This week is the Dutch 'week of loneliness'. This could be an interesting and important event, but it never is. It's always about a 'theme', and when you write the organization about what you miss in their approach, they thank you very much, say you have a good point, but it doesn't really fit in this year's theme.
More than half of what they talk about is normally about older people. I mean, not like me (65), but really old, widows and widowers, with old-age illnesses and handicaps. A legitimate subject, but not covering the whole issue by far.
Only this year their theme is: the Covid crisis and how it affects young people. Also legitimate, but again: young people had a hard time with all kinds of social events being canceled, but at least they often live together in a flat, after the strictest measures were over they could see their classmates or colleagues again, they're seldom really alone, the attractive boys could find a Tinder date like always. (I phone my son (24) regularly so I don't make this up out of thin air.)
The elephants in the room are: people (in this case especially men) are lonely for lack of touch, physical contact and sex; and people are lonely because they are single and have no steady relationship. (Not everybody needs those two things, but I think it's safe to say thousands, maybe millions of people miss them.) Everyday contacts with talking, doing things together, playing games etc. are simply not enough.
Why are these, so very obvious, issues never addressed? My two cents are that (and this doesn't even have to be a conscious consideration) you cannot address them without getting into gender politics. The problem of lack of physical intimacy, whatever the solution, cannot be addressed without changing the current MeToo-narrative of 'entitled men' and the 'patriarchy'. Physical loneliness is not a null option but a disaster and IMHO taboos on touching shouldn't be bigger but smaller. Even people who disagree with that last one should at least do some thinking on it.
The second one isn't addressed because in the ears of many 'enlightened' people it sounds conservative. Monogamous pair-bonding isn't hip, shouldn't be encouraged and may even be oppressive to people preferring 'other forms'. The very thought that there may be women who need a man is considered sexist, and men who need a woman simply shouldn't feel entitled. (I do not address the problems of gay people here, simply because I don't know enough about them.) Liberal media post articles about 'the taboo on the happy single', while in my experience the unhappy single is a much bigger taboo. In the Netherlands, almost half a billion euros a year are spent on dating-sites and dating-events, often organized by those same sites. (This is about 200 euros for every single, including the 'happy' singles. For about 100 euros a year one can subscribe to the average dating site.) One site advertised their 'excellent' results: 30% chance of success!
But the 'week against loneliness' is mostly about inviting lonely people to eat pasta or curry together on one evening, and similar activities. That may be alright for people who really never see anybody, but in the long run it doesn't bring many people any further.
Would it be an idea if Male Advocates massively joined groups fighting loneliness? I myself am thinking about it.
[–]a-man-from-earthleft-wing male advocate 3 points4 points5 points (1 child) | Copy Link
[–]Blauwpetjevalued LWMA contributor[S] 9 points10 points11 points (0 children) | Copy Link
[–]BloomingBrains 5 points6 points7 points (13 children) | Copy Link
[–]Is_This_Safe_To_Eat 1 point2 points3 points (1 child) | Copy Link
[–]BloomingBrains 0 points1 point2 points (0 children) | Copy Link
[–]Nath43673 3 points4 points5 points (1 child) | Copy Link
[–]BloomingBrains 0 points1 point2 points (0 children) | Copy Link
[–]Blauwpetjevalued LWMA contributor[S] 1 point2 points3 points (8 children) | Copy Link
[–]helloiseeyou2020 1 point2 points3 points (4 children) | Copy Link
[–]Blauwpetjevalued LWMA contributor[S] 0 points1 point2 points (3 children) | Copy Link
[–]helloiseeyou2020 0 points1 point2 points (2 children) | Copy Link
[–]a-man-from-earthleft-wing male advocate[M] 0 points1 point2 points (1 child) | Copy Link
[–]Blauwpetjevalued LWMA contributor[S] 0 points1 point2 points (0 children) | Copy Link
[–]BloomingBrains 0 points1 point2 points (2 children) | Copy Link
[–]Blauwpetjevalued LWMA contributor[S] 1 point2 points3 points (1 child) | Copy Link
[–]BloomingBrains 1 point2 points3 points (0 children) | Copy Link
[–]helloiseeyou2020 2 points3 points4 points (1 child) | Copy Link
[–]Blauwpetjevalued LWMA contributor[S] 2 points3 points4 points (0 children) | Copy Link
[–]Too_Old_1981 2 points3 points4 points (1 child) | Copy Link
[–]Blauwpetjevalued LWMA contributor[S] 0 points1 point2 points (0 children) | Copy Link