4 ms·

Well that was a bit of a doomy article, though I find myself agreeing with the general throughline. Dating's gotten pretty messed up and realistically speaking

Well that was a bit of a doomy article, though I find myself agreeing with the general throughline. Dating's gotten pretty messed up and realistically speaking that's unlikely to change going forward. The reason I characterize the article as "doomy" is because it implies some very terrible things will happen as a result: > "A society with too many isolated men and no war to send them to is a scary situation. [...] they will decay your country from the inside." Far be it from me to suggest that endemic loneliness and population decline are positive developments, but... will society really decay from the inside-out as a direct result? I'll cop to being one of those men which the article characterizes as having "given up" -- a sub-yearly sex haver, a porn watcher, and an enjoyer of the video games -- but I'm no closer to blighting civilized society because of it. Cards on the table, that's probably thanks to various tailwinds in my own personal life: a fulfilling job, a good paycheck, and a modest yet supportive network of friends and family whom I love dearly. There're plenty of guys (and girls) out there with none of those things and no sex life to top it off. Life sucks for them in general and that is probably the stronger (and more actionable!) source of this malaise creeping over general society which many of us are feeling.

nicolashahn 3y ago
I also disagree with the quote, because it doesn't take into account that the average testosterone levels are falling about 1% a year: https://www.medichecks.com/blogs/testosterone/why-do-gen-z-and-millennial-men-have-lower-testosterone#1 https://www.medichecks.com/blogs/testosterone/why-do-gen-z-a... There's a lot of effects that this would have on society but I think one of them would be that more partner-less men that are "satisfied", by that I mean not willing to do things that "decay your country" from the inside like violence and rape due to sexual frustration (which is what I believe the author is implying). The increasing prevalence of porn probably also contributes. Further evidence is that violent and property crime have plummeted over the last few decades: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/11/20/facts-about-crime-in-the-u-s/ https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/11/20/facts-abo... "Decay" of the country might come in other forms though. Lower testosterone also increases risk of depression, which is well known to be on the rise.

nicolashahn 3y ago

I also disagree with the quote, because it doesn't take into account that the average testosterone levels are falling about 1% a year: https://www.medichecks.com/blogs/testosterone/why-do-gen-z-and-millennial-men-have-lower-testosterone#1 https://www.medichecks.com/blogs/testosterone/why-do-gen-z-a... There's a lot of effects that this would have on society but I think one of them would be that more partner-less men that are "satisfied", by that I mean not willing to do things that "decay your country" from the inside like violence and rape due to sexual frustration (which is what I believe the author is implying). The increasing prevalence of porn probably also contributes. Further evidence is that violent and property crime have plummeted over the last few decades: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/11/20/facts-about-crime-in-the-u-s/ https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/11/20/facts-abo... "Decay" of the country might come in other forms though. Lower testosterone also increases risk of depression, which is well known to be on the rise.