"Masculinity in America," Apr. 16 (W) at 3:30pm

Sun Apr 13 12:00:00 UTC 2025

 *The Institute for Ethics in Public Life invites you to join us for
"Masculinity in America" at 3:30pm on Wednesday, April 16 (in-person or on
Zoom), with special guest Dr. Lee Thorpe of the Department of Sociology.*

What does it mean to be a "man" in America? This has not been an easy
question to answer for quite some time, perhaps ever, but in recent years
it has become a big social and political issue. Secretary of Defense Pete
Hegseth wrote a book
<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/War-Warriors-Behind-Betrayal-Keep/dp/0063389428&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1744914241321228&usg=AOvVaw23Twm3ebLReaOtpD3xVGjm>
where he argued that women should not serve in combat roles and that
efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion had made the US
military weak and "effeminate." Political candidates
<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/north-carolina-gop-candidate-mark-robinson-wants-america-where-women-could-not-vote-1234982773/&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1744914241321228&usg=AOvVaw0VFI2GdK37FlxKilCFLOuX>
and pundits
<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/politics/2021/10/22/ann-coulter-says-women-shouldnt-have-right-vote-19th-amendment-missouri-state-university/8528256002/&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1744914241321228&usg=AOvVaw3awhYXn6LoIR0SoDunQcfL>have
argued that women shouldn't have the right to vote. Former Fox News host
Tucker Carlson produced a documentary
<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nation.foxnews.com/tucker-carlson-originals-the-end-of-men-nation/&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1744914241321228&usg=AOvVaw3b3U9Y3dQPOoksA9h4RpYY>
arguing that we're facing the "end of men," due to "collapsing testosterone
levels." Elon Musk and VP JD Vance are part of a "pro-natalist" movement
<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/11/what-is-pronatalism-right-wing-republican&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1744914241321228&usg=AOvVaw22pBlYEATAasQhp5xNR0NF>
that wants to roll-back social gains made by women in the name of
increasing the birth rate. And Fox News hosts have argued
<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.mediamatters.org/five/fox-news-chyron-trumps-manly-tariffs&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1744914241321228&usg=AOvVaw3xMShFK2RcTO_90BcBBibL>
that Trump's tariffs will make the US economy more "manly."

What is going on? Why have gender and gender roles become major political
issues? To understand this, we need to consider the ways that politics, the
economy, and society have always been gendered in the United States. This
creates an environment where changes in gender roles and social structures
can become major political issues. To this traditional source we can add social
media
<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://contrarian.substack.com/p/the-masculinity-crisis-how-economic&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1744914241321228&usg=AOvVaw2UhDGrJE_KlmiIzkP06eut>,
which contributes to the radicalization of young men already alienated by
economic and social change.

For today's conversation we welcome Dr. Lee Thorpe, Assistant Professor of
Sociology, to help us understand these issues and more. Dr. Thorpe joined
the faculty at SUNY Plattsburgh as the PRODiG  Fellow in Fall 2022. He
received his Ph.D. in Sociology from West Virginia University, a Master of
Arts in  Humanities and Social Thought from New York University, and a
Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from  Stony Brook University. During his
master’s program, Dr. Thorpe studied abroad in the Netherlands and  took
part in the Summer Institute on Sexuality, Culture, and Society at the
University of Amsterdam. His primary areas of research and teaching
interests are in sexualities, gender, social psychology, and  sociological
theory.

Daniel Lake is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Masculinity in America
Time: Apr 16, 2025 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://plattsburgh.zoom.us/j/85789244683
<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://plattsburgh.zoom.us/j/85789244683&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1744914241321228&usg=AOvVaw0pn_n4dPhYqK1wBkLEYHmz>

*Upcoming at the Institute (*all events at 3:30pm, in-person and Zoom,
unless otherwise noted*)*:

*Apr. 23 *- Ethical issues with the commercialization of space, with Dr.
John McMahon, Department of Political Science.

*Apr. 30* - Intellectual Property and AI, with Dr. John Chambers,
Department of Communications Studies.

*May 7* - Social Media and Education, with Prof. Bridget Haina and Dr.
Shakuntala Rao, Department of Communications Studies.

You can also see upcoming events on the Institute's Program and Events
webpage
<https://www.plattsburgh.edu/about/centers/ethics-in-public-life/programs.html>
or add the Institute's public calendar
<https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/1?cid=Y19sa245c3MxcjdscjExdmM0ZzNtMDlyaDUyb0Bncm91cC5jYWxlbmRhci5nb29nbGUuY29t>
to your Google Calendar.

-- 

*Daniel Lake*

(pronouns: he/him/his)

Assoc. Prof. of Political Science

Director, Institute for Ethics in Public Life

Hawkins 149A

101 Broad Street
<https://maps.google.com/?q=101+Broad+Street+Plattsburgh,+NY+12901&entry=gmail&source=g>

Plattsburgh, NY 12901
<https://maps.google.com/?q=101+Broad+Street+Plattsburgh,+NY+12901&entry=gmail&source=g>

(o) 518-564-5833 <(518)%5645833>

*plattsburgh.edu <http://plattsburgh.edu/>*
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