Why Are So Many Men More Afraid of Barbie than of Putin?*

The destruction of the family is not being brought about by gay marriages or feminism in blue, liberal states; it’s happening because of the “machismo” among men in red states who refuse to adapt to the families and real women of 2023. There, as well as here, populism is the refuge of a machismo that feels lost. This is why men in America and Portugal alike are exhibiting a pathetic, infantile and apocalyptic fear of the film “Barbie” as well as the FIFA World Cup. They are reacting to Barbie and Kika Nazareth in a manner quite unlike their attitude toward Putin.

Republicans in red states claim they are the defenders of family values against the anti-family agenda of the Democrats. But is this really the case? Does this belief hold up to the facts on the ground? The simple answer is no. To begin with, how is it that the alleged protectors of the family can support Donald Trump, a man who has disrespected family values at every stage in his life? This is a man who betrayed his wife with a porn star at the precise moment when she was at home with their newborn child. And while we’re at it, if my memory serves me right, America has only had two divorced presidents, both Republicans: Ronald Reagan and Trump.

As Neil DeGrasse Tyson — an American public intellectual who has attempted to rescue the facts and use them to support his analyses — has pointed out, there are a number of curious data points that undermine the moral arrogance exhibited by Republicans. For example, the state with the lowest divorce rate, and, therefore, the greatest resilience in family matters, is Massachusetts, the classic heart of blue America. In second place is Illinois, another blue state.

In the same vein, when we look at the 10 states with the highest divorce rates, what do we see? The great red constellation of the Bible Belt and fanatical Trumpism, with states such as Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Utah and Idaho. How can the states with the highest divorce rates presume leadership of an agenda that allegedly stands for protection of the family and be so arrogant as to think that it is the other side that is destroying the family?

We observe the same pattern when it comes to the issue of single mothers. Once again, the constellation of red radicalism is at the top, led by Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama and South Carolina. The pattern continues when we come to children born out of wedlock, with Louisiana and Alabama in front, while the blue coasts represent the opposite end.

So, something is obviously seriously askew with how they frame these issues. Republicans from red states say they are the defenders of family values and that the Democrats’ feminist agenda is the threat to family. So how is it that the blue states have the best and most conservative indicators of family stability, with lower divorce rates, fewer children born outside of marriage, and fewer single mothers abandoned by their partners?

Red Trumpism, and populism in general, don’t defend the family; rather, they defend machismo, which is something quite different. In fact, we could say that the destruction of the family is not being brought about by gay marriage or feminism in blue, liberal states; it’s happening because of the machismo among men in red states who refuse to adapt to the families and real women of 2023. There, as well as here, populism is the refuge of a machismo that feels lost. This is why men in America and in Portugal alike are exhibiting pathetic, infantile and apocalyptic fear of the film “Barbie” as well as the FIFA World Cup. They are reacting to “Barbie” and Kika Nazareth in a manner quite unlike their attitude toward Vladimir Putin.

The problem with these “red” males, who vote for populists in the United States and throughout Europe, is this: They are unwilling to adapt to the role of father and caretaker in which they are equal to their wives when it comes to domestic responsibilities. When a child gets sick, why does it have to be she — and not he — who sacrifices her career? Everything revolves around this question. The collapse of the family today is the result of this machismo, and not of equality. The blue, liberal states filled with “sissy” males — in the Trumpist perspective — are in fact much more conservative, and more supportive of the family.

*Editor’s Note: This article is available in its original language with a paid subscription.