1 00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:08,320 Speaker 1: On this episode of Newtsworld. The Heritage Foundation released a 2 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:12,760 Speaker 1: new comprehensive report this week that details the dual crisis 3 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:17,360 Speaker 1: for boys and men in America entitled Men Without Meaning 4 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:22,640 Speaker 1: the Harmful Effects of Expressive Individualism. Here to discuss the report, 5 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: I'm really pleased to welcome my guest, Brenda Hafero. She 6 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 1: is the Assistant director and Senior policy Analyst for the 7 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 1: Simon Center for American Studies at the Heritage Foundation. Brenda, welcome, 8 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:51,280 Speaker 1: and thank you for joining me on Newts World. 9 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 2: Thank you for having me. 10 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 1: Let's start at the beginning. What is the boy crisis? 11 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:03,320 Speaker 2: The boy crisis is answering question, which is how and 12 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:07,679 Speaker 2: why are boys and men in America and sometimes around 13 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:11,399 Speaker 2: the world struggling to flourish. And it turns out that 14 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 2: this is mental, physical, economic, academic, and spiritual. So, for example, 15 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 2: the second leading cause of death for men under forty 16 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 2: five in the United States is suicide. The IQ of 17 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 2: our boys are actually dropping, and in twenty twenty, only 18 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 2: twenty five percent of men ages seventeen to twenty four 19 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:42,880 Speaker 2: qualified for military service because of mental, physical, and drug 20 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 2: abuse or a combination of those factors. Forty one percent 21 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 2: of our girls are proficient in writing, which is not good, 22 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,920 Speaker 2: but only twenty percent of our boys are proficient in writing, 23 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 2: and men now are an approximately forty percent of college 24 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 2: degrees at a time when the earnings for folks with 25 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 2: just a high school diploma is dropping. And then over 26 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 2: seven million men between the ages of twenty five and 27 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 2: fifty five have entirely checked out of the workforce. So 28 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,960 Speaker 2: it's far reaching, and there are a lot of examples 29 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:20,640 Speaker 2: of why millions of men and boys are struggling. 30 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 1: If there are seven million men between twenty five and 31 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 1: fifty five who've checked out of the workforce, what are 32 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 1: they doing. 33 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 2: They're not spending their time, for the most part, looking 34 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 2: after children or doing very good things. So on average, 35 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:42,000 Speaker 2: they're spending about five and a half hours watching television 36 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 2: and movies, so a lot of the time is being 37 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 2: spent in front of screens. About half of these men 38 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 2: are on medication. There's a lot of drug abuse going on, 39 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:58,040 Speaker 2: and it feels like they're just kind of listless and 40 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 2: don't have a lot of purpose and in their life. 41 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 1: How much does the rise of the gaming culture a 42 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 1: part of that? 43 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 2: I think it's certainly part of that. So video games 44 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:11,200 Speaker 2: are part of that. Screen time and video games are 45 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 2: becoming more addictive as they're being developed, so a lot 46 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 2: of these men are indeed spending time in front of 47 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 2: video games. 48 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: In your report, you say that the single direct driver 49 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 1: of the boy crisis is the absence of fathers. What's 50 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: the evidence for them? 51 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 2: That's right, So there's a lot of evidence. So according 52 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 2: to Will Ferrell and John Gray's book The Boy Crisis, 53 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 2: the absence of fathers or his presence impacts school achievement, 54 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 2: verbal intelligence and quantitative abilities, school dropouts, employment, suicide, drugs, homelessness, bullying, victimization, 55 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 2: violent crime, rape, poverty and mobility, hypertension, trust, and and 56 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 2: they So it's a lot of causes there and a 57 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:08,840 Speaker 2: lot of effects. And as an example, telomeres, which develop 58 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 2: early in life and predicts the lifespan of children. Children 59 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 2: with father loss have by age nine telomeres that are 60 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:23,720 Speaker 2: fourteen percent shorter, and that effect is forty percent greater 61 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:28,159 Speaker 2: for boys compared to girls. So the lack of fathers, 62 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 2: about half of kids today grow up in two parent households, 63 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:36,040 Speaker 2: half of them don't. The lack of fathers is really 64 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 2: the primary driver behind the boy crisis. 65 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:45,200 Speaker 1: Does that also then lead to dramatically greater criminal behavior. 66 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:51,200 Speaker 2: Yes, it certainly does so, strikingly. In Brad Wilcox's book, 67 00:04:51,279 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 2: he points out that young men without both parents are 68 00:04:56,480 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 2: more likely to go to prison than to grab away 69 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:01,680 Speaker 2: from college. 70 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:08,360 Speaker 1: So this has all happened despite in some ways the 71 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 1: best intentions of those who created the welfare state. Has 72 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:17,120 Speaker 1: the welfare state actually been an assistant to the decline 73 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 1: of males. 74 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:21,480 Speaker 2: It certainly has. So much of this is driven by 75 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:24,599 Speaker 2: the absence of fathers, which is of course tied to 76 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:28,040 Speaker 2: the breakdown of the family or the lack of family formation. 77 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 2: So the welfare state which developed in the sixties, some 78 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:37,839 Speaker 2: of those policies were actually only given to single moms, 79 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:43,240 Speaker 2: and this created for a time the phenomenon of fathers 80 00:05:43,279 --> 00:05:46,480 Speaker 2: actually leaving the home or not being in the home 81 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 2: so that moms could get assistance with their children. And 82 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:55,640 Speaker 2: because of that, that caused marriage rates to decline and 83 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 2: caused even more of a breakdown of the family. And 84 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:03,360 Speaker 2: we know that parents that live together but don't get married, 85 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:08,000 Speaker 2: those relationships are much less stable than parents that do 86 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:13,000 Speaker 2: get married. So the breakdown of the family was caused 87 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:16,200 Speaker 2: by the welfare state that was an impetus, and at 88 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:20,640 Speaker 2: this point it's actually become the norm, especially for the 89 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 2: lower class and for the poor. They're not getting married 90 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 2: at all, so it's just become the way that things 91 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:30,640 Speaker 2: are done, which was precipitated by the welfare state. 92 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:34,280 Speaker 1: In some ways. I was really first bought into this 93 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:38,800 Speaker 1: by Losing Ground by Charles Murray, where he pointed out 94 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:44,200 Speaker 1: that the actual effect of welfare had been to break 95 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:47,160 Speaker 1: up the family, to reduce the chances of getting out 96 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 1: of poverty, and to create habits which almost guaranteed you 97 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:54,400 Speaker 1: would stay on poverty. And I thought that Murray's book 98 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:58,599 Speaker 1: was a major factor in how we design welfare reform, 99 00:06:59,279 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 1: which was designed parents back to work and to get 100 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,839 Speaker 1: children back into an environment where work was a norm. 101 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 1: The other big impact for us was Marvin Olaski's The 102 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 1: Tragedy of American Compassion. More Olaski argues that bureaucratic compassion 103 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:21,320 Speaker 1: and the transfer of money to the poor were exactly 104 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 1: what the classic nineteenth century reformers hated because it basically 105 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:30,280 Speaker 1: made it easier to stay poor and as a result, 106 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 1: guaranteed an increase in poverty behavior and an increase in 107 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:37,160 Speaker 1: the culture of poverty. I mean, does that fit what 108 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 1: your studies have indicated. 109 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:42,600 Speaker 2: Yes, So welfare reform in the nineties happened, and it 110 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 2: tied welfare to work, and we actually saw after that 111 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:51,680 Speaker 2: happened that the decline in marriage started to level off. Right, 112 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:56,640 Speaker 2: it had been just devastating to marriage rates, and it 113 00:07:56,680 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 2: creates intergenerational cycles of poverty. The success sequence, which is 114 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:06,000 Speaker 2: get at least a high school diploma, get a job, 115 00:08:06,400 --> 00:08:10,880 Speaker 2: get married, and then have children the success sequence. If 116 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:14,360 Speaker 2: you do that, you have about a three percent chance 117 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 2: of ending up in poverty. So it's a really powerful tool. 118 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:23,120 Speaker 1: In a funny way, though our policies have been anti marriage, 119 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:26,480 Speaker 1: and that we've said in order to get the subsidy, 120 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:30,920 Speaker 1: you have to be living by yourself. On the other hand, 121 00:08:31,400 --> 00:08:34,319 Speaker 1: it's been pretty hard to argue unless you go to 122 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:37,000 Speaker 1: a guaranteed income. It's hard to try to figure out 123 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: how you design a program which both provides resources and 124 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:45,400 Speaker 1: discriminates in favor of marriage rather than against it. 125 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 2: Right, I agree, And there are still marriage penalties on 126 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:54,840 Speaker 2: the book, especially for the lower class, ironically for the 127 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:58,559 Speaker 2: poor when it comes to healthcare, and so we did 128 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:01,520 Speaker 2: eliminate some of those marriage penalties for the middle class 129 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 2: and for the upper class, but we haven't for the poor. 130 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:06,559 Speaker 1: All this, it seems to me, and I think your 131 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:13,400 Speaker 1: study indicates is compounded by the education system's impact on 132 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:17,720 Speaker 1: young males. Can you describe some of how the education 133 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:22,640 Speaker 1: system has an unintended consequence than dealing with young males. 134 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:27,199 Speaker 2: Right, So the primary driver is the absence of fathers, 135 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:31,719 Speaker 2: but I think education system contributes its fair share. So 136 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:34,680 Speaker 2: some of these trends are long term and some of 137 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:38,440 Speaker 2: these trends are short term. So we now spend more 138 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:42,679 Speaker 2: time in school, which has led to over credentialing and 139 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:49,000 Speaker 2: the prioritization of academic standards over development standards. Things like recess, 140 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 2: things like free play, which are really important for children, 141 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:57,280 Speaker 2: both boys and girls, but boys as well. And the 142 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:02,120 Speaker 2: progressive style of education has really come to predominate in 143 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:06,360 Speaker 2: our schools, and we've shifted from a free range parenting 144 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:11,120 Speaker 2: style to a safety culture. So boys now spend a 145 00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 2: lot of times in classrooms where they are forced to 146 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:17,760 Speaker 2: sit still for long periods of time. We've declined recess. 147 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:24,280 Speaker 2: We've implemented zero tolerance policies since the nineties, which were 148 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:28,040 Speaker 2: meant to be a reaction to the fear of school shooters, 149 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:32,280 Speaker 2: and those have punished some of the normal antics of boys. 150 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:37,000 Speaker 2: And we've seen, for example, that boys who commit the 151 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:41,920 Speaker 2: same behaviors as girls are actually punished more severely. So 152 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:45,760 Speaker 2: there may be some teachers who expect that boys and 153 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:50,360 Speaker 2: girls should behave exactly the same and the classroom environment 154 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:54,880 Speaker 2: is just overall can be very challenging for boys because 155 00:10:55,160 --> 00:11:00,400 Speaker 2: their prefrontal cortex takes two years longer to dive developed 156 00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:04,640 Speaker 2: than it does for girls, So sometimes the behavior skills 157 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:08,920 Speaker 2: are a challenge, and teachers tend to factor in good 158 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:10,160 Speaker 2: behavior to their grading. 159 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:15,000 Speaker 1: You'd almost be better off to design a system for 160 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:18,480 Speaker 1: males and a system for females and recognize that they're 161 00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:19,840 Speaker 1: going to be substantially different. 162 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:24,200 Speaker 2: Right, So we do have studies. We know certain pedagogical 163 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:29,439 Speaker 2: techniques work better for boys, so free movement works better 164 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:34,120 Speaker 2: for boys. Competition tends to work better for boys. They 165 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:38,560 Speaker 2: need structure, they need discipline, and girls need many of 166 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:41,680 Speaker 2: these things too, but boys especially need them. And then 167 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:46,120 Speaker 2: boys tend to be interested sometimes in different books from girls, 168 00:11:46,559 --> 00:11:49,640 Speaker 2: so they like hero stories that tend to like nonfiction. 169 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:52,400 Speaker 1: Brenda. One of the sort of things you think parents 170 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:54,800 Speaker 1: can do and what kind of schools should they be 171 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:57,640 Speaker 1: looking at in order to help young males. 172 00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:03,160 Speaker 2: I think the schools that show promise are classical schools 173 00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 2: right now, and also Montessori schools. Classical schools are experiencing 174 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:13,520 Speaker 2: a resurgence since COVID, But I think a lot of 175 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:17,640 Speaker 2: parents are seeing this as well, that classical schools are 176 00:12:17,679 --> 00:12:21,880 Speaker 2: particularly good for boys. So the things that need to 177 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:28,880 Speaker 2: be prioritized when educating boys, it's kinetic education, so free movement, 178 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:33,240 Speaker 2: pre play, nonfiction books, books about heroes are the ones 179 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:37,559 Speaker 2: that boys tend to like, having a teacher that is 180 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:42,720 Speaker 2: actually likes boys. So, since the sexual revolution, and since 181 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 2: the idea that boys and girls are the same, three 182 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:50,320 Speaker 2: out of four teachers are women, and they've been educated 183 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:55,680 Speaker 2: in schools that promote gender ideology, so sometimes they expect 184 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:59,600 Speaker 2: the boys and girls to behave the same and boys 185 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:03,000 Speaker 2: tend to respond also to competition. 186 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:24,920 Speaker 1: In a sense, isn't that almost in direct conflict with 187 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:27,679 Speaker 1: the current fad though we're all the same. 188 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:31,640 Speaker 2: Yes, this is a big part of it. Many of 189 00:13:31,640 --> 00:13:35,720 Speaker 2: these challenges can be traceable to the sexual Revolution, and 190 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:40,400 Speaker 2: part of the sexual revolution was Simone de Beauvoir put 191 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:44,160 Speaker 2: forth the notion that sex and gender can be separated 192 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:47,439 Speaker 2: from one another, and that it's not tied to biology, 193 00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:51,960 Speaker 2: that the differences between men and women are a result 194 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:56,840 Speaker 2: of social norms. And this underlies so much of what 195 00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:00,800 Speaker 2: has happened to young men and boys, because once we 196 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:04,040 Speaker 2: think that the sexes are the same, that means that 197 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:07,920 Speaker 2: mothers and fathers are interchangeable, and they're not. Both of 198 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:12,360 Speaker 2: them contribute in unique and essential ways to the raising 199 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:15,720 Speaker 2: of children. Once we accept that, we believe in the 200 00:14:15,760 --> 00:14:19,520 Speaker 2: classroom that boys and girls should behave the same and 201 00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:23,520 Speaker 2: they don't, And some of the policies that we've implemented 202 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:28,040 Speaker 2: as a result of that have been particularly damaging for boys. 203 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:33,600 Speaker 1: So, in a sense, the effort to create a monosexual culture, 204 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:39,080 Speaker 1: if you will, ultimately is shaped by women and defined 205 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:40,880 Speaker 1: as an almost anti male culture. 206 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:45,400 Speaker 2: I would say the culture has not been good about 207 00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:51,160 Speaker 2: holding up positive views of masculinity. So the first and 208 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:54,320 Speaker 2: most important role model that a boy has is of 209 00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:57,720 Speaker 2: course his father. He learns how to be a good 210 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:01,480 Speaker 2: man by looking at the witness of that example and 211 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:06,040 Speaker 2: imitating it. But then we've undermined male role models in 212 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:10,440 Speaker 2: so many other areas. So the adult dad has become 213 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:13,920 Speaker 2: such an obvious example in our culture, and things like 214 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:19,800 Speaker 2: Everybody Loves Raymond, where the father is incompetent and unreliable, 215 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:22,400 Speaker 2: he can't do anything with the help of his wife. 216 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:25,520 Speaker 2: That's a view we hold up. And then there's the 217 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:31,680 Speaker 2: toxic masculinity narrative, which tells boys that testosterone is basically 218 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:35,240 Speaker 2: a poison and doesn't encourage them to grow up to 219 00:15:35,280 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 2: be good men. They think that there's something wrong with 220 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:43,320 Speaker 2: them and they're not getting encouragement. And then we've undermined 221 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 2: male mentorship programs as well, things like boy Scouts and 222 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:51,960 Speaker 2: free movement in sports and those sorts of things, and 223 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:57,200 Speaker 2: those are really important, especially if dad is not around, 224 00:15:57,280 --> 00:16:01,200 Speaker 2: because those provide chances for boys to get together and 225 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:04,920 Speaker 2: to see male role models and benefit from that guidance. 226 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:07,880 Speaker 1: One of the things which is sobering you point out 227 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:12,160 Speaker 1: of the report is that there is an increasing tendency 228 00:16:12,200 --> 00:16:16,640 Speaker 1: to sort of medicate young males into not showing male behavior, 229 00:16:17,800 --> 00:16:20,440 Speaker 1: the use of Riddlin and other things that your report 230 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:25,560 Speaker 1: suggests that some drug rehabilitation centers, thirty to fifty percent 231 00:16:25,560 --> 00:16:29,880 Speaker 1: of the adolescents are now basically being medicated. They're not 232 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:32,280 Speaker 1: learning how to live with reality. They're learning how to 233 00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:33,080 Speaker 1: avoid it. 234 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:36,920 Speaker 2: Right, I agree, and that's certainly true in our education 235 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:42,160 Speaker 2: system where we've seen the diagnosis of ADHD and add 236 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:46,080 Speaker 2: spike and so many of our boys. They're being put 237 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:49,760 Speaker 2: on Riddlin and these other drugs to ensure that they're 238 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:54,000 Speaker 2: calm and well behaved in the classroom, instead of us 239 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:59,200 Speaker 2: revisiting the structure of the classroom and our pediological techniques 240 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:01,479 Speaker 2: in order to cater to boys. 241 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:06,879 Speaker 1: How is all this going to ultimately change marriage behavior? 242 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:11,239 Speaker 1: If you end up with a dramatically higher percentage of 243 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:15,879 Speaker 1: women with advanced degrees and a much smaller pool of 244 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:20,440 Speaker 1: males with advanced degrees, what happens to the traditional classic 245 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:23,960 Speaker 1: bonding patterns in terms of leading to marriage. 246 00:17:24,320 --> 00:17:26,720 Speaker 2: I think we're already seeing the effects of that, and 247 00:17:26,760 --> 00:17:31,840 Speaker 2: that marriage is declining and people are getting married later 248 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:38,440 Speaker 2: in life. So this really started to happen with millennials. Millennials, 249 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:43,200 Speaker 2: the disproportion between the education of men and boys are 250 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:47,800 Speaker 2: men and women, and the income levels has really sharpened. So, 251 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:52,480 Speaker 2: according to Gene TWANGI, every single penny of the rise 252 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:55,919 Speaker 2: in young adults income is due to women's income. In 253 00:17:55,960 --> 00:18:03,119 Speaker 2: the millennial generation. And this is challenging because women tend 254 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:07,080 Speaker 2: to be hypergamous, meaning they want someone who is equal 255 00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:12,440 Speaker 2: or above them in educational attainment and income. So, for example, 256 00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:17,520 Speaker 2: women are ninety one percent more likely to swipe right 257 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:21,199 Speaker 2: on Tinder when a man has a master's degree than 258 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:23,399 Speaker 2: when he has a bachelor's degree. 259 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:27,280 Speaker 1: That would encourage cheating and always listing yourself as having 260 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:29,120 Speaker 1: a master's degree. 261 00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:35,040 Speaker 2: That's right, everyone can have a master's degree when it's virtual. Right, 262 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:39,960 Speaker 2: That is actually happening as well, and online dating. Online 263 00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:43,800 Speaker 2: dating is very bad in many ways. Over all the platforms, 264 00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:47,080 Speaker 2: there's some differences, but they're not good because they can 265 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:51,560 Speaker 2: encourage what you're talking about, narcissistic behavior. They can encourage 266 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:55,320 Speaker 2: lying all those sorts of things, and then women tend 267 00:18:55,400 --> 00:18:58,840 Speaker 2: to get a false view of men because they're looking 268 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:01,480 Speaker 2: at these men online who are doing all these sorts 269 00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:04,359 Speaker 2: of terrible things and think that's what men are really like. 270 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:09,120 Speaker 2: So an an inanimity does not encourage good behavior. We've 271 00:19:09,119 --> 00:19:11,879 Speaker 2: seen that in social media and online dating. 272 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:15,360 Speaker 1: But your core point, which I think is really important 273 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:18,760 Speaker 1: and us into a controversy, women in a sense are 274 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:28,600 Speaker 1: genetically biased in favor of finding somebody who has higher education, 275 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 1: greater income, and a sense can protect them and can 276 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:35,800 Speaker 1: help them, which goes directly against the whole desire for 277 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:39,600 Speaker 1: independence and for the modern woman who doesn't need any 278 00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:43,480 Speaker 1: of these things. But in fact, if that's an underlying pattern, 279 00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:47,560 Speaker 1: then the way we're operating now as a society is 280 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:51,000 Speaker 1: exactly counterintuitive. We're going to produce and you already see 281 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:54,280 Speaker 1: this with African Americans, a huge number of people who 282 00:19:54,359 --> 00:19:57,720 Speaker 1: are very talented and have good incomes, who are female, 283 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:02,560 Speaker 1: with a much smaller pool of available males that they 284 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:05,119 Speaker 1: could possibly marry given that bias. 285 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:09,159 Speaker 2: Right, I think women want someone who's going to be 286 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:13,199 Speaker 2: a strong partner and is going to be a partner, 287 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:16,600 Speaker 2: not someone that they have to look after themselves. Right, 288 00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:20,800 Speaker 2: We've seen this narrative. So when men are struggling, which 289 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:25,679 Speaker 2: they are academically, physically, mentally, spiritually, which we've talked about, 290 00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:31,560 Speaker 2: women are without partners, and especially if they're financially stable, 291 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:35,120 Speaker 2: they have so many other opportunities, so they're looking at 292 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:38,119 Speaker 2: these men and saying, this man is not someone I 293 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:41,400 Speaker 2: want to marry, which has led to, especially in the 294 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:46,000 Speaker 2: lower classes, this phenomenon of women who are having children 295 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:50,280 Speaker 2: outside of marriage, because they don't view the father of 296 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:55,280 Speaker 2: their children as a responsible and reliable partner, and so 297 00:20:55,760 --> 00:21:01,680 Speaker 2: the sexes are tremendously interdependent. It's not just about finances. 298 00:21:01,720 --> 00:21:04,880 Speaker 2: Men and women have things to learn from each other 299 00:21:05,359 --> 00:21:09,520 Speaker 2: and from that friendship and support. We love our fathers, 300 00:21:09,640 --> 00:21:14,800 Speaker 2: our sons, our brothers. They contribute so much to our lives. 301 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:20,679 Speaker 2: And I think being grateful for a father's sacrifices and 302 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:23,640 Speaker 2: what he brings financially is true. But that's not all 303 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:27,639 Speaker 2: that fathers and husbands do for women. They contribute in 304 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:32,199 Speaker 2: so many more ways and contribute to human flourishing. So, 305 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:37,040 Speaker 2: getting back to the narrative that women and men are interdependent, 306 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:41,360 Speaker 2: and especially when it comes to the raising of children, 307 00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:44,600 Speaker 2: having both a mother and a father is essential. 308 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:48,480 Speaker 1: In your report, the Heritage Foundation really has a whole 309 00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:52,920 Speaker 1: series of very practical positive steps that should be taken. 310 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:55,840 Speaker 1: Could you just walk us through the sort of key 311 00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:59,320 Speaker 1: breakthroughs that you think would make us so much healthier 312 00:21:59,400 --> 00:22:04,439 Speaker 1: country and park by reintroducing males to pursuing life and 313 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:07,520 Speaker 1: being engaged and having a sense of self esteem. 314 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:11,639 Speaker 2: Right, So this, as you can imagine, since we've talked 315 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:14,199 Speaker 2: about the breath of this problem. There needs to be 316 00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:17,280 Speaker 2: comparable solutions that are going to be in a lot 317 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:21,040 Speaker 2: of different areas, but to name a few, the most 318 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:26,440 Speaker 2: important is to revitalize marriage and fatherhood, and to hold 319 00:22:26,520 --> 00:22:31,760 Speaker 2: up fatherhood and having a family as actually fulfilling and 320 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:35,119 Speaker 2: such an important part of the purpose of life that 321 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:38,200 Speaker 2: men are searching for, not just men, but men and women. 322 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:42,840 Speaker 2: And this is particular and important because now so many 323 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:47,600 Speaker 2: of adults have come from broken homes themselves, and when 324 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:53,880 Speaker 2: that happens, those adults can have a negative view of marriage. 325 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:58,240 Speaker 2: They're not quite sure necessarily how to work through communication 326 00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:02,400 Speaker 2: in a healthy manner because they miss that model of 327 00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:05,080 Speaker 2: what a good marriage is. So we need to have 328 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:08,680 Speaker 2: more of a conversation about what the purpose of marriage 329 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:12,720 Speaker 2: is and what to prioritize when you're looking for a spouse. 330 00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:17,960 Speaker 2: Another solution is school choice, of course, because it's really 331 00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:20,399 Speaker 2: important for parents to be able to go to a 332 00:23:20,440 --> 00:23:23,919 Speaker 2: school and evaluate a school and say, is this a 333 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:28,160 Speaker 2: good environment for my boy, for my specific boy. Are 334 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:33,879 Speaker 2: they prioritizing discipline, are they allowing for competition and for recess? 335 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:37,159 Speaker 2: And do they have books on the curriculum that my 336 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:41,160 Speaker 2: child is going to be interested in. Then a third 337 00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:44,680 Speaker 2: one would be to get away from the narrative that 338 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:47,960 Speaker 2: there's one track in life, which is to go to college, 339 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:53,960 Speaker 2: and to actually open up vocational schools and apprenticeship programs. 340 00:23:54,359 --> 00:23:57,520 Speaker 2: Brad Wilcox indicates in his book that the Department of 341 00:23:57,680 --> 00:24:02,719 Speaker 2: Education spends seven twenty nine times more on colleges and 342 00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:08,520 Speaker 2: universities than vocational education in high schools and community college. 343 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:13,320 Speaker 2: And the economic opportunities for men with a high school 344 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:17,480 Speaker 2: diploma or less have shifted because of economic shifts, and 345 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:21,400 Speaker 2: so that's really a challenge. And then finally, I would 346 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:27,359 Speaker 2: say that we really need to prioritized embodied interactions. So 347 00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:32,480 Speaker 2: get away from the screens, get towards free play and 348 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:37,080 Speaker 2: bodied play, get away from dating apps, and get back 349 00:24:37,119 --> 00:24:39,080 Speaker 2: to face to face interactions. 350 00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:57,720 Speaker 1: You're playing a major role in helping shape public policy, 351 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:00,600 Speaker 1: and you come at it from a very interesting background. 352 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:05,600 Speaker 1: What got you personally engaged in this kind of activity. 353 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:07,520 Speaker 1: I mean, what you're doing is very important for the 354 00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:08,160 Speaker 1: whole country. 355 00:25:08,760 --> 00:25:13,560 Speaker 2: Well, thank you. I have written on feminism and critiques 356 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:17,600 Speaker 2: that and I started getting interested in this topic because 357 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:21,120 Speaker 2: once you're thinking about women, you have to think about 358 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:24,960 Speaker 2: men because we're so interdependent and you end up reading 359 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:28,560 Speaker 2: that literature as well. And I came across Warren Pharrell's 360 00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:32,720 Speaker 2: book The Boy Crisis, and it's really eye opening because 361 00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:37,920 Speaker 2: the statistics are just staggering about the importance of fathers 362 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:42,480 Speaker 2: and not enough talk is happening about this problem for 363 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:46,200 Speaker 2: how severe and how important it is. And you can 364 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:51,360 Speaker 2: miss it depending on your perhaps your demographics, your stage 365 00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:54,119 Speaker 2: in life, and maybe not see it for what it is. 366 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:58,600 Speaker 2: And once you start to see the economic shifts, the 367 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:02,040 Speaker 2: education shifts, the breakdown of the family, and how far 368 00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:05,359 Speaker 2: reaching it is, we need to be doing more work 369 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:08,600 Speaker 2: to try and combat this devastating effects. 370 00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:12,840 Speaker 1: You've work at Heritage, but if I understand quickly, you 371 00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:14,600 Speaker 1: also do some work at Hillsdale. 372 00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:18,600 Speaker 2: I was a James Madison Fellow with Hillsdale. It's a 373 00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:21,960 Speaker 2: program for young public policy professionals. 374 00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:23,440 Speaker 1: Did you find that helpful? 375 00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:29,119 Speaker 2: I did find it helpful because you're having discussions with 376 00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:33,280 Speaker 2: other folks in these areas and learning their perspectives and 377 00:26:33,359 --> 00:26:36,880 Speaker 2: refining your ideas. Right, that's what freedom of speech, that's 378 00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:40,560 Speaker 2: what deliberation does. So it's always helpful to get in 379 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:44,720 Speaker 2: a room with some other smart people and sharpen your ideas. 380 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:46,879 Speaker 1: We have somebody who came to us as an intern 381 00:26:46,920 --> 00:26:49,480 Speaker 1: and now is with us as a policy person who 382 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:52,520 Speaker 1: came out of Hillsdale in Michigan. And we have another 383 00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:54,639 Speaker 1: person is with us who's now going to Hillsdale in 384 00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:58,080 Speaker 1: Washington in their graduate program. It seems to be a 385 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:01,080 Speaker 1: very rigorous and very serious institution. 386 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:05,760 Speaker 2: I would wholeheartedly agree they are doing good and serious 387 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:06,600 Speaker 2: work at Hillsdale. 388 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:10,400 Speaker 1: It's a nice counterpart to Heritage, which I've known Heritage 389 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:13,640 Speaker 1: since Fulner founded it. Its impact on the country has 390 00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:17,639 Speaker 1: been really pretty profound on a whole range of policies. 391 00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:21,480 Speaker 2: Yes, I'm very grateful to be there, and it gives 392 00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:25,520 Speaker 2: you also a sense of responsibility because we are doing 393 00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:28,439 Speaker 2: good work, and if you work at Heritage, you are 394 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:32,200 Speaker 2: very privileged and have an obligation to try and help 395 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:32,760 Speaker 2: the country. 396 00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:37,560 Speaker 1: So, in a sense, the next administration could develop a 397 00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:42,040 Speaker 1: kind of male reinforcement strategy and have a series of 398 00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:47,920 Speaker 1: initiatives designed to rebuild the self sufficiency in the sense 399 00:27:47,920 --> 00:27:51,960 Speaker 1: of direction and the sense of engagement among young males 400 00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:54,040 Speaker 1: in a way that may be an integral part of 401 00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:59,280 Speaker 1: our anti drug program because having people having greater self esteem, 402 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:03,399 Speaker 1: I suspetfect will be correlated with less likely suicide and 403 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:04,679 Speaker 1: less likely drug abuse. 404 00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:10,320 Speaker 2: Absolutely, about seventy percent of the opioid overdoses were men, 405 00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:13,560 Speaker 2: so this is certainly part of that issue. This is 406 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:18,359 Speaker 2: very much a cultural problem, and we need cultural solutions. 407 00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:21,320 Speaker 2: But I do think there is room for public policy 408 00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:26,120 Speaker 2: on these issues. And some of them are not new solutions. 409 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:29,679 Speaker 2: They're old solutions, things like school choice that we just 410 00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:35,040 Speaker 2: haven't been able to implement their things like reinvigorating mail 411 00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:38,640 Speaker 2: only spaces. So there is room for some public policy 412 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:39,600 Speaker 2: initiatives here. 413 00:28:40,240 --> 00:28:42,440 Speaker 1: I look forward to it, and I'm confident that Heritage 414 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:46,440 Speaker 1: will be providing some of the guidelines for those kind 415 00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:49,719 Speaker 1: of policies for the next Congress and the next administration. Brenda, 416 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:52,600 Speaker 1: I want to thank you for joining me. Your new report, 417 00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:57,760 Speaker 1: Men Without Meaning the Harmful Effects of Expressive Individualism is 418 00:28:57,800 --> 00:29:00,880 Speaker 1: available at Heritage dot org and we'll also have it 419 00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:04,680 Speaker 1: featured on our podcast show page. I really appreciate you 420 00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:07,840 Speaker 1: taking the time to walk us through this very important, 421 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:10,880 Speaker 1: literally at the heart of who we are conversation. 422 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:12,720 Speaker 2: Thank you for having me. 423 00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:18,320 Speaker 1: Thank you to my guests. Brenda Hafera. You can read 424 00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:22,120 Speaker 1: her new report Men without meaning the harmful effects of 425 00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 1: expressive individualism on our show page at Newtsworld dot com. 426 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:31,000 Speaker 1: Newsworld is produced by Ginglish three sixty and iHeartMedia. Our 427 00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:36,120 Speaker 1: executive producer is Guarnsey Sloan. Our researcher is Rachel Peterson. 428 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:40,040 Speaker 1: The artwork for the show was created by Steve Penley. 429 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:43,560 Speaker 1: Special thanks to the team at Gingish three sixty. If 430 00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:45,960 Speaker 1: you've been enjoying Newtsworld, I hope you'll go to Apple 431 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:49,480 Speaker 1: Podcasts and both rate us with five stars and give 432 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:52,520 Speaker 1: us a review so others can learn what it's all about. 433 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:56,320 Speaker 1: Right now, listeners of Newtsworld can sign up for my 434 00:29:56,440 --> 00:30:00,360 Speaker 1: three free weekly columns at ginglishree sixty dot com com 435 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:03,840 Speaker 1: slash newsletter. I'm Nutkngriich. This is neutral 436 00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:16,360 Speaker 2: M