Cecilia Hyunjung Mo: The male backlash against democracy is no surprise

As women, people of color and LGBTQIA+ people gain political power in the U.S., some white men perceive that they have lost power and status, says UC Berkeley political scientist Cecilia Hyunjung Mo. Imbued with this sense of loss, some turn to extremist movements. Berkeley News is examining threats to American democracy in a new series drawing on the expertise of UC Berkeley scholars. In simple terms, the story of U.S. democracy is the story of how power and rights first held almost exclusively by white men have been extended, slowly and unevenly, to once-excluded groups. Today, after decades of conflict and change, equality remains elusive, but people of color, women and LGBTQIA+ people have more power than ever before. But for white men, and especially working-class white men, the changes have often come at a perceived cost.