Video summary
Bernie Sanders opens the discussion by highlighting a critical crisis regarding young men, noting that fatherlessness serves as a stronger predictor of incarceration than race or poverty alone. He points out statistics indicating that boys raised in non-intact families are twice as likely to end up in prison by age 30 and significantly more prone to depression compared to those from intact households regardless of income level. Sanders frames this not merely as a social issue but as a serious crisis requiring the creation of conditions where young people can become good parents, emphasizing that family structure plays a pivotal role in preventing incarceration and mental health struggles among youth. The conversation shifts to why the political left has historically neglected men's issues, with Bernie explaining that for decades, women were treated as second-class citizens while fighting for equal opportunities in fields like policing, military service, and governance. He acknowledges that achieving gender equality was a necessary focus but argues that this progress has created an imbalance where young men now feel overlooked. Citing data from Richard Reeves of the American Institute for Boys and Men Policy One, Bernie notes alarming trends such as suicide rates among men under 30 rising by 40% since 2010 and male suicides accounting for deaths comparable to breast cancer cases. Bernie agrees with much of Reeves' analysis regarding elite neglect rather than voter chauvinism being the root cause of young men turning away from progressive politics. He highlights specific failures within the current administration, such as the CDC refusing to acknowledge gender disparities in suicide rates and the White House Gender Policy Council failing to address issues primarily facing boys and men. While initiatives exist for women's health and promoting women in STEM fields, there is a noted absence of corresponding offices or programs dedicated to men's health or encouraging men into teaching professions. Bernie asserts that this blind spot has led young white men from lower-income backgrounds to fall behind their fathers on almost every economic and social indicator. Addressing the political implications, Sanders discusses how Republicans have successfully radicalized a generation by exploiting feelings of insecurity among boys, pushing them toward an insecure masculinity based on domination over others who are poorer or different. He references his interview with AOC where she described this dynamic as dangerous, noting that Democrats must provide a positive vision for men rather than viewing them solely as the problem. Bernie admits uncertainty about being an expert on healthy versus insecure masculinity but agrees that the left has failed to give young men enough attention and needs to do better in addressing their specific struggles without undermining women's rights or equality achievements. Ultimately, the dialogue concludes with a call to action for Democrats and progressive institutions to recognize male issues as legitimate concerns rather than dismissing them. Bernie emphasizes that while fighting for women's equality remains paramount, it is not incompatible with ensuring young men have all opportunities they deserve. The discussion underscores that the problems facing young men are real stories of neglect by elites and political leaders who must broaden their focus beyond traditional gender battles to include the well-being of boys and men in society today.
Read the full video transcript
I want to talk about something that's
really important to me. So, you're big
into inequality, as am I. I grew up as
working class as possible. The only
thing that was famous about the town
that I grew up in in the UK is it had
the highest teen pregnancy rating in the
UK. And then it lost that. So, it didn't
even have that anymore. Um,
fatherlessness. Boys who grow up apart
from their biological father are about
two times more likely to land in prison
or jail by age 30. Fatherlessness is a
better predictor of incarceration than
race or growing up poor. Young men are
more likely to end up in prison or jail
in the US than they are to graduate from
college if they are raised in any
non-intact family setup. Regardless of
family income, children in intact
families are about half as likely to be
diagnosed with depression.
What do you make of that?
I I make it to be a serious crisis
and I make it uh I believe in family.
Uh and I believe we have got to
create the conditions
for young people to be good dads and
good moms
uh and to raise healthy children. M
thinking about some of the groups that
you brought up today, one of the ones
that's um
obvious in its absence is men. Uh
why have the left tended to not talk
about men's issues, do you think?
>> That's a good question. And I think
I mean we start with
I I I think the underlying issue is that
for a very long time women were
secondass citizens in this country and
people were saying does it make sense
that you have women who cannot become
police officers, soldiers, carpenters,
governors, presidents of the United
States. And that's wrong. If we believe
in equality, we want to give everybody
an equal opportunity. So I think there
was that focus on that. I think the
issue you're raising is getting more
discussion and it needs far more is that
what we have seen right now and it I I
was on a plane coming from Washington
back to Vermont sitting next to a woman
and uh she was visiting her daughter at
the University of Vermont and we were
chatting and she mentioned to me that
something like over 60% of the college
of the kids in her daughter's class were
women.
>> Correct.
>> Okay. Two women for every one man
completing a 40 college degree
basically.
>> All right. Not a good situation.
>> That's more that's a bigger gap than
when Title N came in 50 years ago in the
other direction. This is a serious issue
and I think it is not incompatible to
say that we believe in women's rights,
the right of women to control their own
body, that we don't want women to be
secondass citizen, but say at the same
thing, of course, we want our young men
to be able to have all of the
opportunities that they deserve as well.
And there has not been the kind of focus
on that that I think uh needs to be. Do
you know Richard Reeves? He does the
American Institute for Boys and Men
Policy One.
>> I have heard of it. I don't
>> Yeah, he wrote of boys and men. So, this
is just a passage from an article he
wrote a little while ago. So, let me get
you to react to this. Suicide rates
among men under 30 have risen by 40%
since 2010 and are four times higher
than among young women. Male suicides
account for as many deaths as breast
cancer. Men are less likely than women
to go to college or to buy a home.
They're more likely to be lonely and
more vulnerable to addiction. Young
white men from lower income homes are
worse off than their fathers on almost
every economic and social indicator.
There is a bigger gender gap on campuses
today than in 1972 when the government
passed Title 9 to prevent sex-based
discrimination in education. But today,
the disparities in college enrollment
and performance are the other way round.
There is no strong evidence that young
men are turning against gender equality.
But they have turned away from the left
because the left has turned away from
them. The problems of young men are not
the confections of reactionaries. This
is a story of elite neglect, not voter
chauvinism. The Democrats have failed to
address these issues. Under the Biden
administration, the Centers for Disease
Center control and Prevention has
refused to acknowledge the gender
disparity in suicide rates. The White
House gender policy council has not
tackled a single issue primarily facing
boys and men. There have been
initiatives to promote me women in STEM
and construction, but nothing about
encouraging men into teaching on men's
health. There is women's health research
initiatives, but no office on men's
health. The Democrats and progressive
institutions have a massive blind spot
when it comes to male issues, and this
was exposed in the election. At worst,
man is seen as not having problems, but
as being the problem.
>> That was Richard. He's his policy wonky
DC fluffy.
>> I agree with much, not all what he's
saying. I think look, here is the issue.
>> The world in the fight for women's
equality, the world has changed. All
right. 50, 60 years ago, men were the
breadwinners in most households, right?
>> Mhm.
>> Men were the bosses.
>> Men made the most money. Men were the
governors, men were the presidents, men
were the senators. It was a man's world.
That's changed. And the fact that we
have fought and achieved more equality
for women is a positive thing.
>> I agree.
>> All right. But but you're suddenly
seeing and I think half of what he says
is is very true.
>> Uh you're suddenly seeing men feel does
anyone give a damn about me? You know
what's going on in my life? Good. We
want women's equality. What about me?
Have we paid enough attention to that?
attention to that. I think uh we have
not and I think we need to do a better
job. I don't believe that everything
that Reeves is saying is accurate.
>> I understand. I was watching that uh uh
now infamous uh interview that you and
AOC did on CNN last week. I think
>> it was infamous when Fox Television
picked up on it.
>> Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's just gone
everywhere. It's gone everywhere, right?
It It's
>> What was infamous about it?
>> Uh the Well, this is what we're talking
about and then you kind of uh blew
through when it was asked, "Is this
going to be a challenge?" That wasn't
what I was interested in primarily. What
I thought was real interesting was she
said uh the reason that Republicans have
appealed to young men is a dangerous
way. They are able to radicalize and
target and exploit a generation of young
boys in particular away from healthy
masculinity and into an insecure
masculinity that requires the domination
of others who are poorer, browner,
darker, or a different gender than them.
>> Do you think Democrats have done a good
job of giving men a positive vision
about themselves? He's saying that this
is an insecure masculinity as opposed to
a healthy one.
>> You know, I'm not a great expert on
this. Uh I think this is a real issue.
>> Yeah.
>> Uh and I think we've got to pay a lot
more attention to it.
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