by Patrick ➕follow (58) 💰tip ignore
Comments 1 - 3 of 3 Search these comments
I have a very high need for respect. I don’t like to be told what to do, say, feel, think, or how to act. There’s a lot of deep-seeded reasons for that, including the fact that I grew up in a strict, mildly-repressive home. Filled with love and safety, mind you, which I’m very grateful for. But MTV was forbidden, and I had to sneak that. “Secular” music was unacceptable. I had to sneak that. Youth group was the pre-determined, preferred social circle.
By the time the end of high school came, I was kicking down every door and rebelling against every wall that was put up. It was a messy time, for a long time.
I wasn’t made to be caged. Not physically, not with expectations, not with demands. Not with anything.
With that said, you can probably imagine how difficult the last few years have been on me, and most likely yourself, in that respect. At every turn, the assault of the tyrants poked viciously and decisively on every hurt I ever grew up with.
“Stay the fuck home”
“Your mask protect me, my mask protects you”
“It’s for the greater good”
“Stay Safe. Save Lives”
“Let’s all do our part”
“Masks required”
“You can’t go here without proof of vaccination”
“You can’t say that”
“Your freedom ends where my safety begins”
“Walk THIS way down the aisle because now it’s one way”
“Stand on this little stupid fucking dot 6 feet apart even though this is really just a nonscientific exercise in utter horseshit”
I remember in kindergarten we had our little rugs. Our little squares of real estate that we could stretch out and take naps on when the teacher told us it was time. The more I saw those little dots and arrows in stores and businesses, the more I just wanted to fuggin’ puke, because to me, there was no clearer indication we really were all just back in kindergarten.
And everyone seemed TOTALLY cool with it. Adults. TOTALLY cool with being treated like children.
Excuse me if you sense some scorn here. It’s visceral to me.
The fact that we have a ruling class that 1000% sees us as children in a romper room absolutely makes my blood boil. Who the FUCK are these people to suppose that they know a damn thing about me, about you, but furthermore, to assume they have some kind of authority and right to treat me this way?
I’ve made really complicated, heavy decisions in my life, as have you. The fact that their condescending scorn and tone-deaf arrogance have impacted my life for one second really burns my ass, let alone two years. The fact that they’ve been able to freely walk the halls of the school house and sit in the teacher’s lounge, completely disregarding the rules that they so sternly chastise us about, is absolutely despicable.
My teen told me something that's been haunting me for weeks.
He said, "I think almost every white middle school boy is in the alt-right pipeline — at some point — until something/someone pulls them out."
Somehow, Youngus's message came to the attention of Daniel Schmidt, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Chicago, who remembers very well his middle-school years, not to mention the journey through high school. Here is his Twitter thread, unrolled:
I'm an 18-year-old white male. I was in middle school only 5 years ago.
I think I can offer some perspective on @dannagal's thread.
Yes, young white males increasingly identify as right-wing.
But why?
From my experience, here's what's really happening:
Thought experiment:
Imagine you're an 8th-grade boy. You're beginning to be told by teachers, the media, and maybe your parents that you're privileged because you're a boy. It's a basic truth, you're told.
But this just makes you confused. You start asking yourself questions. If boys are privileged, why do the girls in my class tend to get better grades?
Why are there more girls than boys in my advanced classes?
Why are the girls more well-behaved and focused?
Why are some of the girls preparing for college applications already? By the time you get to high school, your confusion only grows.
Your friend, who used to go to church with you, has become addicted to porn. Another friend, whose parents have recently divorced, has started using drugs.
Your friends start appearing unmotivated and demoralized. Meanwhile, the girls at your school continue to be over-represented in honors classes, get better test scores and grades, obtain more leadership positions, and participate in more extracurriculars.
But you're still repeatedly told that boys are privileged. How could this be? Then, when college acceptances come out, you notice many more girls than boys get into top universities. More girls are going to college in general, for that matter.
Image: Smiling school boy (edited) by stockking.
But for some reason, all you hear is that girls are underrepresented in higher education. It's confusing. When you search for scholarships to apply to, you find hundreds that are only open to women.
When you tour college campuses, you hear how proud the school is to have student organizations like Women in Law, Women in Business, and Women in Science.
It all becomes too much. You start doing research.
You discover that men are more likely to be homeless, go to prison, become alcoholics, struggle with isolation/loneliness, die of a drug overdose, and commit suicide.
But all you hear about, for some reason, is something called the "gender pay gap."
Eventually, you find out that the only people who seem to talk about the issues facing men — the only people who appear to sympathize with how you feel — are so-called "alt-right" figures like Jordan Peterson.
You start listening to them. For once, you feel like you're not alone. Now imagine you're an 8th-grade white boy.
On top of the alienation you experience for merely being a boy, you're told by teachers, the media, and maybe even your parents that you should feel some form of remorse for being white.
You're as privileged as it gets, you're told. This doesn't make much sense to you. Why should you feel bad for being white — something you can't control?
This is a question you and your white classmates implicitly know cannot be asked. So instead, all of you submit. Humiliation quickly leads to demoralization. As you get older, you feel increasingly unwelcome by society. "Diversity and inclusion" initiatives and never-ending anti-white messaging from the media only make you feel like a burden.
So you turn to the Internet, where you feel welcome by video games and right-wing forums. Younger and younger white males are following this path. They feel they're simply unwelcome by society, and they escape to a select few communities and websites.
For the first time in America's history, the founding demographic is dropping out of society in massive numbers. Dr. Danna Young's solution?
"Inclusive programming and a critical historical lens."
It's almost like their goal is to demoralize and demonize young men — the group most likely to challenge our ruling class.
But all you hear about, for some reason, is something called the "gender pay gap."
patrick.net
An Antidote to Corporate Media
1,230,138 comments by 14,704 users - AmericanKulak, askmeaboutthesaltporkcure, Kepi, RayAmerica, theoakman online now