The term “bro-vote” has been coined since the last few presidential elections. The term “bro-vote” refers to the voting patterns of young men, particularly those who may be influenced by certain online figures, trends, and the culture of masculinity. The term is often used in the context of discussions about masculinity and online culture. Trump won a lot of young men’s vote through the “bro-vote” through his Anti-“Woke” sentiment against perceived progressive social agendas and the support of many uber-masculine influencers. Because Parker’s election season is around the corner, I began to reflect on past elections, and I realized Parker has its version of the “bro-vote.”
Every year I anticipate the presidential speeches, and without fail, every year, there is one candidate who is followed by a round of blaring applause. Who’s cheering? Predominantly men. Who are they cheering for? The singular male candidate. Regardless of genuine qualifications, it seems the male candidate always obtains the support of the men of the Upper School and receives the loudest applause. The volume isn’t necessarily because of the most support amongst the entire student body, rather it’s noise – cheering, clapping, and chanting from the men of the audience. Often, those who don’t care about student government, don’t take it seriously, or simply choose not to subscribe to the government seem to suddenly get excited once a man is on the stage. What was once a crowd of bored and disinterested boys becomes a roaring one, excited to support the man running for the position. Of course this is a generalization and not always the case, but I have observed this to be true among many Parker boys.
Truthfully, this intimidates me. If a man who is popular in the Upper School were to run against me, would I stand a chance? It feels that regardless of how hard I – or anyone for that matter – works, they won’t be able to obtain the male vote. Regardless of qualifications, a man will vote for another man.
Last plenary, when we were discussing if there was sexism in student government, a significant number of men roared in applause when someone stood up and opposed this idea, once again reassuring the idea that men want approval from their own community and cannot face confrontation on important issues facing the school.
With this realization Iwondered, how can this be fixed? Is this an inevitable truth? Is this just the way things go? Unfortunately, I don’t think there is a solution. Even looking at our actual government, it seems inevitable that men will almost always vote for another man. As our culture continues to recede, and toxic masculine ideals grow, a man will often follow the ideals of another man. There is a vulnerability to going against the grain, and in a culture of growing toxic masculinity, it feels impossible to get people to let go of it. Many refused to even vote for Kamala Harris solely because she was a woman. And although that might not necessarily be true of a school election and an unfair assumption, the toxic culture that targets men is certainly visible in our Student Government.
