One of the key characteristics of MAGA is fragile masculinity. Hegseth is perhaps the best example of someone who isn’t secure in his masculinity. His recent orders mandating testing of the testosterone levels of our troops is more about him that it is about a real issue. Jamelle Bouie had a good take on this:
Bouie’s point is that so much of our current politics can be explained by gender anxiety. He says that the reason that red states want to outlaw gender studies is to make sure that nobody understands the deep insecurity behind all of this performative masculinity.
Vance and Rubio are also lost boys, as far as I’m concerned. Vance was recently in the news because he thinks his son needs to be taken by helicopter to the kid’s golf lessons, and his Secret Service detail is leaking that to the press. The Secret Service, like most law enforcement, is naturally Trumpy, so Vance must be a real asshole to get them to leak his propensity to use helicopters to ferry his kids around. I’m not surprised — Vance is dangerous because the big money behind him has decided to elevate him, but without that money, he comes off as an incomplete human being. He never grew up.
Similarly, Rubio tends to look sad and lost. I’m sure he thinks invading Cuba will finally fill whatever black hole of need and insecurity he has deep in his soul. Sadly, we might find out whether that’s true.
They’re all man babies — man-size boys who can’t function without their mommy figures. Hegseth famously had to have his wife come to meetings in the Pentagon to make sure he was being a good boy, not drinking and paying attention to what the adults in the room were saying. They need women to keep them focused, but they also resent them so much that they need to beat their chests about their manliness and independence. Women need to be less than them, and they’re so small that there’s almost no place for women in their world.
They’re also the most joyless group of sad little boys. If you want to see some real joy, watch the kids playing with Phoebe Bridgers:
