Populism in Sweden, Right-Wing Razors, and Super-Duper Manly Soap
Another Link Party Round Up
The Mandate focuses on topics that men don’t like to talk about. It’s written by Olympic Medalist and frequent Men’s Health contributor Jason Rogers. If you were forwarded this email, subscribe below.
Greetings from Sweden!
My wife and I have returned to the land of salty licorice and meatballs to visit her family. Maybe this is middle age creeping up on me, but I have found these kinds of trans-Atlantic trips increasingly difficult. I once crossed the pond more than a dozen times a year to compete in fencing events. Now, when I arrive, I transform into a drooling narcolept, and, within a few days, develop an intense case of the sniffels. We aren’t sure if said sniffles are the result immune system weakness or an intense allergy to my in-laws’ long-haired cat. Even if it’s the latter, I welcome the histamines because the cat is both my soul mate and best friend.
It’s an both and interesting and terrifying time to be in Sweden. The country has just completed its national elections and, as in many countries across Europe, a populist movement has gathered steam. Garnering about 20% of the vote, the Sweden Democrats, a party that many believe has Neo-Nazi roots, will soon have more influence in parliament than ever before — 73 of 349 seats. Its rhetoric leverages typical racist dog whistles like threatening that the country will devolve into chaos unless immigration (specifically Muslim immigration) and crime are harshly curbed.
The party also seem to think that part of the solution is getting Swedes to move into a quaint, red house. The “Sverigehuset” has been proposed as a response to a “housing crisis” and would not require a permit to build. However, it’s clearly an attempt to manage the architectural aesthetics of the country. And when you consider the fact that the Sweden Democrats were previously called “Keep Sweden Swedish” the effort reveals itself as another way to keep an out-group (i.e. immigrants) from moving in. I should note that, in contrast to the US, the act of prominently flying a Swedish flag has racist undertones, which is probably why the flag pole is pictured right out front.
Another interesting detail about these elections…The Sweden Democrats have gained popularity over the past ten years. However, this year, the party achieved increased support among voters aged 18-21. A large percentage of those voters were young men, which shouldn’t be a huge surprise given populism tends to male votes and often relies on hyper-masculine posturing. Considering that a Sweden Democrat parliamentary member recently called journalists “enemies of the nation” and the leader of the party has leveraged the language of Trump, it won’t be long before Stockholm is rife with young, rakish Swedish wearing blue and yellow caps that say “Make Sweden Great Again.”
It’s all very dark and scary. If only politics were as simple as putting together a Billy bookcase. Those people at Ikea seemed to have it all figured out. Perhaps Swedes should get the company’s CEO to run the country instead.
More Links
🪒 Right-Wing Razors — Behold the ad for Jeremy’s Razors, the latest brand to leverage political rhetoric to appeal to a Republican base. The company is the brainchild of Jeremy Boreing (co-founder of the conservative outlet The Daily Wire) and a direct response to his beef with Harry’s Razors over a cancelled advertising contract. “Stop giving your money to woke corporations who don't think you deserve their product,” Boreing says in the ad. “Give it to me instead.” You might call this outrage capitalism. I have more thoughts on this which I will share in the coming weeks — DailyWire on Youtube
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📉 A Bachelor Speaks Openly about Trouble in the Bedroom — Sexologist Shan Boodram recently hosted Mike Johnson, a former contestant on the Bachelor, on her podcast Lovers and Friends. As I have said many times in my writing, talking about issues in the bedroom is incredibly difficult for guys. Hence, why I was so impressed with Johnson, who spoke openly on the topic and highlighted the need for open communication. “Be genuine in how you respond,” he said. — Shan Boodram on TikTok
🧼 Smell like a Macho-Man — Unless you lived under a rock for the entirety of 2010, you will have seen “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” an ad by Old Spice. Like many brands in the category, Old Spice focused on the impact the product could have on the opposite sex. However, it was widely praised (and awarded) for poking fun at hyper-masculine tropes. Well, enter Tactical Soap, which allegedly infuses pheromones into its product to enhance “alpha status, masculinity, attractiveness and charisma.” I came across this product while perusing the Youtube videos in the manosphere, a topic I’ll write more about at a later date. But suffice it to say that this is not a joke. — Tactical Soap
Lightly terrifying, Jason and as always, delivered with a dash of optimism. The pheromone soap is by far my favorite, locating successful heterosexual relationships for men, yet again, in half baked notions of the role of human biology. Ordering the soap right away.