“Where have all the men gone?” A Maltese woman in search of an eligible bachelor sent me this query nearly six months ago, as she surveyed the landscape of her seventeen-mile-long island located off the southern coast of Sicily and found it wanting. “They show no courage…no desire to take a risk. They are all mama’s boys looking for a woman to take care of them--I have more balls than they do.” I advised her not to move to the United States, if she’s looking for a real man.

American men have become eunuchs. They have surrendered to the Left’s relentless assault on masculinity, abandoning their women and inviting bullies to terrorize the nation and the world. Over the last two years, a growing chorus of “mama bears” has stepped forward to protect their children from government-sanctioned child abuse in the form of educational deprivation, anti-social isolation, forced masking, and coerced experimental injections. True—the Karens have until recently received far more media coverage, as they hysterically assault strangers on the street for exercising common sense and good judgement in their ignoring of autocratic orders. The fearless female defenders of our nation’s youth, however, are a much larger group that has been waging a righteous war against local school boards, craven teachers’ unions, and corrupt politicians. They have been winning battles from Loudoun County to San Francisco. So where are the fathers?

They have remained largely silent. They have acceded to the demands of feminists who proclaim that all expressions of masculinity are toxic, that women don’t need men, and that standing up to evil is an act of violence. Husbands in my practice refuse to criticize their hysterical wives for fear of being outed as misogynists. My young male patients refuse to ask girls out on dates, or even compliment them on their appearance, convinced that to do either would lead to their being labeled as sexist. A friend told me he recently held a door open for a woman entering a department store and was met not with a “thank you” but rather a “f--- you.” She said this in front of her daughter and his son, with no hint of shame or embarrassment. This ingrate has clearly taken Gloria Steinem’s famous quote to heart: “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.” Should it surprise anyone that men have decided to put their tails between their legs, roll over, and play dead?

What about America’s religious leaders? Certainly, those who swear allegiance to God rather than government are acting courageously and are worthy of emulation. Unfortunately not. Apart from a few outliers in the evangelical Christian and Orthodox Jewish community, for the past two years churches and synagogues have been caving to government pressure, shutting down and cancelling services to congregants, including childcare programs needed by working mothers. Just last month, the head of one of the largest synagogues in West Los Angeles promised to ban this fall all unvaccinated children from returning to the private school affiliated with the synagogue. Early last year, a rabbi in Beverly Hills was observed writing down the names of each person coming to worship. When asked why, he simply said that he was following guidelines provided by the county health department to “keep us all safe.” He could not see the irony—and danger—of a Jew collecting names of fellow Jews on the order of an oppressive government. A weak and foolish man, he displayed cowardice and disgraced his office as a religious leader of his community.

No heroes remain for men to emulate in pop culture, either. In 2006 the movie 300 told the story of a fearless king who, along with 300 Spartan warriors, confronted an entire Persian army. Although he faced certain death, he willingly and without hesitation sacrificed his life for his people. The most recent James Bond movie, in contrast, portrayed a domesticated house husband whose emotional attachment to a love interest overwhelmed his pledge to honor queen and country, leading him to choose suicide on an abandoned island in place of reaffirming his true calling—saving the world from evil men. King Leonidas has become too toxic for Hollywood.

Certainly, do not look to our elected “leaders” for leadership. LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and United States President Joe Biden are all cowards who act only in the service of themselves and their families. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley are more interested in fighting white rage in the US military than in standing up to Communist China. Biden supports firing Navy SEALS who refuse experimental injections as he promotes transgender admirals. Maternity flight suits good. Male warriors bad.

Whatever one’s feelings about former President Donald Trump’s personality or character, it is undeniable that were he still in office, Vladimir Putin would not have invaded Ukraine. Unlike Biden, Trump is a strong man. Biden is weak. And weak men embolden bullies and allow evil to flourish. Due entirely to the weakness of our current President, we are now facing the possibility of World War III. The use of nuclear weapons by Russia is on the table as well. Just two years ago, the strength of American leadership kept our enemies at bay and ensured stability throughout the world. Today Europe is facing its largest act of military aggression since Adolf Hitler, as a direct consequence of American weakness.

It is long past time for American men to stand up, fight back against the assault on masculinity, and resume their proper place as protectors of their wives, their children, their communities, and their nation. They must ignore the shrill cries of the harpies who find themselves threatened by the presence of strong men. Nagging women nag because they sense weakness and a lack of resolve in the men in their lives. When men stand up, take charge, and act fearlessly, women’s insecurities quiet. They need strong men, just as America and the world do. Where have all the men gone? The women want you back. Your country needs you now more than ever.

Mark McDonald, M.D.
Psychiatrist and author of United States of Fear: How America Fell Victim to a Mass Delusional Psychosis