{"id":2316036,"date":"2024-07-30T13:22:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-30T17:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hulk-hogans-manliness-is-scary-to-david-french\/"},"modified":"2024-07-30T13:30:18","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T17:30:18","slug":"hulk-hogans-manliness-is-scary-to-david-french","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hulk-hogans-manliness-is-scary-to-david-french\/","title":{"rendered":"Hulk Hogan\u2019s Manliness Is Scary To David French"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhulk-hogans-manliness-is-scary-to-david-french%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2316036&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In a \u2062recent column for The New York Times, David French criticized Hulk Hogan&#8217;s portrayal of masculinity, particularly in light of\u200d his performance at the Republican National Convention. French argued that Hogan \u2064represents a &#8220;toxic&#8221; model of masculinity rooted in anger and grievance, suggesting that the Republican Party promotes a culture of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/review-west-side-story\/\" title=\"REVIEW: \u2018West Side Story\u2019\">male aggression<\/a>. He \u2063recommended that Democrats counter this narrative by showcasing alternative models of manliness at their events\u2014figures that embody strength and\u2064 heroism \u200binstead of hostility.<\/p>\n<p>While French didn&#8217;t specify \u2063ideal representatives of this new masculine ideal, \u2064he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hillary-clinton-says-shell-never-run-for-president-again\/\" title=\"Hillary Clinton Says She\u2019ll Never Run For President Again\">mentioned potential candidates<\/a> \u200dlike \u2063senators and war heroes,\u200d though these figures might\u200b seem representative of an elite class compared to Hogan and other celebrity figures at the RNC. Hogan\u2019s endorsement of\u2062 Donald Trump, \u200bemphasizing Trump\u2019s \u2063resilience against adversity and a return to perceived lost American greatness, further exemplifies\u200c the\u200b masculinity that French critiques. Although French acknowledges Hogan&#8217;s physicality, he questions whether such a model aligns with\u2062 contemporary ideals of masculinity.<\/p>\n<p>French contrasted Hogan \u200dwith modern male role\u200b models, such \u2063as Sam Smith and Harry Styles, arguing that the latter\u2063 symbolize a form of \u200cmasculinity that resonates with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/campaign-2024-an-early-look-at-the-possible-republican-contenders\/\" title=\"Campaign 2024: An Early Look At The Possible Republican Contenders\">identity politics<\/a>, potentially promoting emotional self-righteousness over physical strength. The discourse reveals a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pride-is-not-the-answer-love-is-join-kirk-camerons-see-you-at-the-library-august-24\/\" title=\"Choose Love Over Pride&#039;: Attend Kirk Cameron&#039;s &#039;See You at the Library&#039; on August 24\">broader\u2064 cultural conflict<\/a> over the definition and expression of masculinity in American society, with French&#8217;s column stirring debate\u2062 around what constitutes healthy male identity amidst shifting societal norms.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Hulk Hogan just emasculated David French without even mentioning him, though it&rsquo;s apparently not a very difficult thing to do.<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday, French penned a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/07\/28\/opinion\/hulk-hogan-vance-harris.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">column<\/a> in The New York Times to caution readers against admiring the celebrity wrestler as an ideal model of American masculinity.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Hulk Hogan Is Not The Only Way To Be A Man,&rdquo; headlined the piece.<\/p>\n<p>French characterized Hogan&rsquo;s recent appearance at the Republican National Convention (RNC) as a toxic display of masculinity built on &ldquo;anger&rdquo; and &ldquo;grievance.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If you ever wondered whether the Republican Party sees itself as the party of men, I&rsquo;d invite you to rewatch the last night of the Republican National Convention,&rdquo; French wrote. &ldquo;Republican manliness was the capstone of the convention.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>French recommended Democrats counter the cultural messaging with a night to present his new party&rsquo;s ideal models of &ldquo;manliness.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This might sound strange, but I wonder if Democrats should answer the Republican men&rsquo;s night with a men&rsquo;s night of their own,&rdquo; French suggested, &ldquo;a night that features heroes instead of bullies and showmen, a night that answers the Republican appeal to men&rsquo;s basest instincts with an appeal to their highest ideals.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But who, exactly, represents the Democrats&rsquo; &ldquo;highest ideals&rdquo; of heroic masculinity they would most likely present at their national convention? French didn&rsquo;t offer many suggestions beyond a senator, a former general, or some war heroes, all of whom hail from an elite class most likely to speak to an elite class, in contrast to Hogan, Kid Rock, and Dana White.<\/p>\n<p>But who else meets French&rsquo;s criteria of what it means to be a man? Someone who, according to French, best demonstrates &ldquo;how to live as a direct contradiction of Trumpist masculinity.&rdquo; He never clearly defined &ldquo;Trumpist masculinity&rdquo; beyond declaring it &ldquo;rooted in grievance and anger&rdquo; and calling Hogan an example of it because he&rsquo;s &ldquo;rich and powerful.&rdquo; But let&rsquo;s recap what Hogan did at the convention just five days after the Republican nominee&rsquo;s ear was blown off.<\/p>\n<p>Hogan delivered his prime-time endorsement in character to present the kind of high-octane patriotism that once united the country while articulating Donald Trump&rsquo;s lion-hearted defiance in the face of a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/25\/the-secret-service-was-obviously-going-to-be-the-next-vehicle-of-the-deep-state\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">serial assassination campaign<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Donald Trump is the toughest of them all,&rdquo; Hogan said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve thrown everything at Donald Trump. All of the investigations, the impeachments, the court cases, and he&rsquo;s still standing and kicking their butts.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ico2_fk3dGc?si=BotfIlVuSjsp1e70&amp;enablejsapi=1\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>    <\/p>\n<p>Hogan went on to list all of the &ldquo;grievances&rdquo; Americans have suffered under four years of President Joe Biden. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We never had it better than the Trump years,&rdquo; he said. <\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>We had a thriving economy. We had strong borders. We had safe streets. We had peace and respect around the world. But then we lost it all in a blink of an eye. Crime is out of control. The border is out of control. The price of food and gas and housing is out of control. And the only person who can clean this up is Donald Trump!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>What about that performance is toxic to French? Maybe it was Hogan&rsquo;s characteristic display of physical strength that drove French to type out an estrogen-fueled column for the pages of The New York Times. Leftists have found something <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/01\/03\/time-magazine-stigmatizes-exercise-as-white-supremacist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bizarrely offensive<\/a> about health and fitness these days.<\/p>\n<p>Hogan might not be the perfect model of a man. French was sure to bring up a checkered past with infidelity, but visibly fit, strong-willed, and free-spoken, the wrestling actor is a hell of a good start, especially compared to the tray of options paraded by the left as revolutionary models of male masculinity.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">These are the men who French would rather see demonstrate manliness over Hulk Hogan <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9XQisQCSDe\">pic.twitter.com\/9XQisQCSDe<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tristan Justice (@JusticeTristan) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JusticeTristan\/status\/1818110117147267110?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 30, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Sometimes they&rsquo;re not <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/5947032\/elliot-page-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">actually even male<\/a>, or they claim to be <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/01\/17\/masculinity-isnt-toxic-our-erasure-of-it-is\/\">something else entirely<\/a>, as is the case with Sam Smith.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">British pop star Sam Smith has been documenting their powerful transition from being a gay man to becoming a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/trans?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#trans<\/a> nonbinary person. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TckztWIT4H\">pic.twitter.com\/TckztWIT4H<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Andy Ng&ocirc; &#127987;&#65039;&zwj;&#127752; (@MrAndyNgo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MrAndyNgo\/status\/1612632990286217216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 10, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>These are the people French would rather see demonstrate a manly alternative to Hogan. Americans can look forward to Smith&rsquo;s pole-dancing routine at French&rsquo;s dream DNC, probably <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/01\/30\/with-ugly-new-video-sam-smith-rips-the-mask-off-radical-trans-agenda\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dressed up<\/a> in a devil costume followed by another French column celebrating the act as a &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/pvnYn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">blessing of liberty<\/a>.&rdquo; Apparently allowing drag queens to read to children is a better illustration of masculinity than the infamous Hulk body-slamming Andre the Giant.<\/p>\n<p>    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rz8q5ZjboXY?si=nLavh-HbHujCD8N7&amp;enablejsapi=1\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>    <\/p>\n<p>French didn&rsquo;t recommend a male pole-dancing performance, but he didn&rsquo;t have to. Celebrities such as Smith and <a href=\"https:\/\/graziadaily.co.uk\/life\/real-life\/harry-styles-masculinity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Harry Styles<\/a> are the new faces that define a form of masculinity idolized under the brand of identity politics embraced by French, and they celebrate a substitution of physical courage with a form of self-righteous emotional courage designed to grandstand as morally superior. While there&rsquo;s nothing wrong with being different, we should consider the implications of glorifying narcissistic models who preach messages of apathy to cope with insecurity. Who looks healthier, Smith or Hogan? One of them is 70.<\/p>\n<p>French wrote that his primary problem with whatever &ldquo;Trumpist masculinity&rdquo; is, is that &ldquo;grievance&rdquo; and &ldquo;anger&rdquo; are toxic when presented by men as a &ldquo;counterfeit purpose&rdquo; and a &ldquo;counterfeit courage.&rdquo; But he&rsquo;s wrong. Grievance and anger are not useless emotions. Effective manliness is all about responsibly channeling them to achieve positive outcomes, not attempting to suppress them as if they don&rsquo;t exist. Dignity, self-awareness, and perseverance exemplified by a mission-driven stoicism that leverages adverse emotions are the characteristics that defined American masculinity for centuries &mdash; and are now being written off as cancerous.<\/p>\n<p>And yes, men should also be strong and patriotic, able to be called on by their friends, family, and community for support, whether it be carrying the groceries for an elderly neighbor or <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/05\/17\/daniel-penny-is-a-real-life-superhero\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">offering protection<\/a> to subway riders terrorized by a crazed maniac. <\/p>\n<p>We should value the physical strength and courage that are needed to mold strong men who are proud of their country &mdash; the sort of men represented in Hogan&rsquo;s performance at the RNC that spoke to the masses. The alternative breeds the proliferation of a weak society defined by Ivy League elites, for Ivy League elites, under French&rsquo;s model of leftist masculinity.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Tristan Justice is the western correspondent for The Federalist and the author of Social Justice Redux, a conservative newsletter on culture, health, and wellness. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at Tristan@thefederalist.com. Sign up for Tristan&#8217;s email newsletter <a href=\"https:\/\/socialjusticeredux.substack.com\/about\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hulk Hogan effectively undermined David French without directly addressing him, which seems to be an easy feat. On Saturday, French wrote a column for The New York Times warning readers against viewing the celebrity wrestler as a paragon of American masculinity. Titled \u201cHulk Hogan Is Not The Only Way To Be A Man,\u201d the article criticized Hogan\u2019s recent appearance at the Republican National Convention (RNC), describing it as a harmful representation of masculinity rooted in \u201canger\u201d and \u201cgrievance.\u201d French invited readers to reconsider the Republican Party&#8217;s self-image as a male-centric organization by revisiting the final night of the RNC, where he claimed that &#8220;Republican manliness&#8221; was prominently showcased.<\/p>\n<p>French suggested that Democrats should respond with their own event highlighting positive models of masculinity. He proposed that this Democratic &#8220;men\u2019s night&#8221; could feature heroes rather than bullies and would appeal to higher ideals instead of base instincts. However, he offered few concrete examples of who might embody these ideals beyond mentioning a senator or war heroes\u2014individuals from an elite background likely disconnected from everyday Americans compared to figures like Hogan.<\/p>\n<p>French sought individuals who exemplify what it means to be a man in opposition to what he termed &#8220;Trumpist masculinity,&#8221; which he vaguely defined as being based on grievance and anger, labeling Hogan an example due to his wealth and influence. Yet, it&#8217;s worth noting what Hogan did at the convention shortly after significant political turmoil: he passionately endorsed Donald Trump while evoking patriotic sentiments and highlighting Trump&#8217;s resilience against various challenges.<\/p>\n<p>Hogan asserted Trump\u2019s strength amidst adversity: \u201cDonald Trump is the toughest of them all&#8230; All of the investigations&#8230;and he&#8217;s still standing.\u201d He lamented how America had thrived during Trump&#8217;s presidency compared to current struggles under President Biden.<\/p>\n<p>French seemed troubled by Hogan&#8217;s display of physical strength, perhaps reflecting broader leftist discomfort with health and fitness today. While acknowledging Hogan&#8217;s flawed past regarding infidelity, French implied that there are better representations of manhood than Hulk Hogan among left-leaning figures\u2014though many such alternatives may not even fit traditional definitions of male identity.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, British pop star Sam Smith has transitioned into identifying as nonbinary\u2014a move celebrated within certain circles but viewed skeptically by others who question its implications for traditional masculinity. Critics might argue that performances like Smith&#8217;s do not represent healthy masculine ideals when juxtaposed with more conventional displays like those seen in wrestling.<\/p>\n<p>While French critiques &#8220;Trumpist masculinity&#8221; for its focus on grievance and anger\u2014labeling these emotions toxic\u2014he overlooks their potential value when channeled constructively toward positive outcomes. True American masculinity has historically embraced dignity, self-awareness, perseverance through adversity\u2014all qualities essential for strong men who can support their communities effectively.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, valuing physical strength alongside patriotism fosters robust individuals proud of their country\u2014a stark contrast to what some perceive as elitist models promoted under leftist ideologies championed by figures like French<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":494,"featured_media":2316037,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Hulk-Hogan.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[13671,36659,35466,36658,36660],"class_list":["post-2316036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-masculinity","tag-david-french","tag-hulk-hogan","tag-manliness","tag-pop-culture"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Hulk-Hogan.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/494"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2316036"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316036\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2316037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2316036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2316036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2316036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}