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Screenshot of a Tumblr post by nongunktional:
when i first heard about the male loneliness epidemic i was like oh yeah close camaraderie and bonding between men is often discouraged in favor of competition or, if not discouraged, at least filtered through a lens of individualism that precludes deep connections. and then i learned what people meant by it (men arent getting laid) to which i say skill issue
to all the men out there not getting laid: try less hard to get laid and try more hard to be an enjoyable and relaxing presence
I feel like this type of reply to the male loneliness epidemic (or y’know just the loneliness epidemic, since loneliness has been on the rise independent of gender) really does not give a shit about the people that experience loneliness by reducing them to the most horrible and loud of subset of them.
Sure, there are incels that will twist and turn every societal tragedy into why they are victims and deserve to keep hating women. But by listening to them and reducing the entire problem to hahaha, the women haters are getting what they deserve, you are just hurting everyone else.
I agree that we need to treat men (and indeed everyone, we’re all victims) with compassion and care. However, I think these conversations often turn into tone policing our own community more than those who attack it
In progressive spaces, we need to make room for anger and negative emotion because they are how we express the injustices of the world. The problem is, how do we allow people to express that anger safely, without causing harm. To that, I don’t know the answer, but I have personally found art quite helpful
Idk, I’m trying to also be sympathetic to that anger because it often comes from a place of hurt