DEAN ROY IS SHOWING UP
Young men have a reputation for being disillusioned, nihilistic, and just generally unwell. It turns out, there are young men who refuse this mantle, eager to outmaneuver the jaws of despair as it gains ground behind them, even if they’re years away from official civic engagement.
Dean Roy is 14 years old. He lives in Stowe, Vermont. And despite having three midterms to prepare for, he agreed to an interview. This would be a good time to mention, Dean is running for governor — not student council, not debate team captain — governor … of Vermont.
He very quickly eliminated whatever lurking preconceptions I had about him. But I think his campaign is meaningful for a reason that’s underdiscussed but related to the plight of his contemporaries: He faces an all-but-certain fate — rejection — and yet, that doesn’t deter him from this noble pursuit.
Rejection and resilience have a tight working relationship. This is a song the loudest members of the Men’s Crisis Choir have been singing for years. Dean, a member of Gen Alpha, clearly understands this too.
You’ll see that in the interview where he illustrates:
What impact he could have on older candidates on the debate stage
How uplifting unconditional community support can be
Why electoral and civic process reforms are the key to unlocking his generation
Where he views centrists, like himself, have the biggest opportunities
Who is luring men his age into a far-right trap
Give it a watch, and then we can explore that last bullet point a bit more below.
“MANOSPHERE” GOES ALL OUT
I want you to close your eyes and imagine what the opposite of the Dean Roy for Governor movement looks like: cheap scotch drinking, sack-suffocating tailoring, cheek and chin augmenting, f-slur slinging, Hitler heil-ing buffoonery in Miami (because where else).
Many men (many, many, many, many men …) view influence as the polar opposite of irrelevance. In the pursuit of influence — which they mistake for real power — they trade any trait that keeps them rooted in reality: generosity, self-awareness, curiosity, openness, honesty, respect, humility, levity, accountability … need I go on?
But this is the blueprint marketed to young men right now, available on demand across the internet free of charge, at least on the ground level. In exchange for a view, you get a front-row seat to Boys’ Night Out — starring:
The 40-year-old alleged human trafficking duo Andrew and Tristan Tate
Recently gone pro-Epstein Nick Fuentes
Plastic surgery addict and looksmaxxer-in-chief Clavicular1
Delusional antisemite Myron Gaines
Gun-toting misogynist Sneako
Person I refuse to learn anything about Justin Waller
Their visit to Vendôme had its own livestream running, where impressionable young viewers were treated to two listening sessions of Kanye West’s song usually referred to as “HH” … I’m sure you can guess what that stands for.
Apparently, this is the only rubicon the Tate brothers won’t cross — their lawyer issued a statement distancing them from the stunt orchestrated by buddies 20 years their junior. The rest, especially Clavicular who intentionally ran over a person while livestreaming recently, think the backlash is very funny.
So, not to be a narc, but if there’s a teen boy in your life, it might be time to name drop someone on the list above just to test what they’re being exposed to. Unless, of course, you’re amenable to a request for $35,000 jaw surgery as a high school grad gift.
OTHER STREAMERS ARE DIVING IN
Something I’m learning as I get deeper into the “Who Broke It” universe: I frequently fall victim to selection bias. The right-wing content ecosystem is highly absorbent, even for someone like me, whose guard is all the way up while trawling for bullshit.
It’s hard to not look at the potency and velocity of the club content this weekend and feel like this is what lies ahead for everyone — whether or not you opt in. But I’m here to remind us both that there are antidotes everywhere for those with eyes to see.
🕵️ Someone you should know today: Kai Cenat (24) & IShowSpeed (20)
Pretty much the two biggest streamers in the world — Kai is the most followed person on Twitch (20M) and Speed boasts 50M followers of his own on YouTube. Both offer a better path ferda boys.
Kai recently decided — very vulnerably on main — that he wants to improve his speaking skills, doing it through reading. If we want to talk about real crises in America, literacy is chief among them. And reading aloud is one of the most memed and joked about collective fears online for people of all ages.
Kai flies through 20 minute sessions, stopping to listen to pronunciations and look up definitions of any word he doesn’t know — from spontaneity to dichotomy. This is my favorite thing I’ve seen come out of 2026 so far. Modeling positive behavior.2
And Speed … my goodness. The kids are calling him their generation’s National Geographic. All of the distance the previously mentioned legion of losers puts between young men and different cultures, Speed is making up for every day.
He’s been traversing Africa for three weeks, making friends, learning about culture, and causing a scene (complimentary) in over a dozen countries. His energy is just so infectious.
And I love this tweet about it all lol:
LOOSE ENDS
📰 Something you should read today: The loneliness crisis isn’t just male — Lakshya Jain for The Argument
“What our polling reveals, though, is that it’s a youth loneliness crisis, rather than a male loneliness crisis. Age, not gender, shows far greater correlation with antisocial attitudes and beliefs. Younger voters — both male and female — are increasingly paralyzed by anxiety and fear, and they are finding it harder and harder to socialize.
In fact, when you look at the data, the ‘antisocial crisis,’ as I like to call it, is actually most pronounced among young women, who experience the highest rates of social isolation.”
🥹 Something to make you smile today: If you are looking for a no-phone-just-vibes activity to do as the weather slides further down the misery index, get yourself some polymer clay and make some magnets with your BFF. Extra points for throwing on the movie “First Daughter” at a barely audible volume. Which do you think I made?
A good read on looksmaxxing from The Guardian
And interesting to think about in light of the pile on Nick Shirley was crushed under for not knowing the word “benevolent”
