Masculinity is made up bulshit to divide us.

“Hawley typically cites Big Tech, Hollywood and academia as the unholy trinity of elites that has laid masculinity to waste..."

well, Hawley and his ilk, are on to something, although not quite what they think. Mass media, and more recently the internet, has brought about the democratization of media, culture, and knowledge, of discourse and interaction, for the masses. No longer controlled by the ruling elites, the masses can use and come to understand and to organize in ways that shift the old power dynamic, and now those in power on the right see the people - and, especially, their means of empowerment - as a threat.

So, it's not that straight, cis, white men (or even masculinity itself) that are under attack per se, it's the current power dynamic that progressive movements seek to change. its dominance by straight, cis, white men is, academically speaking, just a coincidence. When you're accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.

Excellent article - thank you for sharing it. I was familiar with the post Civil War “crisis” or masculinity because men weren’t “battle tested” but I wasn’t aware of the other historical echoes. At any point in history society is always on the verge of collapse because the kids are heathens and the world is evil. I do wonder about this conference in regards to mental health. I can’t imagine that they were encouraging men to talk about their feelings and seek help. I would love to be wrong.