Who Are the Male Role Models?

Young men are struggling. It is worth noting that young women have struggled for decades and are still struggling differently from men. As more women begin to break the glass ceiling and sit themselves at the table as equals, aka it isn’t about gender, it is about ability, they are faced with a slew of questions in any setting that a man would never be asked, and I could go on for hours.

We have moved into a next generation, post-COVID, in an insane political atmosphere that is literally being created when it did not really exist. Gen Z wants the world to be different from the one being handed to them, and those who created this world do not want to let go of the reins. Gen Z are digitally fluid, they live online, and through that are able to champion the causes they believe in, they champion racial, religious, and gender equality, and know how to foster those ideas through social media. Mental health is always on their minds.

Charlie Kirk, who defined digitally native, scared the fuck out of the far right, and so do powerful women who know what they want and are going out and getting it. These young men are freaked, lonely, confused, and scared. Who are their role models? Mark Zuckerberg? Jeff Bezos? Elon Musk? Larry Ellison? The majority of the tech bros have been a huge disappointment, and they have created a new Great Gatsby era for themselves because in the Trump administration there is zero regulation.

MacKenzie Scott has given away $19 billion to make a difference in the world, primarily in the US. She has just given $70 million to the UNCF (United Negro College Fund) to support Black colleges and universities. That is how change happens. Melinda Gates is committed to spending $1B on women and their health. Alice Walton has given away almost $2B and founded Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, great for the art world and community. This is how women do it instead of gobbling up more companies and flying to the moon.

We are at a crossroads, and it is not very pretty. I fear for these young men, but I can only hope that they find their way and follow a path where the supposed masters of the universe are no longer in control. It will make for a better future.