White folks, is Tim Walz a "unicorn"? (non-political)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Growing up a white man in the south is really hard I think because white men in the south, culturally, have never really been on the right side of anything. The best thing they have going is a thin veneer of chivalry in certain circumstances.

This is interesting because I can think of a lot of southern white men who I don't think struggled with this at all. Perhaps because they are from liberal families or maybe they figured out early on that the south was on the wrong side in the Civil War and just never really struggled over that or even identified with the confederacy. I am thinking of a lot of men I know personally but also very prominent public men like Stephen Colbert. I just know a lot of men from the south who both embrace southern courtesy and manners but also don't struggle in the least with concepts like "slavery is morally wrong" or "who other people want to marry is none of my business." Anecdotally the difference between the men who struggle and those who don't seems to be how they were raised and early influences in their lives like traveling a bit outside the south at a young age or going to college outside the south or in a more cosmopolitan part of the south.

Stephen Colbert was born in DC. His dad is a doctor who moved the family to Charleston. That’s not really who I’m talking about.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know white men in the south much. But Walz is very much like middle aged white dads in my community in suburban Maryland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, I think he is fairly typical. And very much a Minnesotan.

— White man, 52, who grew up in Ohio.

Maybe you see more handwringing in the south where white men might struggle more with cognitive dissonance over growing equality and believing they’re being displaced. But this sort of anxiety and insecurity really isn’t a thing in most of the rest of the country.

Walz strikes me as extremely relatable because he is exactly how most white men of a certain age are. So he’s the opposite of a “unicorn” IMO.

I think so too. My dad is an 81 year old southern, high school educated, truck driving, blue collar white man. He’s also pro-choice, pro-lgbt, very upset at police abuse of black people (and anyone in general, but he was very upset about George Floyd), big government-loving left of center Democrat. And a big, sweet teddy bear of a man. So idk. That’s my idea of older white men, tbh, men like my dad, because that’s what I grew up with.

My roommate in college, her dad was a retired coal miner. He met my girlfriend at our graduation and my roommate told me he said, “her girlfriend is right pretty!” This was back in the day and not a homophobic bone in the man’s body. Also a big sweet teddy bear. I tend to think there are a lot more white men like this than people may assume.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Growing up a white man in the south is really hard I think because white men in the south, culturally, have never really been on the right side of anything. The best thing they have going is a thin veneer of chivalry in certain circumstances.

This is interesting because I can think of a lot of southern white men who I don't think struggled with this at all. Perhaps because they are from liberal families or maybe they figured out early on that the south was on the wrong side in the Civil War and just never really struggled over that or even identified with the confederacy. I am thinking of a lot of men I know personally but also very prominent public men like Stephen Colbert. I just know a lot of men from the south who both embrace southern courtesy and manners but also don't struggle in the least with concepts like "slavery is morally wrong" or "who other people want to marry is none of my business." Anecdotally the difference between the men who struggle and those who don't seems to be how they were raised and early influences in their lives like traveling a bit outside the south at a young age or going to college outside the south or in a more cosmopolitan part of the south.

Stephen Colbert was born in DC. His dad is a doctor who moved the family to Charleston. That’s not really who I’m talking about.

I hate to break this to you, but DC was in the South and slavery was legal there.

[Anonymous]

White woman. I do think it’s unusual for a white man to not only have these convictions but also be so fluent in speaking about them. I can think of ten white men off the top of my head who are very similar to Walz but would not be effective explaining their understanding of how to use white man-ness for good 1:1, let alone in a way that resonates with a big crowd.

[Anonymous]

Somehow our country has amplified the stereotypical close-minded redneck version of white men.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know white men in the south much. But Walz is very much like middle aged white dads in my community in suburban Maryland.

In liberal suburban Md.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Somehow our country has amplified the stereotypical close-minded redneck version of white men.

Well they vote that way so it’s the majority.

[Anonymous]

I had this discussion with a 50 something white male recently.

He explained it like this…

He was raised by a dad who literally went to work and came home and put food on the table and provided a house and did nothing else. That was his role model. They went hunting and fishing and camping, but it was more that he was tagging along with his dad not it was a bonding moment.

His dad was raised by somebody who could hardly provide home or put food on the table.

Now he is trying to be everything expected of a dad.. work, put food on the table, cook, clean, care for the kids, talk about his feelings,… But he never had a role model for this. He also feels like he’s failing half the time. You could say women are asked to do more and he admits they are but in reality if his wife got fired or quit her job, she has a huge safety net in him but it’s not true the other way around.

Obviously, the world has given white males a cheat code to be successful, And still it’s hard.

And quite frankly, they don’t wanna share the cheat code with everybody else. Because they fear downward mobility for their kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Somehow our country has amplified the stereotypical close-minded redneck version of white men.

We have amplified the stereotype of the bumbling useless man. But that is not the majority.

[Anonymous]

I do not understand what the PP is talking about. Men who love their family don’t have to be selfish and out and out mean to others - there’s enough work and freedom and caring to go around. Two elder generation Republican men in my family have both started voting Democrat - they can’t stand the way the party has become so mean and violent and close minded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Somehow our country has amplified the stereotypical close-minded redneck version of white men.

Well they vote that way so it’s the majority.

I'm so sorry they didn't vote for your candidate, whoever that was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Somehow our country has amplified the stereotypical close-minded redneck version of white men.

Well they vote that way so it’s the majority.

I'm so sorry they didn't vote for your candidate, whoever that was.

The non-racist one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Somehow our country has amplified the stereotypical close-minded redneck version of white men.

We have amplified the stereotype of the bumbling useless man. But that is not the majority.

When studied they are the majority.

[Anonymous]

I know a lot of men like Walz (as described by the OP). He is not a unicorn. Too many biased people in this world. You all need to get out more.