelection bid in the 2022 after a slew of controversies — begged young men to “reclaim your masculinity,” saying that in the United States “young men are taught that weakness is strength, that delicacy is desirable and that being a soft metrosexual is more valuable than training the mind, body and soul.”

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson ran a special titled “The End of Men.” Republican Sen. Rick Scott issued “An 11 Point Plan to Rescue America”that included “men are men, women are women.” Hell, insurrectionist supporter and Republican Sen. Josh Hawley wrote an entire book on the subject, aptly titled “Manhood: The Masculine Virtues America Needs.” In it, the Missouri lawmaker argued that being a “real man” means being equal parts husband, father, warrior, builder, priest and king.

Um, OK.

Hawley’s Mad Libs-like definition of masculinity notwithstanding, rarely are the men pining for a resurgence of red-blooded machismo able to adequately articulate what a “real man” actually is, or more importantly why they think their version of manhood has gone by the wayside.

Is a “real man” a human with the social intelligence of a gnat, who confuses vulnerability with weakness, asking for help with failure, and crying with an innate, personal shortcoming? As the Anxiety & Depression Association of America points out, toxic masculinity encourages men to oppose mental health treatment, causing a possible increase in rates of depression, trauma, anxiety, isolation, and even suicidal ideation among men overall.

The same political party that is quick to blame poor mental health — and not easy access to weapons of war — for the frequency of mass shootings in America is actively championing harmful stereotypes that make men less likely to seek mental health treatment.

Maybe this “real man” is the one suffering from a “friendship recession” and, as a result, is lonely. According to a 2023 State of American Men report from Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice, two-thirds of men ages 18 to 23 say “no one really knows me.” A2021 study by the Survey Center on American Life found that, since 1990, the number of men who say they do not have a single close friend has increased fivefold — now, 1 in 5 unmarried men say they have no close friends at all.

Studies have shown men in general are less emotionally intelligent and empathetic than women — perhaps that is Seinfeld’s masculinity in practice. Women are more likely than men to be victims of intimate partner violence — maybe that’s the contribution to society for Hawley’s “warrior man.”

Then again, maybe all of these silly little things like statistics and studies are beyond the pale for those who actively peddle conspiracy theories while denying reality and science. 

Perhaps we only have to look as far as Hawley himself, the “warrior” who defiantly raised his fist in a salute to a violent mob of insurrectionists only to later flee like a coward from those same insurrectionists as they stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Unlike true hero and former Washington, D.C., police officer Michael Fanone — who almost died while defending the Capitol that day — Hawley displayed his “manhood” by selling campaign merchandise, including a coffee mug highlighting his infamous fist pump and the phrase “Show-Me Strong.”

Or maybe we should simply rely on Seinfeld’s latest example of virility — constantly complaining about “political correctness” and how “difficult” it has made life for wealthy comics such as himself. In an April interview with The New Yorker, Seinfeld claimed funny television simply doesn’t exist anymore, despite wildly successful, envelope-pushing shows like “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Veep” (just to name a few).

“This is the result of the extreme left and PC crap and people worrying so much about offending other people,” he said of today’s television programming. In response, his former co-star and longtime friend Julia Louis-Dreyfus told The New York Times such comments are a “red flag.”

“I believe being aware of certain sensitivities is not a bad thing,” she continued. “I don’t know how else to say it.” Apparently for Seinfeld, that awareness runs antithetical to the manliness of years gone by.

Whether it’s simply looking at the faulty examples from the wannabe bastions of masculinity, or taking a gander at a society still dominated by patriarchy, if all this constitutes the uber-conservative’s version of a “real man,” it’s clear that’s very much alive and well. 

Misogyny, toxic masculinity, harmful stereotypes of manhood — they all remain a bulwark of American society, American politics and American culture. It’s why more than half the population lost the constitutional right to nationwide abortion access and bodily autonomy, why white men still make up the majority of lawmakers in this country, and why the U.S. has yet to elect a woman president.

And it’s why, in mere months, voters will decide whether a convicted felon found liable for sexual abuse who encouraged a violent insurrection to overthrow a free and fair election will, if you can believe it, return to the White House. 

Honestly, gentlemen — what is to miss?