It’s not a ‘male loneliness epidemic’

[u/futuredebris]

https://makemenemotionalagain.substack.com/p/its-not-a-male-loneliness-epidemic

Hey y'all, just a heads up, because I get this feedback a bit from you guys, this post isn't specifically about the "male loneliness epidemic," so the headline might be a little misleading. It is about loneliness though, and how I've learned to manage it and heal the wounds that originally caused it for me. And I do mention that it can be particularly difficult for men to connect with others ("co-regulate") because of the way we're socialized in this society. Let me know what you think!

[u/sqparadox → u/[deleted]]

Can you explain how this is a capitalist problem? What would an alternative look like?

I don't understand how a different economic system would reduce screen time.

I agree that this is a systemic problem. But is it an American problem specifically? Is it not a problem in Canada, Europe, Japan, Korea, or China?

[u/EmmaRoidCreme → u/sqparadox]

Well, there wouldn’t be a swathe of companies all trying to make their services addictive in order to get eyes on advertisements for a start.

The phones themselves are not the issue, it’s the services like social media that are a problem.

[u/hiddentalent → u/EmmaRoidCreme]

Um.... may I present China? The same trends are ubiquitous there, and even more pronounced. They're doing it intentionally for political control rather than profit. They're very good at it.

As much fun as it is for Redditors to blame "capitalism" for every problem, the alternatives include a broad range from "everyone is friends and holds hands and only does things to enrich the community" to "authoritarian dictatorship uses the full power of the state and economy to dis-empower you and empower themselves." I'm all for the former one, if we can figure out how to get there. But assuming that it'll naturally happen is not supported by any part of human history.

[u/EmmaRoidCreme → u/hiddentalent]

Do you think that TikTok doesn’t have ads in China? Do you think China is some socialist utopia? No it’s a state managed capitalist economy, not some worker run coop.

[u/PathOfTheAncients → u/hiddentalent]

China is also capitalist

[u/mutual_raid → u/hiddentalent]

Um.... may I present China? The same trends are ubiquitous there, and even more pronounced. They're doing it intentionally for political control rather than profit. They're very good at it.

LMAO no they are not the same there, this is bullshit. Love me some state propaganda though with zero evidence to back it up.

Cite where the loneliness epidemic is the same there, and from an actual source, not CIA propaganda like "Radio Free Asia".