I've been trying to articulate this for a while: Democrats do have a tough needle to thread. How do you appeal to guys without glorifying guy-ness to such a degree that you alienate women? Because a certain type of masculinity is all about dominating women.
How about show him doing those things alongside women. Run with female Marines. Visit a construction site that has women in hard hats in the mix. Chop tree with butch lumberjack! But seriously, code the things as "strong", not as "boy".
Also, there's a nice moment here of handing an oyster to a little girl. He could do more "girl" things and still be Very Manly. Show him cooking, (include fire for Dude Cred), serving a plate of food, jumping off peer into lake with his kids, etc. He's so authentically a Dude that it'd work for him.
(I'm not saying this candidate's masculinity is about that, again to be clear.)
OK I'm done anyway I think I know what my next newsletter is.
I get what you’re saying here, but counterpoint: I know a lot of Republican women who would find this ad compelling. If this guy is actually a progressive (which obviously remains to be seen) and can pull votes from the other side, wouldn’t that be a good thing?
I'm trying to be clear that this is not BAD. It's more that this type of presentation is the main thing that's seen as GOOD and NORMAL (and femininity is not). And yes this is definitely not just about winning guys. The big thing that separates the party is not gender but attitudes about gender...
(Dems are yes very much trying to aim at dudes but let's set that aside.) Both men and women on the GOP side are relatively united in their beliefs about how the genders Should Be. That group of people is more men than women. And vice versa on the Dem side.
"Both men and women on the GOP side are relatively united in their beliefs about how the genders Should Be." Exactly. And why LGBTQ+ people/issues blow their tiny minds. It doesn't fit. It challenges the very foundation of reality. And this stasis is NOT GOOD for society nor sustainable ITLR.
Because where there are gender Should Be's there are racial Should Be's and other, equally compelling and oppressive Should Be's.
ANYWAY this is more of an answer than you asked for but this whole topic is my jam. For more on this whole gender attitude thing, dig into this story -- specifically, the part about "hostile sexism." www.npr.org/2024/06/15/n...
Good story. American culture, predating Trump. DILLIGAF store, one of the reasons I avoid Canada Street in Lake George, NY, named for the home nation of so many tourist who are not showing up this year. I really hope sales are way down. slate.com/business/202...
Totally agree with you on that — to your point, a more feminine-coded ad probably wouldn’t be made or expected to do well if it was, which is incredibly frustrating.