in my search for the answers about the male loneliness issue, i read an article called “Unpacking the myth of the “male loneliness epidemic”” that confirmed what i had already begun to think was the true answer after reading this case study by a local council about the myth of male loneliness.
babe, wake up, the male loneliness epidemic is a myth, a falsehood perpetuated by the manosphere. the facts don’t stack. the research doesn’t show it. it’s just another play from the patriarchy playbook. you know what the research says? that women and gender diverse folk generally experience higher levels of loneliness.. the only exception was the age group of 15 to 24, of which males are the loneliest..
so this conflation and inflation of a gender-wide loneliness has been spun by the masters of marketing – the patriarchy, and podcasts capitalised by those like Andrew Tate, a self-confessed pimp, and the hero for fatherless men with identity and self-esteem issues who seek to be alphas (top dogs) or sigmas (lone wolves). but Tate’s not the only one using this marketing funnel and narrative. it’s being echoed far and wide by copy-cats and even those who proclaim to be working to improve “men’s mental health”.
the digital age has made it easier for these myths to spread, feeding into vulnerable young minds. The mainstream patriarchal tactics thrive on fear-mongering and falsehoods, shifting the focus away from the real victims: women, LGBTQIA+ folks, disabled humans, and anyone who’s NOT part of the oppressive patriarchal norm. so let’s shatter these illusions by supporting everyone who is suffering from loneliness, and focus on building genuine connections and understanding.
with social media and technology being seen as a major factor in the risk for loneliness, it’s not hard to see why the message has been amplified in this marketing ploy for emotionally immature teen boys and young men to, yet again, center themselves, and hopefully benefit from the naive empathy of teen girls and the pity of women who already have low-expectations of their ability to handle their emotions. They want us to believe there is some existential crisis of masculinity, when in reality, it’s the patriarchy playing its tired old tune, trying to divert attention from its failures to address societal & cultural issues properly, and instead profit off them.
this “epidemic” for men isn’t an individual failure; it’s the product of systemic endorsement of toxic masculinity, where being a man means battling alone and having a innate-distrust in women, even those to whom they are married to.
he so-called “alpha” “top dog” and “sigma” “lone wolf” lifestyles they peddle are impossibilities meant to sell false hope to the vulnerable, fuelling crippling self-esteem and identity issues.
so let’s stop letting mental health and loneliness be hijacked under the guise of “men’s mental health” and “the male loneliness epidemic” by those with no intent to offer real solutions. Their conversations don’t seek solutions, instead they perpetuate blame and avoid clear gender norms changes. The resources are there, but the idea of “being a man” is twisted into an unending struggle. These problems aren’t women’s doing. Tate and his ilk thrive off institutionalised masculinity myths. Rising isolation calls for a revolution of empathy and understanding, not more division based on misinformation and lies