White dudes for Harris brings out celebs; myth in US that men are expected to be 'protectors and providers'

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Chad Pergram: Democrats are coming out in support of Vice President Kamala Harris

White dudes gathered Monday to voice support for Vice President Kamala Harris during a virtual meeting that featured Hollywood A-listers in which they were urged to step up and push back against "Make America Great Again" movement, which organizers contend has co-opted masculinity. 

The "White Dudes for Harris" gathering raised several million dollars during the remote call, organizer Ross Morales Rocketto said. Organizers said the goal of the fundraiser was to not "let the MAGA crowd bully other White guys into voting for a hateful and divisive ideology."

"Throughout American history, when White men organized, it was often with pointy hats on," Rocketto said, referring to the Ku Klux Klan. "The way that our economy has charged over the years had left alot of hardworking folks who are trying to do right by their families behind." 

"That happens at the same time that as the myths around America that we grew up with that we as men are expected to be protectors and providers are going out into an economy that does really allow for that," he added.

'WHITE DUDES FOR HARRIS' TO HOLD CALL AFTER 160,000 WHITE WOMEN JOIN ‘KARENS FOR KAMALA’ ZOOM

Award-winning actor Jeff Bridges voiced support for Kamala Harris on a White Dudes for Harris remote call. (White Dudes for Harris)

Among the supporters were several celebrities who acknowledged their whiteness while still supporting Harris, including Academy Award-winning actor Jeff Bridges. 

"I'm White. I'm a dude, and I'm for Harris," he said. "It's not so much a fight. It's a surrender to our higher thoughts. How we want this future to turn out. So I'm kind of surrendering to it… but that's just my approach.

"As the dude might say: ‘That’s just my opinion man,'" Bridges added, referring to his portrayal as slacker Jeff Lebowski, the lead character in "The Big Lebowski."

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who withdrew from consideration as a potential running mate with Harris, also chimed in. 

"Real men respect women, their decisions, [and] their careers," he said. 

Other guests included actor Bradley Whitford, who said he was happy to see a "variety of whiteness" that was like a "rainbow of beige," Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mark Hamill, as well as labor leaders and other elected officials like Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

'WHITE DUDES FOR HARRIS' TO HOLD CALL AFTER 160,000 WHITE WOMEN JOIN ‘KARENS FOR KAMALA’ ZOOM

Vice President Kamala Harris addresses supporters at a campaign event at Resorts World Las Vegas, Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Las Vegas. On Monday, the "White Dudes for Harris" gathering solicited donations and support for the vice president.  (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker joked that he would be joining another call called "Couches Against Trump, better known as CATS," which refers to Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance's criticism of prominent Democrats as "childless cat ladies."

In the days before the gathering, social media users mocked "White Dudes for Harris," with many suggesting the participants would be soft and weak men. 

"This will be the most Beta gathering in history," one critic reacted. 

Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu urged White men to look at the bigger picture and to stop thinking of themselves as victims. 

"I would just say this to the White men of America, this idea that when other people get, we lose, that when other people benefit, we just get left behind," he said. "That is absolutely not true."

Actor Josh Gad speaks during the "White Dudes for Harris" remote call on Monday.  (White Dudes for Harris)

Actor Josh Gad, who said he cried while standing over his child's bed when former President Trump was elected in 2016, took a swipe at the Republican National Convention and the list of celebrities who attended. 

"They have Kid Rock, Kevin Sorbo and a dolphin aficionado, and we have the Hulk… Luke Skywalker and Mayor Pete (Buttigieg). That's pretty damn cool," Gad said. 

The women who have spoken out at official Harris events, meanwhile, have at times lambasted the entire group of White women. 

Shannon Watts, the founder of gun-control advocacy group "Moms Demand Action" who organized a White women for Harris call on Thursday said, "The bad news is that a majority of White women vote for Republicans, because too many of us believe, subconsciously, that it is in our best interest to use our privilege and our support systems of White supremacy and the patriarchy to benefit us."

TikTok influencer tells White women to use their "privilege" during Thursday's Kamala Harris call for White women.

She followed the same tune on Monday, saying during the Women for Harris call that "The majority of White women in this country have historically voted against the needs of the most marginalized, including in the last two presidential elections."

However, the most widely criticized video came from a TikTok influencer, Arielle Fodor, who spoke at Thursday's White women call. 

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"We are here because… BIPOC women have tapped us as White women to step up," she said. "As white women, we need to use our privilege to make positive changes. If you find yourself talking over or speaking for BIPOC individuals or God forbid correcting them, just take a beat, and instead we can put our listening ears on."

"As White people, we have a lot to learn and unlearn, so do check your blind spots. You are responsible," she added, while adding that White women should focus on using their supposed privilege.