Every time I see one of those boomer-as memes of the two cats talking with captions about why bf is reasonable and gf is nagging or unreasonable, I think to myself, is it even 2024? Is this a forward my dad got from his older brother-in-law? Are we just doomed to repeat mid-2010s era YouTube gender war nonsense?
There was “The Chart” making its rounds on Twitter about Gen Z men and women becoming politically polarized. Based on Allen Downey’s rebuttal and other reading, I personally don’t buy that there’s a growing ideological gap.
What I do notice is that the content mills of Twitter (and to a lesser extent Reddit) are working overtime to make this seem true.
You see e/acc and trad larpers accusing feminism of “lying to women” or accounts that are dedicated to posting women’s Ls, real and imagined. Then there’s the Andrew Tate wannabes that give men revolutionary advice like “lift” and “take responsibility for your actions” all bundled it into gloat-fests at women who dare to age past 30 or try to start a family later in life.
I hear some men in my life echo parts of this discourse but usually not filled with the vitriol you see online. I know that Twitter thrives on flattening nuance to farm engagement and rage but it seems worse than usual.
And yes, I’ll touch grass after posting this when I walk my dog.
Reddit isn’t always the best for this either but it at least seems more conducive to this type of conversation.
Instead of evaluating whether “men are xyz” or “women are…” I’d rather know how you’d reimagine the discourse if it came down to better understanding each other and building a better future despite our differences.
Thanks in advance, dudes of Reddit!