November 7, 2025
Touch grass or touch ballots?
Notes on Being a Man
Did young men hand Trump a win—or just cry for help? The comment wars say both
TLDR: A buzzy excerpt claims disaffected young men powered Trump and calls for a positive code of masculinity. Commenters erupted: some cite exit polls showing big support for Harris among Black men, others say men are “opting out,” and many demand real solutions—because the future of work, family, and policy is on the line.
An explosive book excerpt claims Donald Trump’s comeback rode a wave of disaffected young men and blasts the “manosphere” for filling a vacuum with rockets, Hulk Hogan, and crypto. It also pleads for a healthier masculinity and points to grim stats—like young men spending less time outside than prison inmates. But the comments made it a cage match.
One camp swung in with a data dunk: commenter jakelazaroff cited exit polls saying Black men 18–29 backed Harris by 55 points, asking why the “young men” story looks so different across race. Another camp pushed back on the blame game. User luciferin flatly rejected the idea that “the left” calls men the problem, while buckle8017 argued our systems prime men to “opt out” after getting chewed up by work, marriage, and divorce. The pragmatists—like namanyayg—rolled their eyes at culture-war vibes and asked: OK, but what’s the plan? Meanwhile, munificent warned that mocking masculinity risks “zero economic growth.”
The memes? Endless. “Touch grass” jokes went nuclear, “basement boss” became a whole mood, and folks clowned the “Hulk-and-rocket masculinity” with faux token drops and “lift, grift, repeat” quips. Verdict: the community’s split between receipts, empathy, and pure chaos—but united that something’s off for young men, and it matters
Key Points
- •The article argues young men were a key factor in a recent political comeback by Donald Trump.
- •It claims far-right media filled a void by targeting the manosphere with aggressive cultural content and crypto.
- •The tech industry is criticized for profiting from the isolation and anger of young men.
- •Educational disadvantages for boys are highlighted, including later brain maturation and fewer male K–12 teachers, with underrepresentation of Black and Hispanic instructors.
- •Wealth data cited: 70-year-olds are on average 72% wealthier than 40 years ago, while people under 40 are 24% less wealthy.