As he races to define American masculinity and set himself apart as an advocate for men, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a new program designed to stem what he called an “epidemic of loneliness” that is “manifesting and metastasizing online.”
The effort comes on the heels of an executive order Newsom signed in July promoting initiatives that focus on mental health and economic opportunities for boys and young men. And it follows a presidential election that saw Donald Trump and his allies weaponize angst and dejection among some American men for political gain.
Newsom’s program, which is being called the California Men’s Service Challenge, “calls on 10,000 men to step up as mentors, coaches, and tutors,” according to a press release from the governor’s office. These opportunities are to be provided through the California Service Corps and other organizations, including the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Per the release:
Prompted by the rising suicide rates, disconnection, and declining career options among young men and boys, these efforts aim to address this generation’s mental health crisis, while creating pathways for purpose, leadership and belonging.
Multiple speakers at the California governor’s announcement addressed the struggles of young men in the job market, which Trump has vowed to fix in part by bringing back masculine-coded manufacturing jobs — in reality, the U.S. has hemorrhaged thousands of manufacturing jobs during his second term. Speakers also talked about the suicide crises afflicting some boys and young men.
Initiatives like Newsom’s are theoretically a way to offer men practical solutions to their problems rather than the MAGA movement’s apparent salve for their woes: misogynistic rhetoric.
Things did get a bit awkward, however, when Newsom was asked questions about his thoughts on manhood as it relates to Charlie Kirk. The governor garnered backlash earlier this year for hosting the far-right influencer on his podcast and praising his appeal among teens and young men, including the governor’s son. Things did get a bit awkward, however, when Newsom was asked questions about his thoughts on manhood as it relates to Charlie Kirk. Kirk, who was fatally shot at a Utah university last week, was known for peddling blatant misogyny, such as his saying that Taylor Swift should “submit” to her future husband, and violently hypermasculine rhetoric, like his suggestion that men should come out of the stands to physically prevent trans swimmers from competing. In many ways, it can be said Kirk and his movement capitalized on the “epidemic of loneliness” among young men who have occasionally misdirected their anger at women and trans people, and aided the metastasis — to borrow Newsom’s term — of that toxic masculinity across the internet. Nonetheless, Newsom said Monday that “obviously Charlie Kirk was a master at not only the work he did online but offline, and his capacity to organize,” while calling on parents to gain a better understanding of the so-called manosphere — the collection of online communities where toxic and misogynistic rhetoric from Kirk and others has thrived.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.
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