The NYTimes had a spot on article about masculinity in today’s times. It featured Chuck Norris (how he infused Huckabee’s campaign), Sylvester Stallone, and Hulk Hogan, three solid male protectors from the 1980s.

Indeed, at a time when the country is faced with a new tangle of problems, the return of the ’80s action hero suggests that some Americans, particularly men, are looking to revel in the vestigial pleasures of older times and seemingly simpler ways. (Witness the popularity of the best-selling “Dangerous Book for Boys,” a celebration of the traditional rugged joys of boyhood.)

The premise of the article is that men who are uneasy about new, complicated issues like the economy and the war are turning to older heroic, mythic figures from their childhood and youth. This is a compelling contrast to the media perpetuated notion that women are acting out unexpectedly in this election by choosing a male candidate (Obama) in Iowa over the female favorite (Clinton). Of course, this notion changed after New Hampshire primaries but still shows how in a time when change is the hott, new key word some of our population is trying to revert to an older, “simpler” time.

But Mr. Koops, speaking on Tuesday, New Hampshire primary day, said the appetite for these action figures represents more than a joke. Rather, it speaks to a sincere desire among some men — likely not Hillary Clinton supporters — to return to what he called “a comfort zone” symbolized by heroic characters of yore.

If I’m reading this correctly, Clinton voters represent those who are not seeking “a comfort zone.” At least not yet.

This article reminds me of a book last year Vietnam and Other Fantasies by Howard Bruce Franklin, a professor at Rutgers University Newark campus. Part of Franklin’s hypothesis was that the character of Rambo came about as a reaction to the Vietnam War and the anti American sentiment that followed it. President Reagan hailed the Rambo films as quite American and many men and other admirer’s followed suit and agreed, creating a phenomenon that carried well into the 1990s and into the twenty-first century. If shaky times are any sign of a desire to seek out old well-known historic figures worshiped, it is no wonder that shows like “Hogan Knows Best” are popular and celebrity endorsements via Chuck Norris carry significant weight. Ultimately, while women are gaining certain attention lately in the political arena, it is noteworthy to pay attention to how men, who were coming of age in the 1980s, are voting and reacting to this desire for change.