Trapped Under the Umbrella
by Montgomery Carlo
Advertisements, television, and entertainment as a whole have changed quite a lot over the years. There has been much bemoaning over gender-bending superheroes and reboots of classic characters as a different race, but why does this cause such a fuss? Why do these changes elicit such angry responses from young men? Activists who push for these forms of representation argue that those angered by seeing Spider-Man as a trans girl are reacting out of transphobia, sexism, or some abstract patriarchy defense mechanism. It is impossible to argue with the perpetrators of the change in form and character of the stories we collectively share because they do not understand that boys need stories just for them.
Twenty years ago, the idea of seeing someone wearing a Naruto t-shirt in public would have been laughable to both men and women. Now, it seems like the only reason Netflix can afford to keep their lights on is because of anime and the rabid fanbase it has accumulated on its platform. Why does anime have such a stranglehold on young boys and men? In the West, we have cartoons; in fact, we created comic books/strips. However, the Japanese pirate adventure, One Piece, has sold over 516.6 million copies worldwide and is on course to topple Harry Potter in total volumes sold. The difference between Western and Eastern storytelling is that we have decided to replace young adult literature with stories for girls and everyone, but eliminated stories just for boys. Feminists argue that girls can do anything boys can, which is true to a point but ignores that boys and girls experience life differently. Naruto, One Piece, etc., are about boys, for boys, and personify the challenges they will encounter on the way to maturity. The victories and defeats these boy protagonists face resonate more with their male audience than shows like Gilmore Girls or Euphoria ever could. The trials and tribulations of puberty and the journey to becoming a man and a woman are similar but different in ways that count. Boys will never experience the horror of the shower scene in the beginning of Carrie, just as girls will never experience being bullied for being a coward or weak. Trying to make the female struggle universal just does not resonate with boys.
It's not just television; look around at all of the ads you've seen: fashion ads featuring women and gay men, household product ads featuring interracial lesbian and gay couples, even Old Spice has been running an ad for years about how their body wash is so good that a man has to steal it back from his wife. Virtually everything you see does not have the regular male consumer in mind; it has to be for everyone or for women, not just for men. You no longer roll your eyes at your uncle for mentioning that everything has gone insane because it has become impossible to avoid. It is not surprising when figures like Andrew Tate gain millions of followers by offering young men a "leaky faucet in the middle of the desert" - something just for men and no one else.
This becomes a trap for young men because the media cartels that pedal in male audience marketing sculpt masculinity into this cigar-chomping, bodybuilding, captain of industry archetype that is nearly impossible for the average Joe to attain, unless he is willing to spend $50 a month to join their exclusive, macho mailing list. The male-centered branding of these types is to exploit this market gap, and they make millions because there is no competition. Ball sweat deodorizer, 'not gay' soap, bicep toothpaste, etc., are just female hygiene products with a label slapped on the front and sold to wayward men who just want to have a grip on their own masculinity.
So, you have voiced your concern and faced backlash. Chances are you have been called an -ist, -phobe, or accused of committing an -ism for noticing this phenomenon. The insult you have probably been called is an “Incel.” If you have been fortunate enough to not run into this word, it is short for involuntarily celibate - a disgruntled man who has failed in the realm of sex and dating and turned towards terrorizing the opposite sex to cope with their own failures. It makes no difference if you are in a loving relationship, have children, or have healthy relationships with women; if you object to the feminization of intrusive ads then you must be a bitter and angry man who will not allow women and minorities to have their own role models. “Incel” has virtually lost all of its original meaning and now basically boils down to an alienated young man. A culture that loudly and often decries men as powerful oppressors does not compute to a boy who faces hardships. Even if we were to give credence to the caustic sentiment around men, we let them throw the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to the male impulse towards chivalry, dignity, and masculinity. The feminists do not have a solution other than becoming gay, or worse, and do not provide men with a replacement, thus formalizing the alienation and further breeding “Incels.”
When something is for everyone, it becomes for no one. The attempt to stretch the umbrella of representation has gone so far and wide that it alienates virtually everyone it promised to represent. I do not believe that women and minorities even enjoy the endless march of stories exclusively about their struggles, but here we are. Even pop culture has become conscious of this phenomenon and pokes fun at it in award show speeches, but if you dare to mention it in polite company, you might get tagged with a scarlet “I.” Being lost in the miasma as a young man can be a dangerous thing; the concept of abandoning masculinity or resigning to testosterone gurus can be enticing but betrays the root cause of being lost in the first place. Hopefully, the tide is changing but, in the meantime, we have to stick up for ourselves and not let man-hating smarms dictate what it means to be a man. Write your own stories and connect with your fellow man about how you are feeling; it may feel futile but you will never know how many share your sentiment and help you become a modern man, whatever that means.
Montgomery Carlo is a frequent and beloved contributor to the RC-verse. Check out his new podcast debuting 12/26/23 with another RC essential contributor