Hulk Hogan’s Manliness Is Scary To David French

Hulk Hogan just emasculated David French without even mentioning him, though it’s apparently not a very difficult thing to do.

On Saturday, French penned a column in The New York Times to caution readers against admiring the celebrity wrestler as an ideal model of American masculinity.

“Hulk Hogan Is Not The Only Way To Be A Man,” headlined the piece.

French characterized Hogan’s recent appearance at the Republican National Convention (RNC) as a toxic display of masculinity built on “anger” and “grievance.”

“If you ever wondered whether the Republican Party sees itself as the party of men, I’d invite you to rewatch the last night of the Republican National Convention,” French wrote. “Republican manliness was the capstone of the convention.”

French recommended Democrats counter the cultural messaging with a night to present his new party’s ideal models of “manliness.”

“This might sound strange, but I wonder if Democrats should answer the Republican men’s night with a men’s night of their own,” French suggested, “a night that features heroes instead of bullies and showmen, a night that answers the Republican appeal to men’s basest instincts with an appeal to their highest ideals.”

But who, exactly, represents the Democrats’ “highest ideals” of heroic masculinity they would most likely present at their national convention? French didn’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.

But who else meets French’s criteria of what it means to be a man? Someone who, according to French, best demonstrates “how to live as a direct contradiction of Trumpist masculinity.” He never clearly defined “Trumpist masculinity” beyond declaring it “rooted in grievance and anger” and calling Hogan an example of it because he’s “rich and powerful.” But let’s recap what Hogan did at the convention just five days after the Republican nominee’s ear was blown off.

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’s lion-hearted defiance in the face of a serial assassination campaign.

“Donald Trump is the toughest of them all,” Hogan said. “They’ve thrown everything at Donald Trump. All of the investigations, the impeachments, the court cases, and he’s still standing and kicking their butts.”

Hogan went on to list all of the “grievances” Americans have suffered under four years of President Joe Biden.

“We never had it better than the Trump years,” he said.

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!

What about that performance is toxic to French? Maybe it was Hogan’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 bizarrely offensive about health and fitness these days.

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.

Sometimes they’re not actually even male, or they claim to be something else entirely, as is the case with Sam Smith.

These are the people French would rather see demonstrate a manly alternative to Hogan. Americans can look forward to Smith’s pole-dancing routine at French’s dream DNC, probably dressed up in a devil costume followed by another French column celebrating the act as a “blessing of liberty.” Apparently allowing drag queens to read to children is a better illustration of masculinity than the infamous Hulk body-slamming Andre the Giant.

French didn’t recommend a male pole-dancing performance, but he didn’t have to. Celebrities such as Smith and Harry Styles 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’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.

French wrote that his primary problem with whatever “Trumpist masculinity” is, is that “grievance” and “anger” are toxic when presented by men as a “counterfeit purpose” and a “counterfeit courage.” But he’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’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 — and are now being written off as cancerous.

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 offering protection to subway riders terrorized by a crazed maniac.

We should value the physical strength and courage that are needed to mold strong men who are proud of their country — the sort of men represented in Hogan’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’s model of leftist masculinity.

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 [email protected]. Sign up for Tristan’s email newsletter here.