Theo Von, Tradwives, and Mormons
Good reads and content to start your week.
Articles
Salt Lake Tribune - “Move aside tradwives. Here’s how social media is shaping LDS men’s views of masculinity — for better or worse” by Tamarra Kemsley (February 2025)
I couldn’t help but include this article in today’s reading list. The Salt Lake Tribune dissects male-focused online content and examines what it means for young Mormon men. It’s a fascinating perspective considering the conservative gender role conceptions of many LDS communities and their newfound attention stemming from the “tradwife” content, made primarily by young Mormon women.
Semafor - “Kamala Harris’ digital chief on Democrats ‘losing hold of culture’” by Max Tani (December 2024)
We often harp on the cultural aspects of social media and digital content here at Noise Level, stressing the cultural influence of the digital information ecosystem. In this article, Kamala Harris’ digital chief, Rob Flaherty, describes just how far behind the Democrats were in 2024 in the cultural arena.
Politico - “Dems concede Republicans ‘running circles’ around them online as Trump remakes Washington” by Elena Schneider (February 2025)
Similarly, this article showcases the stark asymmetry in the political parties’ approach to media and the attention economy. While one side tries to wrap their heads around the new media landscape, the other side has lived in it for almost a decade. It’s clear which strategy has paid off.
Content
YouTube - Richard Reeves | This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von #562 (February 2025)
Theo Von hosts a conversation with Richard Reeves, the President of the American Institute for Boys and Men. Reeves is a thought leader in the quest to redefine and reform social conceptions of masculinity in a healthier way, and here he sits down with one of the most popular male podcast hosts on the planet for a conversation about exactly that. It’s well worth your time. It is also NSFW.
I typically not a huge Theo Vonn fan, but I enjoyed this podcast, even though my recommended pod turned into a Jordan Peterson.
Richard Reeves was on another podcast I will listen to called Plain English with Derek Thompson. Hearing the dialogue between an outright liberal podcast compared to a more conservative leaning podcast was fascinating to hear. Plain English took a more "academic" approach to the problem with cognitive differences with men and women, and diving deeper into issues within jobs, when boys should start in elementary school, and college admissions.
Theo's pod hit more on the "real-life" nature of Reeves' work. The parts about recent gender equality movements creating a "long list of don'ts, and not a lot of dos", "suspicion of male spaces", and complicated privileges of white men, seemingly all resonate more with the larger feelings of young men. He also delivers the message of the importance of "guy time" where he acknowledges the need for more intimate male relationships without it coming across as effeminate.
Plain English brings up how Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson occupy the advocating spaces for these disaffected men. Theo occupies this space in a less malicious way, but you still get a window into the danger of these platforms when Theo started surfacing conspiracies on immigration in a way where the tone felt harmless, but the implications where significant. Throughout both discussions it becomes apparent that these more positive voices that can "believe two things are true" are scarce in popular culture, and why young men will glom onto figures that address these issues since there is no counterweight.
I reflected on my experiences growing up without a father, then going to a liberal arts school, and studying social and gender issues in India for an extended period in college. I had many discussions where I came away feeling as though I was apart of the problem, but unable to contextualize a solution, and feeling like although I had the right intentions, my voice was not welcomed in those conversations. Returning home I would bring up these ideas with friends, and was often ridiculed, or the ideas were not entertained. Essentially feeling I had a place on neither side of the discussion, while leaving an extremely impoverished nation realizing my enormous fortune to grow up in the US, but coming home and still feeling like I was somehow in the lower middle class.
This led me to some prolonged periods of isolation and depression. Thankfully, I found mentors along the way, and contextualized my own lived experiences to help me process these feelings. I also realize as I enter my 30s that I had been fortunate to have male role models growing up, had the support to get a college education, having the fortune of my own work that connects me with communities, and many strong relationships with my guy friends.
However, the feelings and sentiments of young men outlined in these podcasts are omnipresent, whether it be talking with friends, co-workers, or spending 5 minutes on social media. It was reaffirmed when you saw the Harris campaign not leveraging Tim Walz as a counter to this movement, and then seeing how many of these influencers where at Trump's inauguration (Theo included), and continue to influence young men on these topics.
Overall, I see how Theo's conversation would resonate more with young men more given his platform, and gained a new appreciation for why his platform is so popular. I think it's profoundly important he had this conversation and guest given his typical listeners. I also enjoyed seeing how these two podcasts started with the same underlying issue with different approaches to understanding the problem. The more "academic" approach is not as approachable to young men. I think for a lot of male listeners will find the latter more appealing and real. It ultimately depends on how the facilitators want to find a solution, and I think Reeves does an excellent job of articulating the complexity while Theo related it to his audience in an approachable way, which feels rare in today's environment on these issues.