Feminism did its job. Generations of girls have been taught that all their wildest dreams will come true in a successful career. Then they hit 40, and it's "oh my God, I want kids". In short, narcissism, both male and female variety, is why the human population, at least for "white, educated" humans, is in a death spiral. With few exceptions, the decline can literally can be traced to the rejection of God and the natural order. Judeo/Christian ethics freed women and celebrated motherhood. The current pathology of "me, me, me" is destroying every industrialized civilization. Japanese kids embraced exported American values, as did Europe. Europe is in a population death spiral. Japan is already all but dead. China is not far behind. Thanks feminists. You won their minds and sentenced us all with your death cult of reviling motherhood and embracing free sex and female "empowerment", as if having a family was a prison sentence. Feminism destroyed everything that was feminine or beautiful about women. Way to go.
I somewhat disagree with this as a characterization. Or, rather, it undersells the importance of technology in that death spiral and over-blames feminism. Feminism was inevitable as a cultural movement, because the traditional role of women disappeared. Once upon a time, a woman's work was to make candles, to make pottery, to bake, to fetch and carry water, to sew, to laboriously wash clothing at a stream. But now you buy clothes and plates at a store, wash them in machines, buy bread at a store, flip a switch for light, flip a tap for water. Even the "cooking and cleaning" bit has been shrunk down to "microwave and roomba".
So what exactly is the role of a woman, outside of childbirth/child-raising? Just to look pretty or "be feminine"? That's not enough to fill a day. Career (second-wave feminism) is the exploration and evolution of women's roles now that technology has subsumed most of the roles they once played. As is girl-boss third-wave feminism (aka serial dating/sex). As are TikTok, OnlyFans, fat acceptance, single motherhood, SSRIs, or depression.
FWIW, the role of man has *also* been subsumed by technology, although not to the same extent. Most men do not split firewood, do not fish or hunt (or do it merely for sport), they do not build their own houses, they do not see combat, they do not plow fields or butcher sows. The role of "provider" has been reduced to only being a *financial* provider (which is no longer needed because women can do that themselves, or the state can pick up the slack). Maybe occasionally fixing some stuff around the house or mowing the lawn.
To replace the traditional provider role, high-status men will go for a lot of casual sex with many partners (hello, manosphere), while the rest of us poor saps get AI-generated pornography, video games, television, or in my case, making depressing comments on Substack. Those feminists saying men are useless are about 80% correct in that assessment.
On a grader scale, industrialization, globalization, and digitization are what killed the family. Because *humans* are largely unnecessary for human happiness in a first-world country.
An incredibly thoughtful, cogent, well laid out opinion. My attack on feminism was only part of what I agree with you is a multi-pronged attack on the family. It all comes down to the family. I wish more people would understand what has been done to our culture and our values. There is nothing good to be had from the focus on "me" instead of on "us".
The beginning of "Idiocracy" covers this topic nicely.
As for the feminists, they're the ones sticking up for the fake women now! It's woke white women sticking up for trans women (men). Not only did the feminists kill femininity, they are helping to facilitate the destruction of everything "woman" by coming to the rescue of their mentally ill male replacements.
Feminism was always about the destruction of western society. It was just disguised as a freedom movement.
“The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.” – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) circa 1960s
Jul 29, 2023·edited Jul 29, 2023Liked by Freya India
My 31 year old daughter would love to meet someone and get married, have kids etc. - she's gorgeous - a certified dietician / nutritionist (she has a successful counseling practice), a one-time runway model in her earlier days and still modeling when she can fit it in - YET, the guys she's meets are like adolescents. They want to spend too much time drinking (too much she says, as a nutritionist!) with their buddies, instead of dating - yet they of course would like sex if it's being offered. They are Peter Pans. It's pathetic. Her two closest friends just married Germans! who have recently immigrated to the USA...and just last week, she's met a Spanish guy who she fancies....not sure what this says about American men...
Sometimes you’re raised to believe you don’t want kids, or subtly brainwashed to believe you don’t want kids, and then when it’s too late you realize what a heartbreaking mistake you made. Ask me how I know!
Jul 30, 2023·edited Jul 30, 2023Liked by Freya India
Great article. Congratulations on writing with such clarity of thought. Definitely my favourite article this week.
I think you hit the nail on its head when you point out that ours is a "materialistic and individual centered" era. I believe today's selfishness leads many to try - and fail - to fill the hole in our souls with material stuff such as wealth, celebrity, and physical self-pleasuring, more than in did to previous generations. However, I would add that this is not a new phenomenon and it is in fact the result of centuries of progressive thought.
People losing hope in a increasingly looking bleak future (climate change, income inequality, poverty, mass unemployment because automatization and AI) doesn't help.
Is it possible they are no different than recent generations their age…with the difference being a platform (tik tok) to cast their perspectives…a select few of which go viral, resulting in the narrative that ‘gen Z doesn’t want kids’. The optimist in me wants to believe this is a phase they’ll go grow out of.
"Extended adolescence" is a big problem for Gen Z. But it is very fixable. With some cultural and individual changes, we can easily improve the situation.
Feminism did its job. Generations of girls have been taught that all their wildest dreams will come true in a successful career. Then they hit 40, and it's "oh my God, I want kids". In short, narcissism, both male and female variety, is why the human population, at least for "white, educated" humans, is in a death spiral. With few exceptions, the decline can literally can be traced to the rejection of God and the natural order. Judeo/Christian ethics freed women and celebrated motherhood. The current pathology of "me, me, me" is destroying every industrialized civilization. Japanese kids embraced exported American values, as did Europe. Europe is in a population death spiral. Japan is already all but dead. China is not far behind. Thanks feminists. You won their minds and sentenced us all with your death cult of reviling motherhood and embracing free sex and female "empowerment", as if having a family was a prison sentence. Feminism destroyed everything that was feminine or beautiful about women. Way to go.
I somewhat disagree with this as a characterization. Or, rather, it undersells the importance of technology in that death spiral and over-blames feminism. Feminism was inevitable as a cultural movement, because the traditional role of women disappeared. Once upon a time, a woman's work was to make candles, to make pottery, to bake, to fetch and carry water, to sew, to laboriously wash clothing at a stream. But now you buy clothes and plates at a store, wash them in machines, buy bread at a store, flip a switch for light, flip a tap for water. Even the "cooking and cleaning" bit has been shrunk down to "microwave and roomba".
So what exactly is the role of a woman, outside of childbirth/child-raising? Just to look pretty or "be feminine"? That's not enough to fill a day. Career (second-wave feminism) is the exploration and evolution of women's roles now that technology has subsumed most of the roles they once played. As is girl-boss third-wave feminism (aka serial dating/sex). As are TikTok, OnlyFans, fat acceptance, single motherhood, SSRIs, or depression.
FWIW, the role of man has *also* been subsumed by technology, although not to the same extent. Most men do not split firewood, do not fish or hunt (or do it merely for sport), they do not build their own houses, they do not see combat, they do not plow fields or butcher sows. The role of "provider" has been reduced to only being a *financial* provider (which is no longer needed because women can do that themselves, or the state can pick up the slack). Maybe occasionally fixing some stuff around the house or mowing the lawn.
To replace the traditional provider role, high-status men will go for a lot of casual sex with many partners (hello, manosphere), while the rest of us poor saps get AI-generated pornography, video games, television, or in my case, making depressing comments on Substack. Those feminists saying men are useless are about 80% correct in that assessment.
On a grader scale, industrialization, globalization, and digitization are what killed the family. Because *humans* are largely unnecessary for human happiness in a first-world country.
An incredibly thoughtful, cogent, well laid out opinion. My attack on feminism was only part of what I agree with you is a multi-pronged attack on the family. It all comes down to the family. I wish more people would understand what has been done to our culture and our values. There is nothing good to be had from the focus on "me" instead of on "us".
The beginning of "Idiocracy" covers this topic nicely.
As for the feminists, they're the ones sticking up for the fake women now! It's woke white women sticking up for trans women (men). Not only did the feminists kill femininity, they are helping to facilitate the destruction of everything "woman" by coming to the rescue of their mentally ill male replacements.
Feminism was always about the destruction of western society. It was just disguised as a freedom movement.
“The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.” – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) circa 1960s
My 31 year old daughter would love to meet someone and get married, have kids etc. - she's gorgeous - a certified dietician / nutritionist (she has a successful counseling practice), a one-time runway model in her earlier days and still modeling when she can fit it in - YET, the guys she's meets are like adolescents. They want to spend too much time drinking (too much she says, as a nutritionist!) with their buddies, instead of dating - yet they of course would like sex if it's being offered. They are Peter Pans. It's pathetic. Her two closest friends just married Germans! who have recently immigrated to the USA...and just last week, she's met a Spanish guy who she fancies....not sure what this says about American men...
Sometimes you’re raised to believe you don’t want kids, or subtly brainwashed to believe you don’t want kids, and then when it’s too late you realize what a heartbreaking mistake you made. Ask me how I know!
This was great Freya, I relate to some of these I'm 27 and have never been on a date or kissed anyone.
Great article. Congratulations on writing with such clarity of thought. Definitely my favourite article this week.
I think you hit the nail on its head when you point out that ours is a "materialistic and individual centered" era. I believe today's selfishness leads many to try - and fail - to fill the hole in our souls with material stuff such as wealth, celebrity, and physical self-pleasuring, more than in did to previous generations. However, I would add that this is not a new phenomenon and it is in fact the result of centuries of progressive thought.
People losing hope in a increasingly looking bleak future (climate change, income inequality, poverty, mass unemployment because automatization and AI) doesn't help.
Is it possible they are no different than recent generations their age…with the difference being a platform (tik tok) to cast their perspectives…a select few of which go viral, resulting in the narrative that ‘gen Z doesn’t want kids’. The optimist in me wants to believe this is a phase they’ll go grow out of.
"Extended adolescence" is a big problem for Gen Z. But it is very fixable. With some cultural and individual changes, we can easily improve the situation.