In this week's episode we honor the importance of men and masculine traits for a functioning society and human survival, for productive and enjoyable interactions, and for the sake of diversity. That's right, Nafees Alam joins Elizabeth to talk about men--men in the gym, men in the classroom, men and ideology, men's portrayal in the media, masculinity, and relationships. We use as a jumping off point an article about the importance of both belonging and uniqueness. The author argues that young men may feel excluded and unvalued in the current socio-political environment. When society's focus shifts to include and pay tribute to the distinctiveness of some (e.g. women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+), the special and important contributions of other individuals and groups may naturally be set aside. Elizabeth and Nafees admit to seeing the basic human needs of belonging and uniqueness reflected in their own behavioral choices and preferences and wonder if this an unavoidable cycle inherent to human societal development. If so, can we all (particularly men in today's society) find ways to define and nurture our own sense of belonging and uniqueness so that cycles will be less personally and socially costly? Nafees helps us close on a positive note because above all, he believes in a resilient society.
Podcast notes
Versteegen, P. L. (2025). Trump Voters’ social position in U.S. Society: Uniqueness and radical‐right support. Political Psychology, 46(1), 145–165.
How toxic masculinity becomes necessary masculinity
Celebrating strong, independent men
Please consider donating to the Institute for Liberal Values, a 501c3 non-profit organization at ilvalues.org. All donations go to support our continued programming to realize our mission to provide the skills and support required to build community where there has been division, encourage free expression where there has been censorship, and foster optimism where there is fear.
*To sponsor a specific event with your name or logo, please reach out directly to admin@ilvalues.org*
Respected researchers, including Lee Jussim, recently released an informative paper that underlines the limitations of DEI Programs - Instructing Animosity: How DEI Pedagogy Produces the Hostile Attribution Bias. We've invited Lee his colleagues, Nate Bork, Danit Finkelstein and Anne Wilson, to dig into this research and see if there is another path forward or if we should just let DEI, DIE.
According to the paper's abstract, DEI programs purport to cultivate inclusive environments for people from diverse backgrounds and encourage greater empathy in interpersonal interactions. A key component of DEI offerings lies in diversity pedagogy: Lectures, trainings and educational resources ostensibly designed to educate participants about their prejudice and bias in order to eliminate discrimination. As institutions across corporate and educational sectors increasingly embed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) into their foundational strategies, it is crucial to evaluate the effectiveness of common aspects of this pedagogy.
Share this post