Open our ears to young men and women

Of all the election postmortem articles I have read, the most notable is about an extreme feminist movement among young women, modeled on South Korea’s 4B lifestyle practice of the 4 
“No’s.” 
 
With women’s rights being taken away and more promised on the chopping block, some women in their childbearing years are making a bold statement that they will reject marriage, refrain from heterosexual dating, have no sex and bear no children. Sounds like somebody has ticked off the wrong people. 
 
Jada Mevs, 25, of Washington DC, says this is “not being encouraged as a lifestyle” like it is in South Korea, but as a statement that says – If you don’t respect my rights, my choices, my agency, you will not have me to kick around anymore. I will safeguard myself. This truly is a “defiant display of self-protection.” 
 
Look for it on aisle 3 at Walmart. There’s a new collection of chastity belts – that come with your very own key. And a large collection of vibrators, just in time for Christmas. Find the right sizes and carry on. This will show them! I have always said in promoting women’s rights, we hold half the money and all of the you-know-what.
 
Honestly, I don’t think this feminist movement will have much impact in a culture increasingly testosterone-laden culture. The manosphere surrounding this election wants us to think this is a zero-sum game. If women win, men lose. If men win, women lose. It’s a shame when women lose rights to men who want to even an imaginary score. In the 4B movement, young women are leaning into their own power. 
 
It was thought by the Harris Campaign that reproductive rights would be a winning message for her. She was wrong. It was young men and the mothers who care about their future who came out in huge numbers to elect Trump, whose message was, “I can fix this.” 
 
NYU Professor Scott Galloway, in a conversation with Michael Smerconish, talked about the voting blocs that elected Donald Trump. Besides young men in their early 30s, another voting bloc came from their mothers, who worried that their sons spent their days “vaping and playing video games in the basement.” Moms were fearful that their sons were being left behind.
 
Apparently young men are having a hard time figuring out who they are. Mr. Galloway said this is the first generation of young men that is not as well off as their parents were at the same age. That’s something that should concern all of us.
 
Professor Galloway said the plight of young men is at crisis stage. Suicide rates are higher in this demographic than others. Fewer young men are getting college degrees. More young men are living at home. For the first time in America, young men are the ones feeling disenfranchised. Ripping off shirts and displaying abs is not a strategy. But it was a good message used to respond to a cry for help.
 
 And on the women’s side, it should concern us that the birth rate in America is plummeting, so a movement by women to just say “no” to having children is ultimately not good for anybody. Is this really where we are today? This Man/Woman divide does not bode well for the American future.
 
We all want a good life for our sons and daughters. We want them to achieve their full potential and use their gifts to make a better world for all of us. The extremes of male-female behavior will not get us there. Radical man-hating feminism is not an answer. Neither is toxic woman- hating masculinity. 
 
There is a line in the United Methodist Prayer of Confession that says, “We have not heard the cry of the needy.” We have heard cries from around the world, and not listened to the cries from America’s young men and women. We need to listen more and learn from our mistakes. 
 
The Trump team was strategic in targeting this demographic and the struggle for women’s health protection failed in the voting booth. When will we realize that there is room at the table for all of us - men, women, gay, straight, Black, White and all in between - we might realize that we are only as strong as our weakest link. The whole chain could bear strengthening. 
 
Let’s hope the Trump presidency can fulfill its promises to the young people who voted for him. Both young men and young women need the hope that strong leadership can bring. It remains to be seen if Trump is that leader. God bless us all. 
 
Lib Campbell is a retired Methodist pastor, retreat leader, columnist and host of the blogsite www.avirtualchurch.com. She can be contacted at libcam05@gmail.com