The online literary wars rage on, with faulty arguments and inconsistent narratives. In an age dominated by short-form “BookTok” content, the New York Times, in a recent article, suggested that the “literary man” is on the way to extinction. Liberal media call this a grave concern, but it’s only posturing. Any man who does read today is labeled a dangerous, right-wing “lit bro.” Serious literature is seen as unacceptable and problematic, as opposed to the slop pushed by most legacy publishing houses.

The author of the piece, Paul Bernstein, fundamentally misdiagnoses the issue. By only interviewing men in bookstores and publishing, Bernstein shows his hand. Literary men don’t exist in coastal elitism’s upper echelons because their seats have been taken.