American men are falling behind, and Sen. Josh Hawley believes he knows why: because of fatherlessness and media messaging.
When young men lack strong male role models, they also lack the purpose and mission needed to build a constructive life, Hawley said in an exclusive interview this weekend with the Washington Examiner.
Likewise, when the media and the left constantly message that men are inherently evil, that masculinity is bad, and that fathers are “either absent or abusive or idiots,” that doesn’t help either.
“Men are told all the time that to be a man is to be toxic, that if you’re a man, you make the world a worse place, and that fathers are irrelevant or maybe they contribute to the great injustice of the world. All of that stuff is false. We need dads desperately,” Hawley argued.
“Sure, some men are absent. That’s bad. Some men are abusive,” added, further noting that men need to be shown how important their family contributions are.
Hawley recently wrote a book about manhood:
Sorry, libs, Manhood is a best seller. Get your copy here https://t.co/Cq7iRnSaGm
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) May 19, 2023
Continuing his remarks, Hawley then touted the benefits of fatherhood, which he described as “the best thing you can do with your life.”
“There’s tremendous value in being a father, you know. I mean, I just say unapologetically the best thing you can do with your life, if you want your life to matter: Get married, have a family, be a husband, be a father, invest your life in somebody else’s life, don’t just live for yourself. That will be the path to true happiness and true significance,” the senator said.
He also said that even men who grew up without positive male role models can “break the cycle” by deciding to “change the destiny of your family.”
“You don’t have to do it perfectly, but if you will try to spend time with your kids, if you will try to invest in them, that will pay huge dividends in their life and in your life,” he said.
The science reportedly backs this up, according to University of Virginia sociologist and Institute for Family Studies senior fellow W. Bradford Wilcox.
“I think too many young men today don’t fully appreciate how much becoming a father is what we would call a generative experience that endows their life with meaning, purpose, direction — and yeah, it’s tough, but generally a great deal of satisfaction as well,” he told the Examiner.
Hawley also recently wrote a column about manhood:
Sen. Hawley: ‘Strong men aren’t the problem. For America, stronger, better men are the solution’ https://t.co/x23gEImBe5 pic.twitter.com/Qo8tD0AoSn
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) May 20, 2023
As for young men without any positive male role models, it’s easy for them to be led astray, Hawley argued, particularly given all the unproductive content littering the Internet.
“Just think about the stuff that kids are exposed to today on mobile platforms, on the Internet, social media. I think, as a parent, there’s so much out there. There’s so many people who really want to influence my kids, who would really like to raise my kids rather than me,” the senator said.
“You’ve got Joe Biden saying they’re all our kids. No, they’re not. They belong to their parents. There’s a reason for that. A lot of young men don’t get mentored at all. These are the guys who are still, you know, in mom and dad’s basement or, you know, living somewhere on their screens at age 30 and can’t hold down a regular job, right? I mean, just don’t have any sense of purpose,” he added.
Regarding all the negative messaging online and in the real world about manhood, Hawley worries that some young men will “embrace that” by emulating the exact bad behavior that critics accuse men of perpetrating.
“What we need to find are role models who show what good, strong, healthy manhood looks like — that is self-sacrificial, that is willing to give up your own interests and ambitions for other people and is willing to use the strength and influence you have to benefit others,” the senator said.
For him personally, that advice starts at home.
“As I continue to grow as a dad, I think providing for your family, protecting them, and then really nurturing them, looking to their growth, those are the key things that I think as a dad, at least in the stage that I’m in right now, are so important,” he said.
Regarding Hawley’s recent manhood column, he used it to highlight the importance of strong men.
“Of all the things this country needs—stronger borders, better-paying jobs, some basic safety on our streets—above all, America needs stronger men,” he wrote.
“The left has spent decades running men down, blaming them for everything from climate change to ‘the patriarchy.’ They’re wrong. Strong men aren’t the problem. For America, stronger, better men are the solution,” he added.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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