{"id":275252,"date":"2020-11-13T05:06:24","date_gmt":"2020-11-13T10:06:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=275252"},"modified":"2020-11-13T05:06:24","modified_gmt":"2020-11-13T10:06:24","slug":"tweets-reveal-trumps-and-bidens-competing-views-of-masculinity-what-that-will-mean-for-presidential-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2020\/11\/13\/tweets-reveal-trumps-and-bidens-competing-views-of-masculinity-what-that-will-mean-for-presidential-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Tweets reveal Trump\u2019s and Biden\u2019s competing views of masculinity \u2013 what that will mean for presidential leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shortly after news networks called the presidential race in favor of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, Harris\u2019 husband, Doug Emhoff, posted the following tweet:<\/p>\n

\"\"
Screen Shot, Twitter.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More than a heartwarming glimpse into the vice president-elect\u2019s private life, the tweet signaled that gender norms in a Biden\/Harris administration will differ from those on display in the White House during the past four years.<\/p>\n

In fact, a number of tweets went viral over the weekend of Nov. 7 and 8 that showcased a version of masculinity that contrasts sharply with the one projected by Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

As a communication scholar<\/a> who studies gender and political leadership, I\u2019ve written about how gender stereotypes collide with our culture\u2019s understanding of the U.S. presidency<\/a>, casting presidents as the patriarch in chief and inhibiting women\u2019s campaigns for the top job<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These stereotypes also constrain the men who have served as U.S. president<\/a>, often promoting a \u201ctoxic\u201d version of masculinity that Trump took to an extreme<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 2020 campaign gave voters an opportunity to compare and contrast how the two campaigns modeled gender roles differently. These differences not only reveal important insights about each campaign; they also shape the roles of \u201cpresident\u201d and \u201cvice president,\u201d making it more or less likely that, in the future, those offices can be held by someone other than a heterosexual white man.<\/p>\n

Different approaches to masculine leadership<\/h2>\n

The phrase \u201ctoxic masculinity<\/a>\u201d is often misunderstood. \u201cToxic masculinity\u201d does not mean that men are bad or that every version of masculinity is \u201ctoxic.\u201d<\/p>\n

It means that a particular version of masculinity \u2013 one that discourages empathy, expresses strength through dominance, normalizes violence against women and associates leadership with white patriarchy \u2013 is bad for people of all genders and for society more generally.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s propensity to resist empathy<\/a>, insult women<\/a> and project dominance<\/a> is well documented. The onset of COVID-19 offered a particularly sharp distinction between Trump\u2019s and Biden\u2019s leadership styles.<\/p>\n

Writing for The Washington Post, Matt Viser observed that Biden\u2019s and Trump\u2019s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic reflect very different approaches to masculinity<\/a>.
\nTrump mocks Biden\u2019s mask-wearing and flaunts his recovery from the virus as a sign of strength and manliness. Biden derides Trump\u2019s unwillingness to wear a mask as a silly \u201cmacho thing\u201d and urges supporters to \u201ctake care of your neighbors\u201d by masking up.<\/p>\n

In the context of a global pandemic, these distinct leadership styles have life-and-death consequences. To appreciate how far-reaching the implications are, however, consider a few more snapshots from the 2020 campaign.<\/p>\n

In the campaign\u2019s final days, former White House videographer Arun Chaudhary tweeted a 2018 clip of Biden hugging and comforting<\/a> the disabled son of Chris Hixon, the heroic teacher who died trying to save students during the mass shooting on Feb. 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School:<\/p>\n

\"\"
Screen Shot, Twitter.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The tweet went viral<\/a>, indicating many people\u2019s receptiveness to a more humane version of masculinity.<\/p>\n

The Biden\/Harris victory seemed to open space for other men to similarly reject the emotional strictures of toxic masculinity. Appearing on CNN<\/a>, commentator Van Jones was overcome with emotion<\/a> when reflecting on the impact of the election. He connected his feelings explicitly to the cultural construction of masculinity, saying, \u201cBeing a good man matters. I just want my sons to look at this \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Today is a good day.
\nIt\u2019s easier to be a parent this morning.
\nCharacter MATTERS.
\nBeing a good person MATTERS.
\nThis is a big deal.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to do it the cheap way and get away with stuff \u2014 but it comes back around.<\/p>\n

Today is a good day.#PresidentBiden<\/a>#VotersDecided<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/h8YgZK4nmk<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Van Jones (@VanJones68) November 7, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Moreover, although Trump often asserts himself by making up derogatory names for women who challenge him<\/a>, Twitter user StaceyMargaret Jones made clear<\/a> that she views being respectful to assertive women as a sign of strength:<\/p>\n

\"\"
Screen Shot, Twitter.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Expanding views of gender<\/h2>\n

In addition to perpetuating sexism, toxic masculinity is associated with homophobia and transphobia<\/a>, fueling violent attacks on trans women<\/a>, particularly trans women of color.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s transphobia took the form of his policy aimed at banning transgender individuals from military service<\/a>, a policy he impulsively announced via tweet<\/a> on July 26, 2017, catching the Department of Defense off guard.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why a small but groundbreaking moment from Biden\u2019s victory speech was so important to the LGBTQ community. Biden identified transgender people<\/a> as an important part of his electoral coalition, demonstrating a very different approach to gender identity than that of President Trump.<\/p>\n

Tweets from the transgender community confirmed<\/a> the significance of a U.S. president-elect acknowledging voters who challenge traditional gender norms, as did the cheers that erupted from patrons at a Philadelphia bar during the speech<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n
\n

lots of cheering and car horn beeps outside Philly city hall right now after news of Biden\u2019s win pic.twitter.com\/vVqT8ZV6aJ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Amber Jamieson (@ambiej) November 7, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

LGBTQ activist Charlotte Clymer argued in mid-October<\/a> that Biden\u2019s support of LGBTQ human rights is more than lip service<\/a>, and Biden is on record identifying discrimination against transgender people as the \u201ccivil rights issue of our time<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Screen Shot, Twitter.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Biden\u2019s and Harris\u2019 approaches to gender roles in their personal lives also will expand what the president and vice president symbolize.<\/p>\n

Communication scholars have documented the ways in which the U.S. presidency historically has been a \u201ctwo-person career<\/a>\u201d in which the president\u2019s family is supposed to represent an idealized version of the traditional American family, with the president\/father as the head, the wife\/first lady in a supporting role, and obedient children rounding out the picture. The ceremonial duties required of the president and first lady typically have required even career-focused political spouses to put their work on hold<\/a> during their time in the White House.<\/p>\n

Jill Biden, however, might be the first presidential spouse to continue to work in her chosen profession<\/a> \u2013 teaching at a community college \u2013 while serving as first lady. And Doug Emhoff will be the first male spouse of a woman vice president, causing sometimes humorous confusion over what he should be called<\/a>: second gentleman? second husband? vice dude?<\/p>\n

The serious point to be made is that the small ways that Jill Biden and Doug Emhoff will broaden our expectations of presidential and vice presidential spouses also expand the possibilities for who can run for the top jobs.<\/p>\n

[Deep knowledge, daily.<\/em> Sign up for The Conversation\u2019s newsletter<\/a>.]<\/p>\n

So, even though the 2020 presidential campaign pitted two white, heterosexual men against each other, the election of Biden and Harris poses a challenge to how we envision the president and vice president.<\/p>\n

American masculinity has been subjected to well-deserved critique, and the negative effects of toxic masculinity are manifold and substantial. But the photos tweeted in recent weeks \u2013 of men hugging others with compassion, crying openly and acknowledging women and the LGBTQ community with respect and gratitude \u2013 remind us of one thing: This, too, is American masculinity.\"The<\/p>\n

Karrin Vasby Anderson<\/a>, Professor of Communication Studies, Colorado State University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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