I get many fascinating and insightful emails about Men on Strike and thought I would share a bit of one reader’s take on Tucker Max:
I thought it was interesting that you included a few mentions of Tucker Max, an author that is generally criticized for his low-brow “Fratire” books that made him famous. I am a huge fan of Max and his work for several reasons. The first and most obvious reason is that his work is not only funny, but it is extremely well-written. As a student, I had a knack for writing. Yet I was unable to do it willingly as a hobby until I read Max’s work. After reading his books, I understood what it meant to present my own voice while using my education to communicate it effectively. Max has effectively retired from writing “Fratire” books and now runs a more sincere website, tuckermax.me. On this site, Max explains multiple facets of his life. He explains, in depth, the investments he has made with his newfound wealth. He writes compelling articles like “Why You Shouldn’t Go To Law School” where he tears apart the miserable life of a young lawyer, speaking from the experience he had as a Duke Law graduate. He does book reviews on nearly every book he reads, and he can be either extremely critical or full of praise. Either way, it’s a great website for people who are more interested in the real Tucker Max, a wildly successful self-made man that, in fact, inspires other men. What Max has done with his life is a product of the “strike”. The actions in his books document an alpha male rebelling fantastically against social norms and expressing it in such a way that degrades women. While degrading women is not a positive force in the world, it simply seems to be his reaction to a world where men are put down. Max, being a strong alpha male, sees that he has an advantage that most guys do not have, and he ruthlessly exploits it simply because he can. This is because any man, who is generally put down in modern society, would relish the opportunity to turn the tables. That’s why Max has legions of fans. His fans believe he is out there winning for men everywhere. In his post-“Fratire” career, it’s easy to see that Max is perhaps living a new American Dream that doesn’t involve marriage. I would very much be interested in your take on the Tucker Max phenomenon.
My take? The reader is correct in that Tucker Max is rebelling against a society that tells a man to act in a conformist PC matter in order to not be viewed as a pariah by the culture (not necessarily by women he is trying to land) and to avoid having the authorities called in. It is very much like fraternity guys who are tired of being scrutinized, held up as chauvinist, and controlled and monitored by colleges. Sometimes these guys just hold up a finger to the world and say, “Damn it, I won’t go along with the feminists, PC idiots and general indoctrination that men are evil perverts that need to be kept under surveillance.” For example, there was probably a bit of Tucker Max present in this case at Yale:
In October 2010, pledges of the Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE) fraternity at Yale University stood blindfolded on campus satirically chanting “no means yes, yes means anal.” DKE later apologized, and the international DKE fraternity temporarily suspended the Yale group’s pledge activities.
In a society that demeans and seeks to control men, especially sexually, is it any surprise that Tucker Max resonates with so many of them?
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