Is “broligarchy” coming after us?
Some are calling Donald Trump’s inauguration the start of a new era in American politics, one that will not only affect elected officials but also those who have made their fortunes in the technology industry. receive. Those figures include Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos, who sat in special seats as President Trump took the oath of office live on Monday, but some online Pundits and media have dubbed them America’s “broligarchs.”
“Broligarchy is real,” one X user wrote alongside a photo of men who attended the inauguration. Another wrote: “The image of brothers + Trump will be burned into our minds.” The Cut declared, “Broligarchy is here,” and Jon Stewart debated the term with a sociologist on “The Daily Show.”
The presence of wealthy elites at presidential inaugurations is neither new nor surprising. But mental health experts say the use of the term “broligarchy” speaks to a widening political and sociological divide between men and women, and to men’s feelings of disenfranchisement. .
President Trump is surrounded by “brolly geeks.” How did we get here?
The “blogal key” occurred in the aftermath of a presidential election that brought to the fore issues steeped in gender politics, such as abortion.
On Election Day, 53% of women supported Kamala Harris and 45% supported Trump, according to an NBC News exit poll. Those numbers were nearly reversed for men, with 55% voting for Trump and 43% voting for Harris.
The divide was even sharper among younger voters. Among Gen Z men, 49% voted for Trump and 47% for Harris. Among Gen Z women, 61% voted for Harris, while 38% voted for Trump.
Even after the election, gender-divisive debates continue to unfold online. After President Trump’s victory, the 4B movement, in which women vow to abstain from sex and relationships with men as part of political protest, quickly spread. Meta CEO Zuckerberg also said on Joe Rogan’s podcast that the largely male-dominated tech industry has been robbed of its “masculine energy” and needs to get its “aggression” back. He made a statement that caused a stir.
What is the 4B Movement? With the election of President Trump, women have vowed to stop having sex with men.
Considering all this, it’s no wonder that “Blogalky” has become a hot topic.
This phrase likely sends different messages to men and women, says Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Akron, author of Men’s Problems: Overcoming a Traumatic Childhood from a World-renowned Psychologist. says Ronald Levant, author of “Insights into the World.”
For women, he says, “It says, ‘Women should sit in the back seat.'” “That’s one of the things that’s being said very loudly.”
Read more: Mark Zuckerberg says companies need more ‘masculine energy’ What exactly does that mean?
But for men, this message is likely mixed.
“I think this movie will empower men who identify with it, but it will probably alienate men who not only don’t relate to it, but think it’s really awful,” Levant says. However, “men who feel disenfranchised and feel that the world is against them because they are men probably have the word “brother” in their vocabulary.” I guess he feels inspired to some extent by what he’s doing.”
Eric Anderson, a licensed marriage and family therapist, says who a broligarch is and what it means to different people are probably two different things.
“I don’t think it’s surprising that men are interested in political power,” he says. “These are people who understand that they can be sucked into Donald Trump and profit from it.”
Irony of “broligarchy”
However, the rise of “broligarchies” also has a slightly ironic aspect. Because men are not doing very well overall right now.
They don’t graduate from college at the same rate as women. Many people’s mental health is worsening due to loneliness and social isolation. Many people have a hard time expressing their emotions, making it difficult to form close relationships. Many people are struggling financially. Many feel disenfranchised.
Levant said the Trump campaign saw this and won votes by speaking to this demographic in a way that made them feel seen and valued.
“The particular group of men that I think have been mobilized by the Trump campaign are men who don’t have an established adult life structure, young people who don’t have a career,” Levant said. “They don’t have a life partner. They may live with their parents. They don’t date.”
The Trump brothers of Gen Z: The rise of the Trump brothers and why some Gen Z men are moving to the right
For many of these men, “broligarchy” may reflect the fantasy of one day amassing as much power and wealth as Musk, Bezos, Zuckerberg, or Trump. However, the probability of that actually happening is very low.
Anderson says it’s important to keep men’s realities in mind when discussing “broligarchs.”
“It’s a very small group of very few men with very extreme economic, social and political power,” he says. “This is very different from asking, “Is everyone benefiting from this,” or “A very few very wealthy and powerful people are benefiting?”