“Men in power.”
That was the title of a column written by Steve Saltarelli and published in March in the University of Chicago student newspaper, The Chicago Maroon. The column called for the creation of an eponymous student group to advocate for men’s issues on campus, just like the many groups that advocate for women’s issues at U of C.
“There to usher the growing masses through the university system are a myriad of women’s advocacy organizations, evidenced on our campus by 10 such [Recognized Student Organizations], most notably the Feminist Majority, the National Organization for Women and Women in Business,” writes Saltarelli. “There are zero such male-oriented RSOs, as misleading as the name of the female a cappella troupe Men in Drag is.”
Saltarelli’s tone becomes increasingly satirical when he writes, “Many don’t realize that men are in power all around us—in fact, the last 44 presidents have been men.”
Readers still unsure of the column’s intent should become fully aware of it when Saltarelli begins to list the activities Men in Power plans to organize for its members: barbecue tutorials, action film screenings and a workshop titled “Protecting What’s Yours: Drafting a Prenuptial Agreement.”
Yet, even though Saltarelli’s column is clearly satirical, it wasn’t treated as such. Men from both on and off campus sent Saltarelli e-mails asking how they could be involved in the Men in Power movement, saying they felt like their needs had long been neglected.
Saltarelli had touched a nerve.
Building off the support he received via e-mail, Saltarelli decided to actually incorporate Men in Power as a student group.
At this point in time, Men in Power began to receive attention in national press engines like the Chicago Tribune and Huffington Post, inspiring debate in the blogosphere.
Saltarelli even appeared on MSNBC in May. In his interview, Saltarelli admitted that men—in general—are the sex with the disproportionate amount of power in government, business, law, academia and nearly every other professional field, but maintained Men in Power and groups like it are necessary because the balance of power between the sexes is likely to shift in the future.
Today’s CEOs were students 30 years ago, a time when women and minorities did not attend college to nearly the same extent that they do now. He argues that the corporate and governmental leaders of tomorrow are more likely to reflect the demographic diversity of today’s top colleges, where the majority of those enrolled in both undergraduate and graduate programs are women.
In contrast to Saltarelli, Foreign Policy writer Reihan Salam celebrates the idea that the economic balance of power will shift between the sexes in the future. In his article “The Death of Macho,” which appeared in the July/Aug. issue of the magazine, he argues that the “era of male dominance is coming to an end,” leaving future men with only two choices: either share economic and political power with women equally or resist it through political manipulation and force. Salam predicts that their choice will shape the course of world politics.
Although Salam’s claims that the financial and real estate crises were due to the dominance of the values of “penis competition” on Wall Street are dubious, he is undoubtedly correct when he says the recession has disproportionately impacted men.
Job losses have been greatest in male-dominated professions like construction and manufacturing. Those sectors of the economy are unlikely to ever recover to pre-recession levels, and the men previously employed in them are unlikely to find jobs that pay as well.
That is particularly true in places like Elkhart, Ind., which had the highest unemployment rate in the nation in June at 16.8 percent, according to the Indiana Bureau of Labor Statistics. Elkhart’s economy primarily relies on RV, automotive parts and musical instrument manufacturing, sectors unlikely to recover soon or perhaps ever. Men without college degrees who once earned nearly $60,000 per year will have to content themselves with far less.
Salam asserts that employment prospects are unlikely to ever improve for unskilled men around the world, and that many will likely find themselves without enough money to support a family. Unable to marry, they will on average be more violent, embittered toward authority, and likely to become alcoholic. His argument climaxes when he claims that unemployed men could become a politically and economically destabilizing force.
Whether Salam’s predictions will pan out is uncertain. What groups like Men in Power show conclusively, though, is that many men do feel vulnerable in today’s world. And sometimes feeling vulnerable is enough to precipitate irrational action.
Yousef AbuGharbieh is a Trinity senior. His column runs every other Wednesday.
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