this post was submitted on 13 Jul 2023
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Man I'd hate being a young man today.
Guys are put in a position where they have to put themselves out there and face rejection. it's obviously becoming harder to connect with women given that a larger and larger percentage of men under 21 report being virgins every year.
Then as a result of being in this sad but common position you get told that it's all your fault and you're a shitty person.
I think I would have just ended up killing myself if I was a teenager today.
Feel like a higher rate of virgins could be a good sign that people aren't feeling pressured to do things they don't want to.
Virginity among women hasn't climbed in nearly the same way, most men 21 and under also report having never been in a relationship, young men's mental health has declined more than any other demographic, and incel culture seems to be on the rise.
I realllly don't think this is a good thing.
Women were under the opposite pressure: to stay a virgin. Also, some people don't want to be in relationships. In middle/high school, a lot of dating was obviously performative and they were only "dating" because of social pressures to do so. I'm no longer a teen, so I have no clue what the pressures are now. It could be the pressures are still there and more people are failing to meet them (hence, the incel community). I know they're not completely gone, because I still sometimes hear about things like people dating because they want to have someone for prom or whatever.
Given how complex mental health is, trying to tie it to just one thing that correlates with it is not very convincing. Likewise, even if incel culture is on the rise, it seems much more reasonable to connect that to the growth of the internet and the niche communities it allows to fester and become visible.
Why is it when anyone tries to acknowledge any sort of issues men have some asshole tries to dismiss them?
There's obviously issues. I grew up in a time that pressured people into doing things like dating and having sex they didn't want. Real issue men face. Are you dismissing that issue?
I'm not saying that issue doesn't exist, I'm saying your implication that the rise in men who have never been in relationships is a good thing is ridiculous.
First, women are in a relationship at a much higher percentage in younger age groups. The idea that women love to be in relationships but men don't is straight up sexism on your part.
There are also huge reports of loneliness and isolation among men. There are reports of a significant minority of men being bitter about not being in relationships or having sex. It's clearly a big deal.
You are arguing in bad faith in an attempt to dismiss a real issue men face.
You say it doesn't exist, but you promoted the anti-virgin and anti-single norms (whether you believe in them or not) and try to tie complex multifaceted issues like depression and loneliness to your single pet issue. You say I'm acting in bad faith, but I take personal issue with the ideas you are promoting incidental to your main point (which isn't something I'm really responding to at all).
A big part of this is moving everything online, it makes the available pool too wide and doesn't allow for things to be forgotten as easily. Meeting people in person allows the awkward stuff to be forgotten and the highlights remembered. It can still go terribly wrong, but there was more meaningful interaction.
Yeah the world is super fucked up. I met almost all my previous hook ups (along with my GF) in real life.
Also according to my single friends it got infinitely worse during covid. Although I'm in my late twenties and almost everyone over thirty says it's not super hard or anything. I don't know if that's a generational difference or old stereotypes are actually true.
I'm just glad that I grew up in a different era.
My point was that the pickup artists who claim that they are helping or empowering young men are in fact not helping them to get a healthy attitude towards the other sex or enabling them to be in healthy relationships. Instead (most of) the tips of the pickup artists are in contra productive and will make you sad, angry and alone. I don't think it's in their interest that you get healthy relationships, because that would mean that they would loose a client.
And I also do not think it's a good idea to suggest suicide to troubled teenagers.
I'm not suggesting suicide, I'm saying I would personally have not been able to manage as a boy in today's world because of how fucked up this is.
The way I read it was that anyone who has trouble with women is doing something stupid like this. A lot of normal guys just don't have a real chance these days.
if i killed myself it isnt cause im not banging people rofl
Women had to adjust to be expected to work and do housework, still make less money per hour of labor, still represent the minority of ceos/leaders/comfy asshole billionaires, way more likely to be the ones in danger physically when picking a partner incorrectly, but go on guys about how life is so hard for you. Sounds like most of you are considerably less able to adapt than the women around you.
Seriously, I hate this shit. There are real issues men face and it's always the same story.
"These issues don't exist"
"Yeah these issues exist but women have it worse so they don't matter. Also you're a sexist POS".
"LMAO men are suffering. Sucks to suck"
here's why I honestly think it keeps going this way:
men keep seeking symapthy for this in public, from mixed gender groups including women.
women have no reason to be sympathetic to men in this case, as they have already had it shitty and these same men didn't care when it wasn't their problem
some of these same men seeking sympathy are actively blaming women and saying that the fix to their problems is to go back to the 1950s, when women were routinely lobotomized for men's convenience (the guys pitching 1950s USA always leave that bit out).
I mean...
Writing off an entire gender because of the actions of some is absolutely insane. Men represent 50 percent of the population. In any other context that would be considered bigoted without a second thought.
Likewise, the idea that it's the same men is straight up fiction. A teenager today was born in the 2000s. They have literally nothing to do with historical sexism.
Finally the "I had to suffer so it's your turn" is beyond shitty. All that mentality is going to do is breed resentment. I'm pretty sure it already is, and alt righters are leveraging this shit to radicalize a small but increasing amount of young men.
I had issues growing up. Some of that was related to women, but a lot of that was related to social isolation in general. When I say I'd probably kill myself in growing up as a boy in today's world, I'm not joking.
'no sympathy from me this time, get it from other men' does not equal 'writing off an entire gender'.
I get that you guys think you should have instant sympathy from me for some reason because some of you are feeling slightly suicidal. Let me illustrate for you in living color why this woman is having trouble having sympathy:
This illustrates a scientific truth that we have less sympathy for people facing things that we've overcome ourselves, especially if we feel we've overcome a 'harder' version. Imagine how hard I laugh (or how much I want to smash something) when a guy says "women have it too easy now".
young men don't need to be told that 'women are writing them off' because we aren't rushing to comfort them (at cost to ourselves). They need to fucking learn to adapt without women's help, and they need to understand that women not having time to help them or be sympathetic to them anymore is a side-effect of women being fucked by the system too, not because of women 'having too much freedom'. If they cannot admit that women don't have some kind of 'extra help' and cannot stop trying to tear us down to build themselves up, they are not going to be helped by us - obviously. That's self-preservation.
At no point did anyone in this thread ask for you to comfort men.
I made a comment saying young men had it hard. You took it upon yourself to dismiss their struggle. Then you took it upon yourself to say their struggle doesn't matter because women have it worse and anyone who brings it up is a sexist. then you took it upon yourself to blame young men today for sexism in society that existed before you were born.
I'm asking for basic empathy towards your fellow human being. I'm wasn't even asking for you specially to have empathy, just society in general.
I am truly sorry for what you experience. However, misfortune isn't a competition. Just because women have it worse doesn't mean it's okay for men to have their own problems.
This whole comment thread is taking place in the context of a guy who is responding to a meme about creepy pua teachings (you know, the thing that causes all the abuse I suffered) with 'whaa men have it so hard', an I'm being called unempathetic and accused of whataboutism. Thick irony fellas.
Look I don't mean to be callous but I don't think that your dad molested you because he watched some PUA videos on YouTube.
Look I dont mean to blow your mind but misogyny ain't new and these pua fucks have been saying the same things in different spaces for all of human history. My dads generation was 'locker room talk'
So deal with the reality that pua beliefs are as harmful as I say they are, or deny it - I dont give a fuck anymore.
Look I've been in a lot of locker rooms.
First, most of the talk is some vaguely homoerotic stuff about other men's bodies and what their workout routine is.
Even when it is more misogynistic, it in no way, shape or form involves casually taking about pedophilia or molesting your relatives.
Here's donald trump talking on public radio about wanting to fuck his daughter and peeping on kids: https://people.com/politics/donald-trump-howard-stern-interviews-crude-comments-women/
here he is defending his shit as locker room talk: https://youtu.be/QDjDPRk3nPY?t=33
Your opinion is fine. but there's lots of guys like trump and my dad out there that disagree with you. and they chat about peeping on kids and wanting to fuck their daughters
Trump also claimed he could destroy a hurricane by nuking it.
I am telling you, it is not at all common to discuss being a pedophile.
You're taking an extreme minority of men and using it as an excuse to villify all men. You know, a full half of the population.
you're asserting its an extreme minority but Trump's popularity among men begs to differ. These pedophilia apologists elected the man. I would have agreed with you more before 2016. Mask off moment for american men imo.
and if you're not american I'm sorry for assuming, thats the context Im living in and thats the context Im speaking of.
42 percent of womem voters voted for Trump. I don't see you making sweeping statements about them.
Also
35 percent of eligible male voters didn't even vote.
Among those 18-29, a full 50 percent didn't vote.
Among men 14-17, exactly 0 percent voted.
well at least thats still an actual minority, instead of a majority vote like the male side.
and yes you're correct the older the person the more skew for trump, which goes back to my point that plenty of these old fucks heard locker room talk about peeping on young girls, and did not bat an eye
maybe you're a young guy who is honestly underestimating the misogyny of your elders
You are judging people today for things they had nothing to do with on the basis of their sex.
Like how do you not see that as fucked up?
You think Im judging all men but I'm only judging men who spread PUA bullshit, which they have responsibility for. Sorry you can't get it.
Okay serious question: how old are you?
old. how old are you?
I'm 28.
So you're an honest to God adult judging people under the age of 25 for things they not only had no part in, but were largely perpetuated by people who are most likely dead?
I'm an honest to god old women on the internet who has been in tech spaces since the 90s, so I have seen (and felt) the impact of these ideologies very personally, and yes I hold people over the age of 18 responsible for their own actions. If they believe in PUA bullshit then yes I judge them for it. Are you shocked?
Either you're adults or you're not. I can't afford to coddle these young men anymore, it's damaging to me and all women - and coddling them hasn't helped. And the people perpetuating the things aren't dead, they're passing the baton - to these 'young men'.
Wake the fuck up to the fact that like, 100 rich guys are essentially slowly enslaving most of humanity, and THAT is your problem, and stop attacking women. We're running out of time and I'm out of patience.
Thanks for coming to my ted talk.
Are you in a relationship? If so how does your husband feel about your feelings towards men?
he can understand that I dislike misogynists, not men
how does your mom feel about you minimizing women's problems on the internet and claiming that you know the truth about locker room talk to invalidate their lived experiences?
I don't know about my mom, but my SO thinks you're all insane POSes who give women a bad name.
maybe call your mom
I'm sorry to hear that you've faced hardship. But if you don't learn to feel empathy towards others, you're going to continue to live in hate. Your continued hate towards men and men's issues are not going to make you a better person and you will die alone. And you might be fine with that. Your pedophile father is not a men's health issue. He's just a shithead. Your CEO sexually assaulting you is not a men's health issue. He's just a shithead. Everyone dislikes them. Men and women.
Also, people are learning. The result of that learning is people learned to stop interacting with the other gender more. Men just don't talk to women anymore on workplaces for fear of backlash. And if there are very small number of women is said workspace, they feel isolated because men don't want to deal with potential behavior like yours. More and more people are just choosing to be single from both genders.
The fact that there is asymmetry in genders will always exist. And frankly, I don't think there can be complete equality, I think that's neither attainable or desirable. Are we going to start demanding 50% of construction workers need to be women too? Are we going to try to have 50% quota of people in prison be a woman? That's insane, right? The best we can do is to empathize as much as possible with all other humans and understand both men's issues and women's issues. Validating a men's issue doesn't devalue a women's. You are being an unempathatic whataboutist because you feel your issues are more important to you. We are not saying your problems didn't exist nor should we not try to do our best to solve future issues of that nature. All problems should be fixed the best we can.
If you can't empathize with men's problems. The men who face these issues will refuse to empathize with women's problems. That's how relationships between any sets work. It's a two way street. You're working to create a segregated sets instead of trying to find the middle ground. You're actually directly working against your own goals by being like this.
Haha, I don't hate all men, I'm in a relationship, and you will see my usual activity on social media is moderating a laughter subreddit.
But I don't have any empathy for men who believe that men are the main victims of PUA teachings, or that men are uniquely disadvantaged - they're already not empathetic to me, obviously, because they are dismissing that these teachings harm women more than men. Pot calling kettle black?
And I dont agree that coddling these men helps them. They are already too far into the victimhood mindset. Thats the source of their problems, that and economic back-sliding of the working class in general. If their violence and anger solicits help from women that teaches exactly the wrong things.
You're proving his point ffs
And you're proving mine. Men whine about shit that women have had to shut up and deal with for centuries.
Still doesn't mean it's not an issue, not talkign about problems doesn't mean they don't exist. When you shut up about issues they won't improve
yeah I think the sad part to me is that it seems the majorty of the men aren't realizing that the issue is the rich guy drank their milkshake. I'm extra angry in this comment chain, because I'm simultaneously being told in another comment that the reason men are slipping is that 'women have too many resources'.
Men have a choice. Join with women and fight the rich, or blame women and let's go to war.
I think a quite a few people actually agree with your point, but you just seem a bit too aggressive in the other comments but idk
yeah this convo got anger radiation from another similar convo about the same subject where the guys were blaming their economic woes on women much more openly. Essentially claiming that the reason boys were falling behind is that women have too much.
The tone of my responses to both threads blended and became angry due to scapegoating of women in the other thread, this thread was just men talking about their problems which I could've scrolled by.
but yeah anytime you see a guy claiming that 'boys are falling behind because women have too much' they are doing the work of the rich
So if it's not an issue for men it shouldn't be for women either, so why are you now complaining about having to deal with the issues you don't think are a big deal?