The joyful Minnesota governor is a valuable spokesperson for Harris whose background and personality can help the Democratic ticket undermine Trumpās efforts to woo Americaās men.
Tim WalzāsĀ first official speechĀ on the Democratic ticket displayed all the reasons thatĀ Kamala HarrisĀ has been lauded for picking the Minnesota governor as her running mate. Personally, I think one outshines all the rest.
Walzās military background and his work as a high school teacher and football coach, along with his palpable joy andĀ open expressions of compassion for people in need, offer America a vision of what manhood can look like ā heās a ājoyful warriorā offering a vision in contrast with whatās being offered by Donald Trumpās bravado-driven campaign.
And heās clearly willing to challenge Team Trump on that front. He displayed that even before he received the call to join Harrisā campaign, using public appearances to refer to Trump and his allies asĀ ābulliesā who are truly weak at heartĀ and by mocking the GOP ticket for ārunning for He-Man Women Haters Club or something.ā
I see masculinity as a bit of a spectrum ā thereās traits a lot of men share, but not all men necessarily have them, and women can have them too, and that doesnāt make anyone lesser.
Helping people, protecting people, being true to yourself, conducting yourself with honor. Thatās what I see as masculinity. I guess in some ways, itās the idealized perfect knight haha
The ultimate fictional portrayal of the journey of toxic vs nontoxic masculinity is Zuko and Iroh. And what does Iroh teach Zuko and us? Manliness/masculinity isnāt defined approval, its defined by acceptance. To be a āmanā isnāt about using violence in showy ways for the sake of being acknowledged. To be a āmanā is to accept and love people, including oneās self, for their true nature. If violence is to be used, it must be in this context. Violence should never be used by a true āmanā for anything other than protection. Violence can be wielded when it is to protect ones own true nature, or to protect someone else who doesnāt have the power to protect themselves from a domineering situation. The ultimate conclusion of this is asking the question of what emotions is a true āmanā allowed to access. We are shown through Zuko that the only emotion the toxic culture is allowed to access and control is anger. We are shown through Zuko how hard it is to transition out of this culture of anger and violence and toxic masculinity. The ultimate conclusion to both his arc, and the arc that Iroh went on before the show, is that true power comes from accessing the entire emotional spectrum that dwells within and turning this into power. True āmanlinessā is more than just anger and violence. True āmanlinessā is passion. That passion can be rooted in anything. We watch Zuko learn that he can draw power from joy, sorrow, and empathy. Toxic masculinity is Zukoās origin story: pure hatred. True masculinity is Zukoās finale: empathy so strong and so powerful that he sees one of his greatest torturers as sad, tortured, broken girl; one that if he returned her lightning to her he would lose the part of himself that heād cultivated and grew to love.
Very well said. I think that might be why a lot of people (or me at least) relate to him so much, even if our fathers didnāt burn our faces and exile us.
Thereās something very relatable about Zukoās journey, and youāve put it into words perfectly. I like how you pointed out that true manliness is passion, which is what we see the true origin of firebending is. Passion and drive. Feeling your emotions with all your heart.
As a small caveat, I do think Zuko was ready to redirect the lightning at Azula, and potentially kill her, the circumstances just werenāt right. However, I think after he sees her breaking down, he wouldnāt ever do that. Like you said, he realizes sheās broken and hurt and abused too. I think it wasnāt until that moment though that Zuko really realized it.
As a side note, this description of masculinity actually reminds me a bit of Gurren Lagann too. Manliness comes up a lot, and in the end, the series makes the argument that manliness is about tenacity, passion, protection, and creation. And it isnāt something thatās just exclusive to men either. Early on, the protagonist becomes stuck in grief, and itās only after he accepts the sadness and emotions that he really comes into his own.
Already, very, very well spoken! Thank you for that!