<p>But Biden won, and crying may be back. On Monday, his nominee for attorney general, Merrick Garland testified before some of the same senators who refused him a Supreme Court hearing in 2016. Garland stopped to compose himself as he told <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/1c866b2071c4c5f5af087e9b81bd72301a336ab2?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2021%2F02%2F22%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Fmerrick-garland-confirmation-hearing.html&userId=6385513&signature=c42dea2cc74191f2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the story</a> of his grandparents' flight from antisemitic violence, and his "obligation to the country to pay back" for their lives. While some outlets respectfully described him as "<a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/3b243ac7ee6937a01417002edd9697cecdf6e281?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2021%2F02%2F22%2Fpolitics%2Fgarland-reaction-hearing%2Findex.html&userId=6385513&signature=9fba47af5663f8df" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">emotional</a>," others noted that Garland was "<a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/354cf171b31af3b1a56c465c24da29ee597f37c3?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nydailynews.com%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fny-garland-confirmation-hearing-antisemitism-20210222-v6uw3krojfcnxfmlvpxjpvwlsm-story.html&userId=6385513&signature=b82aa6c55e222674" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tearing up</a>" as he spoke.</p><p>Of course, this kind of bullying is not entirely conservative. It is also good business. Just as you can purchase bacon-scented gun oil <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/434dc7b41881da94f0b064ae3d694d4d2b33039d?url=https%3A%2F%2Fliberaltears.net%2F&userId=6385513&signature=010f4d9b416fc384" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">branded as liberal tears</a>, there are coffee mugs for sale that hold "<a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/0918230017ba4c2cb1c504b2f91ffbb4d8f962f4?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cafepress.com%2F%2B%2C196250634%3Futm_medium%3Dcpc%26utm_source%3Dpla-google%26utm_campaign%3D615349583-d-c%26utm_content%3D26246958370-adid-88415620210%26utm_term%3Dpla-302991017513-pid-196250634%26gclid%3DCj0KCQiA7NKBBhDBARIsAHbXCB4o8wawKA9lNCOj04zqgIypxRgycCMjFVsg5AlTXYQtiRL0ZXVCPekaAqPOEALw_wcB&userId=6385513&signature=ebdc3eaefa4ce870" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">alt-right tears</a>," "<a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/b910541d946dd07f696936356ea49ccad207f869?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2Flisting%2F260191707%2Fwhite-tears-11-oz-or-15-oz-ceramic-mug%3Fga_order%3Dmost_relevant%26ga_search_type%3Dall%26ga_view_type%3Dgallery%26ga_search_query%3Dwhite%2Btears%2Bmug%26ref%3Dsr_gallery-1-1%26from_market_listing_grid_organic%3D1%26col%3D1&userId=6385513&signature=6fa7f4f627e4a549" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">white tears</a>," "<a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/e0177a63936b232cbb1cdce5ed4e3bd6c41c7775?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2Flisting%2F886694246%2Fmaga-tears-mug%3Fga_order%3Dmost_relevant%26ga_search_type%3Dall%26ga_view_type%3Dgallery%26ga_search_query%3Dwhite%2Btears%2Bmug%26ref%3Dsr_gallery-1-4%26from_market_listing_grid_organic%3D1%26col%3D1&userId=6385513&signature=60c51f2bac607b67" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MAGA tears</a>" and <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/98dcd53b9f1fa9cf4d68d0167ca8f28034a751d7?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2Flisting%2F606927225%2Fstraight-white-male-tears%3Fgpla%3D1%26gao%3D1%26%26utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3Dcpc%26utm_campaign%3Dshopping_us_b-art_and_collectibles-fine_art_ceramics%26utm_custom1%3D_k_Cj0KCQiA7NKBBhDBARIsAHbXCB6Hw9IlKKizscxI7xnHv5mi4b0K9OFMfC9Z934yEnbq0lOBFBlydK8aAvqyEALw_wcB_k_%26utm_content%3Dgo_1844702583_70388668955_346397714578_pla-355586253817_c__606927225_12768591%26utm_custom2%3D1844702583%26gclid%3DCj0KCQiA7NKBBhDBARIsAHbXCB6Hw9IlKKizscxI7xnHv5mi4b0K9OFMfC9Z934yEnbq0lOBFBlydK8aAvqyEALw_wcB&userId=6385513&signature=3ff8ed811a581ad0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the tears of men</a> who are white, straight, and just plain mediocre.</p><p>But history skews towards weeping as a conservative slur. From the 1890s through World War I, Progressive men were taunted by their "<a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/0e3c7603eac760030e4599a7072789d79f3e425d?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPolitical-Manhood-Mollycoddles-Politics-Progressive-ebook%2Fdp%2FB0067F28PM&userId=6385513&signature=f8bbc5f04305e363" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">red blood</a>" opponents as effeminate "<a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/99fb9938d17ffb2f54e2b9df6cfb29a50fb9a019?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPolitical-Manhood-Mollycoddles-Politics-Progressive-ebook%2Fdp%2FB0067F28PM&userId=6385513&signature=4e73f87d6b16753a" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mollycoddles</a>" prone to breaking down in tears. Women were excluded from voting until 1920, and then from office holding for another half-century because their tears were seen as the opposite of reason. A 2019 study showed that <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/6df184ec5c8aaf63d909ef1f10b08af0cc66f63b?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usnews.com%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Farticles%2F2019-04-16%2Fwomen-candidates-still-tagged-as-too-emotional-to-hold-office&userId=6385513&signature=6e6dbc4e626bbd5f" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">one in eight</a> Americans still believe women are too emotional to hold office.</p><p>While President Dwight Eisenhower was known to have a <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/2113cfe6ed879150c824c6ab06f7e863284dd6d0?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com%2Fgallery%2F2016%2F01%2Fpresidents-crying-photos-002167%3Fslide%3D3&userId=6385513&signature=4b127544221e9a73" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">good cry</a> when asked to recall the sacrifices of World War II, male tears largely remained a sign of political weakness and failure for most of the 20th century. In 1952, then-Senator Richard Nixon <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/e3b9ca4e130bb49c4711cf0174aeaf6c62fb4de9?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com%2Fgallery%2F2016%2F01%2Fpresidents-crying-photos-002167%3Fslide%3D1&userId=6385513&signature=756503e8d670e43e" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cried</a> when confronted with a fundraising scandal. Jimmy Carter was widely reported to have wept when he lost the 1980 election while the victor, Ronald Reagan, never shed a tear in public and was famous for displays of <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/7f0708f815003b35d58cd85012d79255f2716adf?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apa.org%2Fmonitor%2Fmar03%2Fangeracross&userId=6385513&signature=923aa21533d1cfc8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">masculine anger</a>.</p><p>That changed with Bill Clinton, who may have done more than any modern liberal to rehabilitate crying and associate it with the Democratic party. While Clinton cried very little as president, photographers <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/1c7d351b25a776cdeac978279077bf7bbcb42ced?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthehill.com%2Fhomenews%2Fcampaign%2F311044-bill-clinton-on-voting-for-hillary-i-never-cast-a-vote-i-was-prouder-of&userId=6385513&signature=4dfab9473f62f310" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">often caught him in tears</a> as he watched the former First Lady succeed as a politician after 2000.</p><p>The association between crying and authenticity was cemented in the 2008 New Hampshire primary when a TV crew caught the normally restrained Hillary Clinton <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/dd2f34c29c7a677738f8e1a3ed75891c6cbc05a5?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dpl-W3IXRTHU&userId=6385513&signature=c13888b74f89845f" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">on the brink of tears</a>, a personal moment that gave her a victory over Barack Obama. By 2016, Obama had cried so frequently in public that it was said to be "<a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/cf4596f311a8ddcfc23db69a01479f1f49121ba3?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2016%2F01%2F08%2Fpolitics%2Fobama-gun-control-tears%2Findex.html&userId=6385513&signature=c6c4fb1f032722b5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">revolutionary</a>."</p><p>Obama's emotional honesty may have encouraged other men to cry too, even Republicans. John Boehner, who cried when he became speaker of the House in 2010, <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/eb8caa39bcff46aa1b647778845fa106ca8e1670?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com%2Fmagazine%2Fstory%2F2013%2F12%2Fweeper-of-the-house-john-boehner-cries-100557%2F&userId=6385513&signature=8e4c9c6faafcf958" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">routinely wept</a> when asked about his bootstrap story. And Glenn Beck, who wept so much— <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/8e122ef11f3dcc861db696a9dd98662f9ec77f89?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DAZqaC4Ky6ys&userId=6385513&signature=9b2d976a619dba00" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">faith</a>, <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/97b90916445b3db199d97adfc63e88c2860c0c7e?url=https%3A%2F%2Few.com%2Farticle%2F2011%2F10%2F26%2Fglenn-beck-cries-on-today-show%2F&userId=6385513&signature=23958a8377ee2ce5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">family violence</a>, and <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/06629c7e079dd02f119e73c87d31ddd9173d5c36?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedailybeast.com%2Fglenn-beck-cries-over-george-washington&userId=6385513&signature=36cb9163dd945014" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">George Washington</a> were a few triggers—that he was <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/b54ce24f34cd68feca645555eb76f6096a880c0f?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rawstory.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fleaked-video-glenn-beck-uses-vicks-to-cry-on-cue%2F&userId=6385513&signature=97b51f9c12aa7fa1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_self">suspected of faking it</a> and characterized by Trump <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/2d2af2f5833d291bc1a8295b50d05eb044f95252?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2Fvideo%2F2016%2F01%2F25%2Ftrump_glenn_beck_a_weird_dude_who_is_always_crying.html&userId=6385513&signature=2895c7bb5ccf835d" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">during the 2016 campaign</a> as a "weird guy" who was "always crying."</p><p>Trump hated tears. He announced on the eve of his inauguration that he <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/895e5282632c1ceec614f0d26f7c63896ff37bbe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.independent.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fdonald-trump-gives-amazing-answer-to-the-question-do-you-cry-a6821541.html&userId=6385513&signature=9994bcc70b42b7c7" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">never cried</a> because he liked "to get things done." Not crying, as if others wept at the drop of a hat, became part of the Trump brand. While Melania Trump <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/0d3277a0c9084b562fd146a6d8c46fa2b5976fa8?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fmelania-cried-when-trump-won-2018-1&userId=6385513&signature=d6682131d3100c74" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">was said</a> to have cried in despair when her husband was elected, she never cried in public: Trump <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/489f59bb4c829d44a75f1f573e56cf0cebd3b727?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fpolitics%2Fdonald-trump-melania-wouldnt-cry-if-i-was-shot%2F&userId=6385513&signature=53b99c09de1e5f7b" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">once said</a> proudly that she wouldn't cry if he died. Although <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/e8144ee76349f86bd014a70bc24967fe12c4a2db?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.express.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fworld%2F1197910%2Fivanka-trump-news-first-daughter-Esquire-jared-kushner-donald-trump-white-house-latest&userId=6385513&signature=aeb04412248ca468" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ivanka is said to cry</a> when calling editors to have negative publicity retracted, no one in the Trump family has been photographed in tears.</p><p>And ironically, the false narrative of Trump's victory still hinges on tears. "Gimme four more years," a white adolescent boy <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/46a0755a01ee9e3013b2637f6f259e0a6d132bfd?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40kolbygiles8%2Fvideo%2F6930473380709698821%3Flang%3Den%26is_copy_url%3D1%26is_from_webapp%3Dv1&userId=6385513&signature=ebedfb45bd14830c" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">lip-synced</a> on TikTok last week, draped in a Trump flag. "What comes next? Liberal tears." Bumper stickers and tee shirts that used to read "Trump 2020: make liberals cry again" have been updated for an anticipated 2024 campaign.</p><p>They are now on <a href="https://mailtrack.io/trace/link/ebb844c4499c4cf641c8d9df30893116924ac89e?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FTrump-2024-Shirt-Liberals-Again%2Fdp%2FB07TBHJGT4&userId=6385513&signature=1e8c63c49bc0f59f" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sale at Amazon</a>: because the only losers are people who cry.</p>
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