Tim Walz son Gus Walz shed DNC tears — and proved Ann Coulter is a troll

But no one could have imagined that a 17-year-old boy, with an unbridled display of pride for his father, would show the nation precisely what it looks like when a child has been raised with a healthy model of masculinity. Tim Walz highlighted his family’s struggles with infertility during his speech accepting the Democratic nomination for vice president, his son, Gus, stole the show. Gus, through tears and cheers, gave his father a standing ovation and pointed toward the stage while yelling, “That’s my dad!” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz hugs his son, Gus, at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday. However, there’s unfortunately another side to social media — another side to society overall. Indeed, people on this side came out in droves to belittle the special moment Gus publicly shared with his dad. One is forced to assume that Coulter, and those like her who made remarks too awful to mention, are unfamiliar with the deep, unbridled love and joy that was on display between father and son. When I was a public school teacher, I was surrounded by boys who were socially conditioned to use profanity and their fists to express emotion. Profanity and fists took precedence over tears, hugs and even kindness, almost every time. Remarkably, such belligerent displays also took precedence over joy. As a career educator, I continue to witness boys conditioned to display a toxic, aggressive version of masculinity. It’s the kind exemplified by the sort of brazen selfishness, cruelty and misogyny that was amplified during Donald Trump’s term as president. Sadly, many boys today behave no differently from the way boys behaved when I was a child in the 1980s and ’90s. Crying remains verboten, even if, we’re hearing the worst of the internet say, those tears accompany giving one’s own father a deeply emotional display of love and joy. In a brief amount of time, Walz has offered us a clear alternative to the subpar, and I dare say pathetic, “masculine” identities that have historically been available to boys and men. Walz shows us that men can be hunters, fishermen and football coaches while also championing reproductive rights and advocating for the humanity of LGBTQ folks. Walz and his wife, Gwen, raised a joyful son. I might be naive, but I wonder if Vice President Kamala Harris and Walz, and the examples set by their families, have the power to change how we think about boys and men. I hope that their efforts create more joyful opportunities to usher in conversations about a new, healthier and sustainable masculinity. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/tim-walz-son-gus-dnc-crying-rcna167870