Toxic masculinity and racism
By 
This comment from Karen to Erik’s post about the murder of Vincent Chin deserves its own post:
Erik covered racism really well, but let me add that this murder is a perfect example of toxic masculinity as well. Ebens and Nitz were spending a perfectly good evening paying women to undress in front of them, and got incensed that an Asian man was doing the same thing. I think it’s safe to assume that Ebens and Nitz acted from outrage that a man of color was using ‘their’ women, even though it’s probably safer to assume Ebens and Nitz thought the dancers were whores whose only reason for existing was to serve men like Ebens and Nitz. (And let’s spare a thought for the poor wretches who had to work in a 1980’s Detroit strip club. Honestly, a sweatshop would have been better; nobody expects the employees in a sweatshop to smile at anyone.) Why do places like strip joints even exist? Nobody goes there for the food or the quality of the choreography or to find someone for an actual relationship. Hell, no man goes there to even really have sex. Men go to strip joints because it’s a cheap way to show off to other men that they can humiliate women.
Reagan’s appeal to these people definitely involved racism, but was just as much a reaction to feminism, and that part probably had more direct policy results. Reagan got the feminism purged from the GOP platform, despite the fact that many Republican women — Betty Ford comes to mind — had been prominent feminists. He embraced antiabortion politics with an enthusiasm we still suffer from, including adopting the global gag rule. Nancy Reagan was the epitome of Serena Joy-ish submission. Roselyn Carter sat in on some cabinet meetings and Nancy specifically stated that was not her job. Nancy was a Wife, not a person. I’m sure Ebens and Nitz admired her.
Toxic masculinity and racism are two poisonous trunks growing from the same vile roots, and we need to cut down both of them.