Mark Sherman

Humorist! Emeritus psych professor with PhD from Harvard. Singer/songwriter who misses the Sixties! Interested in gender issues for more than 40 years.

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

In her speech tomorrow (October 29), Kamala Harris has a great opportunity to get lots of votes that she may be simply giving up on. There is a huge gender gap among young people, with Gen Z men voting for Trump and Gen Z women for Harris. And I believe a major part of it is that Harris has never made a strongly pro-male statement in her campaign (Biden has never said anything pro-male either). Young men of all races and ethnicities are hurting in so many ways, and I believe a strong statement by VP Harris that her administration will address their needs, along with those of women and girls would be a major positive step in her presidential campaign. @jonhaidt @lisabritton @KamalaHarris @RichardvReeves

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

I am so hoping that Jennifer Klein and the White House Gender Policy Council will urge VP Kamala Harris to specifically address the issues facing boys and men today. Data shows that especially in Gen Z, males have little interest in the Democratic party. Their issues need to be noticed and discussed by VP Harris in a positive way. Not to in any way take away from support for women, but to be inclusive of males.
@JKlein46 @KamalaHarris

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

Sadly, the issue of boys and men is not, and has never been, one embraced by the liberal or progressive side. I have been concerned about boys (and men) for more than 30 years, and having three sons and five grandsons has intensified my concerns. And I’ve always been a liberal Democrat. But I wrote a post for Psychology Today back in April 2010, which I titled “Boys and Young Men: A New Cause for Liberals”, and I’m sorry to say I have seen no real change since then. For example, President Biden’s White House Gender Policy Council has had no interest whatsoever in males. Check out their mission statement and their history.

And I think this lack of interest in males could cost the Democrats dearly in the upcoming election. @ruthwhippman @LisaBritton

https://t.co/UPdTUYQXBu

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

@LisaBritton This is so depressing. The ratio of men killed in war to women is huge -- right up to the Vietnam War it was about 99% male, and it's still mostly men. So to be so focused on women that brothers aren't even mentioned, but sisters are, is a disgrace.

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

Thank you so much, Michael! I've been concerned about boys' and men's issues for decades, and have seen -- as you have -- that the left appears to have no interest whatsoever in their plight. And the Democrats face the loss of male vote, especially among young men.
Here's what I wrote for Psychology Today more than 14 years ago: https://t.co/UPdTUYQpLW

Sadly, things have really not changed. Boys and young men, in particular, are continued to be ignored by the government, academy, and liberal media.

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

Yes, it has been several decades since our society essentially said, "You go, girl!" and "We won't notice you any more, boys." It started just about 30 years ago with things like "Take Our Daughters to Work" day, and books like "Failing at Fairness: How America's Schools Cheat Girls." But boys were already behind girls in school, and beginning to fall behind in achievement in general. Boys and young men are hurting so much in so many ways today, but our country barely pays it any attention. Thank you, Lisa, for being a voice of truth and compassion.

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

I certainly agree that boys seeing and hearing that "the future is female" is not good for them at all. Boys are struggling in all kinds of ways, and girls have, for the last 20 years or more, been doing much better than they are. Seven years ago I wrote a piece for Psych Today on the problem with boys seeing that message -- and what it says to them.
Sadly, I don't think things have changed very much at all in terms of concern for boys.
https://t.co/Ae9uWNgQry

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

Thank you so much, Lisa! We need more women like you calling out the hypocrisy of claiming diversity while doing little, if anything, to encourage young men. As you well know, it is young men today, far more than young women, who are falling behind. They desperately need society’s attention.

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

Speaking just for the U.S., I’m not surprised by this. Young men see that whether it’s government, media, or the academy, their needs are not being addressed. And as an 81-year-old man, I know this has been true for at least the last 30 years, when girls and women began to do better and better. I’m involved with groups of great people — male and female — who have done what they can, and continue to do so, to rectify this. But even now, many of us feel we’ve barely made a difference. Look at President Biden’s White House Gender Policy Council. It says gender, but it has no concern whatsoever for males of any age.

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

Carole, thank you so much for your piece in The Free Press; I am a big fan of your work and TFP. You and I had a little email correspondence after I read T: Testosterone…, which I liked a lot. I have loved Bari Weiss’s work since she wrote opinion columns in the New York Times.
Five years ago, I wrote on my blog for Psychology Today a piece on Bari, which I titled: “A Brilliant Young Woman’s Message for These Polarized Times.” It described a talk she gave at the Chautauqua Institution in July 2018, titled “The New Seven Dirty Words.” One of these is “doubt,” which is necessary for discussions that are not ruled by ideology.
You certainly know about that problem, Carole. I so admire your courage!

@bariweiss

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

Thank you, Lisa, not only for this tweet but for all you’ve done — and keep doing! I certainly hope you’re right about this topic finally getting the attention it deserves. I’ve been concerned about and worked on boys’ and men’s issues for over 30 years. It’s a concern whose time has more than come.

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

The great psychologist B.F. Skinner said this over and over again, and the importance of consequences is as basic a principle as there is in psychology. I took a graduate seminar with Skinner 60 years ago, and he was so obviously a genius. It was all about the importance of positive reinforcement – natural or purposeful – then and it still is. Great to know for childrearing, management, and self-control.

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

A very good friend of mine, who is a chemical engineer with a lot of knowledge of nuclear energy is a strong supporter of its use to combat the extremely worrisome effects of fossil fuels on our environment. Incidentally, his number one concern — an obsession, actually, is global warming. But whichever gender is right, it will soon be moot, I fear. Temperatures in the northeast are expected to be close to or reach 80 degrees soon — in late October!

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

@hoovlet @Harvard @AEI That's great, Carole! Wishing you all the best.

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

There are so many ways young men are not doing well. Just see the work of @drwarrenfarrell and @RichardvReeves, among others. When will the mainstream media recognize this? Our boys and young men have been struggling for decades. They need this country’s attention now and in a big way! @LisaBritton

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

We must understand that the world of girls and young women is markedly different and improved vs. what it was, say, 50 years ago. They can do anything today. So to expect boys and young men to see their female counterparts as needing so much of society’s attention while they need none is very harmful to young males. Boys and young men legitimately feel ignored and neglected. It’s time to notice them and address their needs in a big way.

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

@LisaBritton Thank you, Lisa! You are so right about Democrats. Boys have been struggling for decades, but maybe now they are beginning, just beginning, to notice it. Richard Reeves and Christine Emba make this point in her recent Washington Post piece.
https://t.co/7f3IMhfg7F

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

Thank you, Richard! This is a longstanding problem, which I addressed in a Psychology Today blog post more than 13 years ago. I called my piece, "Boys and Young Men: A New Cause for Liberals. A crisis that needs the attention of America's liberals."
So sad to see that with few exceptions, that situation has barely changed. Thanks for the work you and others who are on at least the center left are doing.
@LisaBritton @GibmUs

https://t.co/UPdTUYQpLW

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

@goddek Thanks, Simon! As for your first two items, thought you might be interested in a blog post I did for Psychology Today about five years ago, which I titled "Feminizing Boys as We Masculinize Girls. "@LisaBritton @jordanbpeterson
https://t.co/OjlqZp9oew

[Mark Sherman @ProfMarkSherman]

@GadSaad I taught college for 25 years plus, and humor was a big part of my teaching. As I retiree I did 75 episodes of a mostly humorous podcast called The Kvetching Professor. And here it is. @GadSaad
https://t.co/qTpbdvtuBN