The Pandemic of Male Loneliness

a-man-from-earth · 2021-08-03T13:03:33+00:00

I think many of us can identify with this. Especially under lockdown it can be very alienating. How do you deal with loneliness?

Algoresball · 2021-08-06T18:56:54+00:00

Note: these boys and men are progressive when it comes to issues of social justice and female equality. Despite being “woke," they continue to struggle with their own self-imposed isolation—the damage caused by being raised male in a culture that teaches boys to be stoic and self-sufficient.

I wonder what the point of including that was. Do men have to bow down at the alter of feminism before they’re allowed to have feelings? I’m not blaming the writer, the work they’re doing is so vital, articles like this need to be written and shared. I applaud the work they’re doing. Also, I consider myself a progressive and a relatively “woke” person. I just hate that they had to include that caveat in order to talk about men’s issues. Men who are more conservative will stop reading right there and miss out on the befits of this article

wolfoftheworld · 2021-08-04T03:01:41+00:00

This past year has only magnified my feelings of alienation. I've become disappointed with once so-called friends who never checked in and just kicked me to the curb, when I was always there for them.

It makes me upset sometimes. I know friends come and go, but in this day and age, friendships are just things to discard so easily into the garbage.

a-man-from-earth · 2021-08-04T16:30:14+00:00

I think its utterly tragic that so many boys, male teens, and men feel this way, which is why we must try to create networks that are COVID-safe and which enforce things like mask-wearing and physical distancing, of course.

To all the boys, male teens, and men in the world who feel like this, you have us on this sub. :)

polpotwasright · 2021-08-06T14:40:05+00:00

Some men find it challenging to initiate social contact for fear of how it will be perceived.

Many of the stories in the article related to that, not initiating contact out of fear of a negative reaction. I have to wonder if some of that is just an excuse to not risk rejection. Easier said than done especially when you're depressed, but there's just a point that when your motivations are positive (like making a new friend) you really have to put yourself out there and risk that rejection, and especially not let your own actions be dictated by what someone else tells you you should or shouldn't do.

gr1m3y · 2021-08-08T05:43:07+00:00

Act with courage to champion our needs despite the fear and shame of appearing needy. Other men will most likely be glad we reached out. If they are not, we just need to move on to the next.

This is more or less opening you up to a terrible lesson. The simple fact of the matter is there is no "help". any attempt made to reach out basically results in any perceived weakness thrown back in your own face. At what point should someone keep trying, expecting a different result, only to be met with the same exactly result over and over again.

Title	The Pandemic of Male Loneliness
Author	a-man-from-earth
Upvotes	73
Comments	24
Date	August 3, 2021 1:01 PM UTC (2 years ago)
Subreddit	/r/MenSupportMen
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MenSupportMen/the-pandemic-of-male-loneliness.1060784 https://theredarchive.com/post/1060784
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/mensupportmen/comments/ox30cm/the_pandemic_of_male_loneliness/