What are your thoughts on...

What are your thoughts on this article?

Has anyone else dealt with something similar?

Nicole Booth25 said:What are your thoughts on this article?

Has anyone else dealt with something similar?

At the end of the day, we’re all just looking for love and some attention—it's basic human nature. Plus, we've got those biological drives, obviously. When someone gets cut off from what feels like a normal, functioning life in society, they're bound to get frustrated... feeling worthless, rejected, or even depressed because it feels like they haven't really "made it" in life.
Nowadays, you see this whole crowd of young guys just sitting at home, grinding on video games or watching porn, basically having zero hope of finding real emotional or physical connections. They lack any kind of life perspective, steady jobs, or actual purpose—they're honestly just ticking time bombs. On the flip side, you have girls struggling to find anyone who actually fits, often getting caught up in these massive insecurities about their looks or worth, and it’s just a mess. Psychologists are probably making a killing lately treating people for the fallout of modern life and questionable parenting...

Donna White50 said:At the end of the day, we’re all just looking for love and some attention—it's basic human nature. Plus, we've got those biological drives, obviously. When someone gets cut off from what feels like a normal, functioning life in society, they're bound to get frustrated... feeling worthless, rejected, or even depressed because it feels like they haven't really "made it" in life.
Nowadays, you see this whole crowd of young guys just sitting at home, grinding on video games or watching porn, basically having zero hope of finding real emotional or physical connections. They lack any kind of life perspective, steady jobs, or actual purpose—they're honestly just ticking time bombs. On the flip side, you have girls struggling to find anyone who actually fits, often getting caught up in these massive insecurities about their looks or worth, and it’s just a mess. Psychologists are probably making a killing lately treating people for the fallout of modern life and questionable parenting...

Now, I wouldn't say it's a huge majority—I'd probably estimate it at maybe 2% to 3% of the population.

Which, let's be real, isn't exactly a tiny number either, even if it doesn't sound overwhelming at first glance.

I actually went as far as asking my psychotherapist if there were support groups similar to those for domestic abuse survivors or people in recovery—you know, places where those of us who grew up with a toxic parent could gather to share experiences—but he told me no such thing exists yet, simply because it's still such a taboo subject to discuss openly.

It really is quite sad...

neonsailor26 said:Now, I wouldn't say it's a huge majority—I'd probably estimate it at maybe 2% to 3% of the population.

Which, let's be real, isn't exactly a tiny number either, even if it doesn't sound overwhelming at first glance.

I actually went as far as asking my psychotherapist if there were support groups similar to those for domestic abuse survivors or people in recovery—you know, places where those of us who grew up with a toxic parent could gather to share experiences—but he told me no such thing exists yet, simply because it's still such a taboo subject to discuss openly.

It really is quite sad...

Look, you can sit around waiting for someone else to take the lead, or you could step up and try to start a support group yourself. That said, if we're going to have that conversation, a thread dedicated specifically to 'Toxic Parents' would be way more appropriate than this one.

Well, at least he finally found his match.

If you ask me, we really need to get people used to the reality that not everyone is going to be loved or even get the chance to be a parent. Honestly, stop feeding them those romanticized fairy tales—it just turns into an obsession for anyone struggling and becomes their biggest source of frustration. It feels like most of that misery comes from constantly comparing yourself to others and putting their lives on a pedestal, rather than the actual loneliness or lack of kids.

I've got a memory like an elephant, so I vividly remember reading a decade ago that there was a shortage of about 40,000 women under 40 here in the States. Who knows what the numbers look like now after all the migration? Basically, even if you want to, you can't just match with anyone—especially once you start filtering through all those extra criteria we all have, which just shrinks the pool even more.

So what? It’s not the end of the world. Not every kid grows up feeling loved, so why should every adult?

Matthew Castillo5 said:Look, you can sit around waiting for someone else to take the lead, or you could step up and try to start a support group yourself. That said, if we're going to have that conversation, a thread dedicated specifically to 'Toxic Parents' would be way more appropriate than this one.

Honestly, if you're worried about straying off-topic or catching a ban, you really don't need to stress—believe me.

This conversation belongs right where it should be: in the "toxic parent" section.

After all, pretty much everything we ever learn about how to love others... we learn from our parents.

Jamie Adams6 said:Well, at least he finally found his match.

If you ask me, we really need to get people used to the reality that not everyone is going to be loved or even get the chance to be a parent. Honestly, stop feeding them those romanticized fairy tales—it just turns into an obsession for anyone struggling and becomes their biggest source of frustration. It feels like most of that misery comes from constantly comparing yourself to others and putting their lives on a pedestal, rather than the actual loneliness or lack of kids.

I've got a memory like an elephant, so I vividly remember reading a decade ago that there was a shortage of about 40,000 women under 40 here in the States. Who knows what the numbers look like now after all the migration? Basically, even if you want to, you can't just match with anyone—especially once you start filtering through all those extra criteria we all have, which just shrinks the pool even more.

So what? It’s not the end of the world. Not every kid grows up feeling loved, so why should every adult?

So we just teach people to accept that they'll never be loved, or never feel intimacy or closeness with the opposite sex, or a kiss, or a relationship, or a family... What, are we trying to turn people into cripples, like they're missing an arm or a leg? That sounds pretty morbid to me. Shouldn't we be working on helping everyone reach their potential as individuals? Because the only thing that sets me apart from people like that is that I just stopped obsessing over girls...

Call it morbid if you want, but it’s just reality. Once you strip away the economic necessity, men and women don't strictly *need* each other anymore—those days when you had to be coupled up or married are long gone. Honestly, thank God we aren't living in places like the US or Canada, so we're still mostly avoiding those crazy situations like that one case from New York City mentioned in the article. You brought up "time bombs" earlier—so the real question is, would they ever actually escalate to that level if they weren't constantly being bombarded from all sides by people treating them like losers and rejects? Everyone has a breaking point, and clearly, it's better if they're just home on Pornhub rather than out on the streets.

Regarding the specific case in the article, the truth is some people just can't make things work no matter how much they try to "achieve" a normal life. There's not much you can do except maybe make things easier for them—whether through dating apps or even legalizing prostitution as a sort of pressure valve. Though, I still think this whole mess isn't nearly as widespread here as it is in the West.

I actually knew someone just like that. In the end, he managed to pull himself together, get married, and eventually became one of those high-profile "conservative intellectuals" you see all over the news. As long as you're still breathing, there's always hope. 👍

Joseph Bailey41 said:I actually knew someone just like that. In the end, he managed to pull himself together, get married, and eventually became one of those high-profile "conservative intellectuals" you see all over the news. As long as you're still breathing, there's always hope. 👍

Is this about that Markicke guy—"It’s Not Me, It’s My Right Hand"?

I personally knew a guy who went off to study theology, took a vow of celibacy, and then quite literally had a complete mental breakdown. They sent him to see these specialized "church counselors" to try and help him navigate the crisis, but eventually, he decided to walk away from the ministry entirely. He got married, has three kids now, and seems mentally sound... at least from what I saw the last time I ran into him in downtown Chicago... the man is smiling, enjoying life, and all that.

Then there was another one. This guy decided on celibacy only after he'd already left his mark in several different places. He opted for a total "spiritual overhaul"—whatever that means—diving into Hinduism, Buddhism, shamanism, LSD-ism, "Castanedism"... it kept him occupied for a while, but then he ended up having a few more kids. He still claims to be "enlightened" and happy, just without the whole celibacy thing.

Andrew Doyle said:Is this about that Markicke guy—"It’s Not Me, It’s My Right Hand"?

I personally knew a guy who went off to study theology, took a vow of celibacy, and then quite literally had a complete mental breakdown. They sent him to see these specialized "church counselors" to try and help him navigate the crisis, but eventually, he decided to walk away from the ministry entirely. He got married, has three kids now, and seems mentally sound... at least from what I saw the last time I ran into him in downtown Chicago... the man is smiling, enjoying life, and all that.

Then there was another one. This guy decided on celibacy only after he'd already left his mark in several different places. He opted for a total "spiritual overhaul"—whatever that means—diving into Hinduism, Buddhism, shamanism, LSD-ism, "Castanedism"... it kept him occupied for a while, but then he ended up having a few more kids. He still claims to be "enlightened" and happy, just without the whole celibacy thing.

That’s the one who used to post constantly on the forums back in the day (before I handed this useless tool over to the Catholics with a loud "go back to your own kind"). He has this intense martyr vibe and sounds like he’s spitting stones whenever he talks. Like an American version of Jordan Peterson. 😁

I honestly don't see what there is to analyze here—really! He was simply who he was, through and through, and in the end, he found his soulmate. Some people go their whole lives without ever finding that kind of connection, regardless of the health struggles or whatever other curveballs life throws at them. If his journey hadn't unfolded exactly the way it did, perhaps he wouldn't have ended up with his lady by his side. ☕