A lot of what you are describing is MGTOW, whether temporary or long term MGTOW. But you are afraid to call it that.

Contemparary marriage offers nothing, and in fact could kill men. So lots of "rational" men are MGTOWing. Individually rational is not always societally optimal by a long stretch. 1)Self Improvement, personal development, etc. but then what ? A) Use their increased value to try to reenter the sexual marketplace at a later point on better terms. (refusing to get married) B) Accept celibacy(interpersonally). Find fulfillment in other interests and activities. C) Buy Sex as needed. D) Go Brokeback Mountian. All 4 responses are a threat to the Marriage Fraud Mafia.

You've "heard" MGTOW is a bad thing, "even here". How can that be in a place as red-pilled as TRP? Well that's because there's a lot of latent blue-pill faggotry for a lack of a better term that's snuck in. Some people who may appear uncucked haven't been fully red-pilled and they're clinging on to the old system. Many are so inured in the blue pill universe that they'd fight and even die to protect it. It kills reproduction which is what they want. Let's be clear. The marxist radical feminist left wants reproduction. BUT ON THEIR TERMS ONLY. Controlling reproduction in their universe is literally "siezing the (biological) means of production.". Understand that every broken failed woman no life strategy who suddenly develops baby rabies is entitled to having her reproductive mandates met in the vagocracy. You are entitled to having none of your reproductive goals met.

That's what it means when they're trying to shame, guilt and cajole men into "manning up" and marrying entitled, angry, n=30+ partner count, obese, former blue-hair man-haters, with painted over severe psychological problems and single moms. Road-apples of the sexual marketplace. "Manning Up" means accepting social and economic slavery and abuse without complaint. They will use any of the outward tools of the old order(religion,tribal shaming, psychosexual shame, etc) to try to keep men falling in line. They have no problem with this being ideologically inconsistent, all that matters is what works and what brings them power and control. Most men have no idea the POWER of saying NO and demanding a life that involves participating on their terms. Collectively the ability of men to plan, defer gratification, develop and work on long term projects built our civilization.