Sep 28, 2023·edited Sep 30, 2023Liked by André Béliveau, Justin Stapley
I really appreciate this post and this project. I grew up in a conservative environment in Australia, and was educated at a private Christian boys' school, so I have an appreciation for the healthy expression of conservative values. As a young adult I had a spontaneous spiritual realization of oneness that radically changed my life's trajectory, and since then I've identified mostly as very progressive politically. Yet in recent years, I've been deeply alarmed at the authoritarianism that has captured the left, and find myself in resonance with certain conservative critiques of identitarian politics. In my own writing, I've felt called to push back against unhealthy leftist extremism to my mostly progressive audience, just as you are pointing out to your conservative audience unhealthy extremist tendencies on the right.
In my writing I've suggested that our current state of intense polarization can be understood as the surfacing of profound tensions between the masculine and feminine dimensions of the collective unconscious. The Right, with its emphasis on individual responsibility and self-determination, tends to hold more archetypally-masculine values, while the Left, with its emphasis on inclusion and compassion, tends to hold more archetypally-feminine values. I think that the extremism that has overtaken our politics on both right and left in recent years can be seen as expressions of the unhealthy or immature versions of the masculine and feminine principles, respectively.
As simplistic as this framework seems to be, I find it tends to hold up well.
The way out, to me, can only come through some form of creative encounter between the healthy and mature versions of the masculine and feminine principles. Politically this might equate to new forms of dialogue between those on the left and right who are pushing back against extremism on their own sides. Honestly I'm not sure where else to turn. It's been quite shocking in recent years to find myself isolated from so many of my former tribe, who mostly still seem oblivious to what to me are blatant and deeply troubling authoritarian developments.
A sticking point for me is spirituality. My spirituality is as profound and central to me as Christianity is to any Christian, yet I am not a Christian. I've walked a spiritual path for over 30 years, and now guide others in meditation and personal inquiry. Developing a connection to the sacred dimensions of nature is a very important part of my path. I have a problem with a religious attitude that assumes there is only one way to God -- and of course that attitude has a very long and dark history. So I'm especially encouraged by your line "living in a society such as ours requires you to ....make peace with those who do you no harm but pray differently than you or don’t pray at all."
Even though I still feel progressive in my core, I resonate with the integrity of your project. That integrity does represent for me the healthy masculine principle. I think the healthy feminine principle also has integrity, and my hope is that these currents can find a way to meet each other to develop a solid basis for culture that provides an alternative to today's shallow extremism.
Thank for your kind and words and for offering such an excellent take. I'd love to discuss possibly turning this into a submission for our readers, if you'd be interested.
“ The Right, with its emphasis on individual responsibility and self-determination, tends to hold more archetypally-masculine values, while the Left, with its emphasis on inclusion and compassion, tends to hold more archetypally-feminine values. I think that the extremism that has overtaken our politics on both right and left in recent years can be seen as expressions of the unhealthy or immature versions of the masculine and feminine principles, respectively.”
An interesting thought. I’ve read some things along similar lines. Are you aware that political polarization along gender lines is at its highest (I think ever), with men being more on the right and women on the left? Especially among young people. Obviously there are exceptions but it seems there is something to this idea.
Yeah the New Right’s conception of masculinity has (for the most part, occasionally you’ll find exceptions - the New Right is a big place with lots of disagreement) often seemed weird and even unmasculine to me. And I’m a guy who pretty much checks the boxes of stereotypically traditionally masculine, sometimes even unintentionally.
Why is Donald Trump, for instance, masculine? He says mean things but often not even to people’s faces and he lied his way out of fighting in Vietnam and then insulted McCain who did fight.
Or why is tweeting about the culture war considered to be a masculine example of fighting? Some New Right types are physically active, but many aren’t.
Above all, many seem to have embraced a victimhood version of masculinity. Society has unfairly gotten rid of the jobs men used to do and now they’re oppressed, etc.
I really appreciate this post and this project. I grew up in a conservative environment in Australia, and was educated at a private Christian boys' school, so I have an appreciation for the healthy expression of conservative values. As a young adult I had a spontaneous spiritual realization of oneness that radically changed my life's trajectory, and since then I've identified mostly as very progressive politically. Yet in recent years, I've been deeply alarmed at the authoritarianism that has captured the left, and find myself in resonance with certain conservative critiques of identitarian politics. In my own writing, I've felt called to push back against unhealthy leftist extremism to my mostly progressive audience, just as you are pointing out to your conservative audience unhealthy extremist tendencies on the right.
In my writing I've suggested that our current state of intense polarization can be understood as the surfacing of profound tensions between the masculine and feminine dimensions of the collective unconscious. The Right, with its emphasis on individual responsibility and self-determination, tends to hold more archetypally-masculine values, while the Left, with its emphasis on inclusion and compassion, tends to hold more archetypally-feminine values. I think that the extremism that has overtaken our politics on both right and left in recent years can be seen as expressions of the unhealthy or immature versions of the masculine and feminine principles, respectively.
As simplistic as this framework seems to be, I find it tends to hold up well.
The way out, to me, can only come through some form of creative encounter between the healthy and mature versions of the masculine and feminine principles. Politically this might equate to new forms of dialogue between those on the left and right who are pushing back against extremism on their own sides. Honestly I'm not sure where else to turn. It's been quite shocking in recent years to find myself isolated from so many of my former tribe, who mostly still seem oblivious to what to me are blatant and deeply troubling authoritarian developments.
A sticking point for me is spirituality. My spirituality is as profound and central to me as Christianity is to any Christian, yet I am not a Christian. I've walked a spiritual path for over 30 years, and now guide others in meditation and personal inquiry. Developing a connection to the sacred dimensions of nature is a very important part of my path. I have a problem with a religious attitude that assumes there is only one way to God -- and of course that attitude has a very long and dark history. So I'm especially encouraged by your line "living in a society such as ours requires you to ....make peace with those who do you no harm but pray differently than you or don’t pray at all."
Even though I still feel progressive in my core, I resonate with the integrity of your project. That integrity does represent for me the healthy masculine principle. I think the healthy feminine principle also has integrity, and my hope is that these currents can find a way to meet each other to develop a solid basis for culture that provides an alternative to today's shallow extremism.
Thank for your kind and words and for offering such an excellent take. I'd love to discuss possibly turning this into a submission for our readers, if you'd be interested.
Thanks Justin, that does sound like something I might be interested in.
Excellent! Here's a link to our submission form, fill it out and we'll go from there: https://form.jotform.com/232583086196161
Great, will do!
“ The Right, with its emphasis on individual responsibility and self-determination, tends to hold more archetypally-masculine values, while the Left, with its emphasis on inclusion and compassion, tends to hold more archetypally-feminine values. I think that the extremism that has overtaken our politics on both right and left in recent years can be seen as expressions of the unhealthy or immature versions of the masculine and feminine principles, respectively.”
An interesting thought. I’ve read some things along similar lines. Are you aware that political polarization along gender lines is at its highest (I think ever), with men being more on the right and women on the left? Especially among young people. Obviously there are exceptions but it seems there is something to this idea.
I wasn't aware of that but it's not at all surprising.
Yeah the New Right’s conception of masculinity has (for the most part, occasionally you’ll find exceptions - the New Right is a big place with lots of disagreement) often seemed weird and even unmasculine to me. And I’m a guy who pretty much checks the boxes of stereotypically traditionally masculine, sometimes even unintentionally.
Why is Donald Trump, for instance, masculine? He says mean things but often not even to people’s faces and he lied his way out of fighting in Vietnam and then insulted McCain who did fight.
Or why is tweeting about the culture war considered to be a masculine example of fighting? Some New Right types are physically active, but many aren’t.
Above all, many seem to have embraced a victimhood version of masculinity. Society has unfairly gotten rid of the jobs men used to do and now they’re oppressed, etc.