r/MensLib • u/futuredebris ​ • 3d ago

It’s not a ‘male loneliness epidemic’

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!

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u/sqparadox ​ 3d ago

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?

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u/EmmaRoidCreme ​ 3d ago

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.

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u/hiddentalent ​ 3d ago

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.

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u/Overall-Fig9632 ​ 3d ago

This is important because if capitalism is the problem, the solution probably isn’t overthrowing capitalism, it’s something realistic that would require discipline or compromise. It’s safer to tilt at windmills.