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

[Anonymous]

I was going to say that over the years I've met many white men who are like Walz. Particularly my colleagues.

But then I realized maybe my profession (teaching) draws these guys. That's good for everyone.

--not white

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was going to say that over the years I've met many white men who are like Walz. Particularly my colleagues.

But then I realized maybe my profession (teaching) draws these guys. That's good for everyone.

--not white

I’m a high school teacher and he is a very, very common representation of the good kind of older guy coach/teacher you see in many schools.

[Anonymous]

Interesting article in WSJ about Walz.

[Anonymous]

Walz is only a unicorn if you are an obsessively online urban coastal weirdo. His success is because he's an average guy with above average intelligence, but not wonky intelligent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was going to say that over the years I've met many white men who are like Walz. Particularly my colleagues.

But then I realized maybe my profession (teaching) draws these guys. That's good for everyone.

--not white

I’m a high school teacher and he is a very, very common representation of the good kind of older guy coach/teacher you see in many schools.

Walz stopped teaching/coaching professionally at age 42. He wasn't old.
(He stopped teaching when his students attended a Bush rally in 2006 )

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Walz is a pandering, valor-stealing douche who would be shunned by any real Midwesterner.

—A real Midwesterner

Ok, Joey Mannarino. If you say so. Are you a “true” Midwesterner?

https://www.dailydot.com/debug/joey-mannarino-trump-fan-black-woman-kamala-harris-attack/

Did you actually read the article you posted? The woman he was claimed to have "impersonated" has said it was her post, her device. I mean, I couldn't care less, they're all scum. But you do nobody any favors when you spread bad information. This whole thing was put to rest but you didn't do any legwork to know that. This is the problem on both sides. Nobody thinks for themselves.

LOL, sure. He “claims.”

My dude. Do you KNOW how many white Trump supporters have been caught pretending to be black or otherwise? It’s beyond embarrassing.

No one believes you are a “real” midwesterner.

I was raised in Columbus, Ohio. Walz is the real deal.

Sorry, I should have clarified. I am a different person and not a dude. I am not mid-western but from Central PA, with parents who came from absolute poverty and very middle class. Walz does not strike me as having any "classic masculine" traits. Almost trying a bit too hard to, honestly. It's almost like he's a caricature.

The dude literally coached football.

But he's a Democratic and I have to believe that all Democrats are femboy soyboys because I don't have any criticisms with substance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Walz is only a unicorn if you are an obsessively online urban coastal weirdo. His success is because he's an average guy with above average intelligence, but not wonky intelligent.

But a sh** ton of charisma. He's quietly and powerfully charismatic

[Anonymous]

Watch him lose his temper.

This is every blowhard football coach who can smile for the parents at the Pizza Hut end of season banquet.

https://x.com/GrageDustin/status/1822615558107324833

[Anonymous]

Why he seems like a unicorn is that he is an EMPATHETIC white man, which seems unusual in comparison to Trump and the Fox freaks. Empathy is NOT weakness!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

You know, lots of men that publicly support LGBT people?

Do you not? I’m a millennial - goes without saying for liberal guys I know, and most conservative guys I know are basically like, “Who cares? Just let ‘em marry” which I’m not by any means equating to allyship, but they’re definitely not anti by any means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a middle-aged Black man from a rural, mostly White, area of NC. A place where farming, hunting, fishing, pick-up trucks w/ rebel flags, and Jesus Christ are popular.

While often challenging, I feel fortunate to have grown up in that environment and then going to college and grad school in a totally different world. Where Black and White students studied and lived together.

Which brings me to my Tim Walz unicorn question. Now in my 50s, I've grown up with, gone to school with, work with, and am family/friends with, countless White men. In my lifetime, (and I really want to say this w/o offending anyone) I feel like I've witnessed White men trying to figure out who they are. And that has been a long struggle for them and partly the reason why the country is the way it is today. I've wondered and worried about White men from this perspective.

But Tim is different. At least, to me he seems to be. I'm not sensing that struggle with him. That's uncommon. Kind of unicorn-ish, I think. He seems to have figured out some things that we, as men (dare I say, especially White men), struggle with for a good part of our lives. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on this.

And folks please, I fully understand that this whole post is one hell of a generalization, based on an extremely micro point of view. I also know full-well that we as Black men have our own unique struggles. If this post feels like I'm "throwing stones", then I've failed in trying to have objective dialogue and I apologize. Thanks.

Love the guy. Especially that he served in combat. Very impressive. And would never lie about something as sacred as that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in MN and know a LOT of white middle aged men like Walz. So I don’t think he’s a unicorn generally. But I do think we haven’t really seen anyone running for president or VP like him before. He’s a genuinely good guy. There are a lot of genuinely good guys. But not a lot of genuinely good guys who attain high political offices.

Not that the VP usually decides how anyone votes but just imagine having to choose being related to Walz or JD Vance. Which person would you be cool to hang on a boat with all day? Which person seems like they’d be more enjoyable to see at the holidays? Which person would you call to come change your tire if you broke down on the side of the road? Which person looks like they’d grill better? If you ran into Walz or Vance at a kid birthday party, who would make more pleasant conversation?

I think the much more important question to ask is which one you would want to be a heartbeat away from the presidency, keeping Putin from taking over Europe and Hamas out of the US. I mean, I'd rather hang out with Lebron at a birthday party over either of them, but that doesn't mean he should be in the White House. Come on. What a dumb way to decide who you should vote for.

Hey remember when Republicans thought George W was going to a better President than Al Gore because he would better to drink a beer with (even though he didn’t drink at the time)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a middle-aged Black man from a rural, mostly White, area of NC. A place where farming, hunting, fishing, pick-up trucks w/ rebel flags, and Jesus Christ are popular.

While often challenging, I feel fortunate to have grown up in that environment and then going to college and grad school in a totally different world. Where Black and White students studied and lived together.

Which brings me to my Tim Walz unicorn question. Now in my 50s, I've grown up with, gone to school with, work with, and am family/friends with, countless White men. In my lifetime, (and I really want to say this w/o offending anyone) I feel like I've witnessed White men trying to figure out who they are. And that has been a long struggle for them and partly the reason why the country is the way it is today. I've wondered and worried about White men from this perspective.

But Tim is different. At least, to me he seems to be. I'm not sensing that struggle with him. That's uncommon. Kind of unicorn-ish, I think. He seems to have figured out some things that we, as men (dare I say, especially White men), struggle with for a good part of our lives. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on this.

And folks please, I fully understand that this whole post is one hell of a generalization, based on an extremely micro point of view. I also know full-well that we as Black men have our own unique struggles. If this post feels like I'm "throwing stones", then I've failed in trying to have objective dialogue and I apologize. Thanks.

OP -- he is your standard issue white guy. Not a unicorn. My politics are very different but no doubt he is standard issue. I did not grow up in the South. But I have never seen this search for identity or any struggle. People know who they are. Most white men become him. Now he also lacked ambition it seems until he decided to run for Congress. That is normal too. He is super normal. Trump is not. Vance could have been but is not. Harris is not as well. He is the only one that seems to be normal. That is true a lot on the national level -- maybe Marco, Mayor Pete but not a lot like Walz in politics so he is a bit of a unicorn that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live in MN and know a LOT of white middle aged men like Walz. So I don’t think he’s a unicorn generally. But I do think we haven’t really seen anyone running for president or VP like him before. He’s a genuinely good guy. There are a lot of genuinely good guys. But not a lot of genuinely good guys who attain high political offices.

Not that the VP usually decides how anyone votes but just imagine having to choose being related to Walz or JD Vance. Which person would you be cool to hang on a boat with all day? Which person seems like they’d be more enjoyable to see at the holidays? Which person would you call to come change your tire if you broke down on the side of the road? Which person looks like they’d grill better? If you ran into Walz or Vance at a kid birthday party, who would make more pleasant conversation?

I think the much more important question to ask is which one you would want to be a heartbeat away from the presidency, keeping Putin from taking over Europe and Hamas out of the US. I mean, I'd rather hang out with Lebron at a birthday party over either of them, but that doesn't mean he should be in the White House. Come on. What a dumb way to decide who you should vote for.

Likability has always factored into politics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was going to say that over the years I've met many white men who are like Walz. Particularly my colleagues.

But then I realized maybe my profession (teaching) draws these guys. That's good for everyone.

--not white

I’m a high school teacher and he is a very, very common representation of the good kind of older guy coach/teacher you see in many schools.

Walz stopped teaching/coaching professionally at age 42. He wasn't old.
(He stopped teaching when his students attended a Bush rally in 2006 )

Why on Earth would Bush have had a rally in 2006? I covered the White House then as a journalist and have zero recollection of a Bush “rally” in 2006. It wasn’t a presidential election year to begin with and he wasn’t eligible to run again anyway.