AOC touches a nerve with her mockery of MAGA masculinity

"For what it's worth, Ocasio-Cortez later recorded a video saying she carries no bias against short men - or "the short king community," as she put it - and that she was primarily referring to "how big or small someone is on the inside." But the fundamental point in the viral clip - that anti-authoritarian movements can benefit from making a mockery of that which seeks to be menacing - is a point that historians and experts on authoritarianism have also made."

"In this case, AOC touched on what one could argue is a sensitive topic for Donald Trump's administration and the MAGA movement, which centers on a hypermasculine ethos that portrays ideal masculinity as violent, brash and/or willfully ignorant of the world and all its diversity. I addressed this ethos last year in my election-related series on MAGA and masculinity, and I've written more about the topic - along with the weird ways that conservatives have sought to promote hypermasculinity - this year."

"Trump official Monica Crowley gave a sense of how central performative bravado is in the MAGA movement in an interview shortly after Miller's appearance, in which she boasted to Fox News host Jesse Watters that Trump and his "bold, muscular leadership" have ushered in "an era of real masculinity.""

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mocked Stephen Miller's height in a livestream while criticizing the Trump administration's authoritarian tactics and the performative machismo behind them. She later clarified she harbors no bias against short men, referencing the "short king community" and saying she meant "how big or small someone is on the inside." Historians and experts on authoritarianism note that anti-authoritarian movements can use ridicule to weaken menacing images without making light of authoritarianism itself. The MAGA movement emphasizes a hypermasculine ethos that celebrates violent, brash, and willful ignorance. Monica Crowley framed Trump's leadership as "bold, muscular" and ushering "an era of real masculinity."

Read at MSNBC.com