Tag: Social Commentary

  • Opinion | The Imaginary Male Loneliness Epidemic Isn’t Bad Enough

    Men are not lonely; they are insufferable and entitled, fueled by toxic masculinity to perform to be these “alphas” when, in fact, behind closed doors, they are submissive and breedable, as the saying goes. When will men learn that the effort they are making is failing and only harming their chances of finding a soul mate? Fifty-five percent of men voted for Donald Trump, according to Pew Research in the 2024 analysis of voting trends, and they wonder why women do not even want to touch them. The entitlement to women’s bodies as they treat women like incubators for their offspring to raise their children to be ignorant and follow unthinkingly, but sure let them be alphas. When they focus on physical aspects of a woman’s body, they are fetishizing, and it’s even worse for communities that are asian, black, and trans. The simple answer is that men are undatable, and it is entirely their fault.

    In the United States, women legally gained the right to obtain a credit card in their own name with the passage of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) of 1974. Why did it take so long? The answer is male privilege and the systems of control men exert on femme identities to submit and cater to their needs. Control is huge for men, and one in three women is a victim of intimate partner abuse. Once again, the fault of the male loneliness epidemic lands on men, and personally, the epidemic should get a lot worse. Property does not equal women, and women have the autonomy to choose when to engage in relationships with partners who are men, but men think that because they take a woman on a date, they are owed sex. Many can echo “Make it make sense,” but it doesn’t; the reasoning is not logical but transactional.

    Women’s suffrage was successfully achieved in 1920, nearly 150 years after the founding of the so-called free nation, the United States. If freedom exists, why do twelve states have a near-total ban on abortion? Men think they are lonely, but once again, they caused this and are insufferable. The dating trends swing toward men wanting the best of both worlds, having multiple partners and subscribing to non-monogamy, which is disguised as ethical. While some may practice polyamory in healthy and consensual ways, men would rather have various partners. Tell me the science of men wanting women with minimal “body counts” but can find a partner every week. Mind you, someone who can carry a child can only create a human once a year, but men can impregnate almost unlimited amounts of children, granted they have to have potent sperm, but most men don’t, just from experience, the quality is poor, and shouldn’t be watery. Women’s bodies are screaming at the thought of a man entering them because why would women risk a yeast infection just for a man to treat her like a fleshlight? When men learn they are the problem, maybe the outcome of their lack of sex life will dawn on them to change.

    The history of oppression for women began when the earth was created. Billions of years leading up to this point, where men think women should stay home, sacrifice their career, and lose autonomy because their very partners voted for a lunatic who has openly encouraged Zohran Mamdani to exclaim Donald Trump is a fascist. Another topic not only talked about but denied by men is the gender pay gap. Men are paid more for the same jobs because, inherently, they devalue women. Every man forgets the woman who delivered him, so where is the appreciation? ALL WOMEN suffer from gender prisons that exist around the world. Yes, I said gender prisons because traditional values harm femme identities in every culture.

    Now that we have an introduction to the problem, which may have been fueled by a recent match on Bumble, from honestly a thumb, we can begin to know the history of this so-called epidemic, which is, in fact, just men causing their own loneliness. In the early 2000s, the idea of a loneliness epidemic emerged from Robert D. Putnam’s study, “Bowling Alone.” As social media began to take hold in modern society, distance became a regular part of everyday life. Being connected virtually is blamed for causing loneliness. Individualism is another reason people blame loneliness, while traditional community structures break down around the world. The rise of worker exploitation, long workdays, and the focus on monetizing almost every aspect of our lives, including subscriptions for refrigerators. People are stressed, but often men do not do the work, such as therapy, to understand emotional intelligence to the point that they can have empathy for communities other than themselves. Privilege is the act of believing something is not essential because it does not personally affect them, and this is rampant in an American society. Conservatism and radical misogyny have grown in the past fifteen years, fueled by the rise of toxic politics. The right saw a marketing standpoint of attacking minority communities, and with the need for men to have power, many young men saw this as an opportunity to find community without doing the work to build networks of support, but rather groups of common interest.

    Simply put, men thought they were solving an issue when, in fact, they created a solution to allow women the safety of avoiding the risk of harm from the privilege of men.

    The Dominance Behavioral System (DBS): Psychologists describe the DBS as a biologically-based system that guides motivation and behavior related to power and subordination. It involves an individual’s drive to pursue power, sensitivity to cues signaling opportunities or threats to power, and the enactment of dominant behaviors. Men have the psychological need for power due to their insecurities.

    You may hear many men say they cannot date a woman who has a higher income; this is insecurity and a sign of financial control over a woman, a common abuse tactic in the dynamics of harm. Partnerships are not about subordination but rather about equity in the roles each person plays and the compromises each makes. Submission isn’t power; it is weakness, shielded in insecurity, for the need to be better, and men compete with fellow men for superiority.

    We can begin to talk about patriarchy, and in recent times, when the Barbie movie was released, a firestorm of toxic male fragility became evident. Men do not want to be called out. The failure to tackle internal “demons” has led to patterns of failure, yes, men failed by not acting to change their ways of control. The concept of a “real man” is portrayed in media and pop culture as someone in power, in control, and superior. You may see a typical use of words in this article signalling the root causes of the so-called epidemic. While loneliness has risen in specific measures, the causes can be attributed to a lack of empathy in everyday life. Life in America over the past fifteen years has changed to allow men to pursue individual goals rather than the traditional “protector” role. Historically, men were seen as providers and protectors, but, in hilarious terms, the song “Scrubs” by TLC shows that men have given up on their so-called duties as members of society. So, when did it become evident that change was needed? The answer lies in the need for change that emerged when the second power existed and was exerted. Another cause of the lack of attention men receive from their female counterparts is the infantilizing of a woman’s identity. Women are grown and not to be called girls, but a common theme among men is to see women as fragile. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta formally rescinded the 1994 Combat Exclusion Policy, ordering the military branches to open all combat jobs to women by 2016, provided they met gender-neutral physical standards. This was the policy decision that set the integration process in motion. Why did it take so long for women to be able to serve in combat roles?

    Men have dominated every field, and now, with the trump admin removing some professions from educational funding and imposing caps on those degrees that are heavily dominated by female identities, it has only made the way for keeping women out of the workplace. Many conservatives view women as having traditional roles to stay home and produce a nuclear family, but why do we as a society allow this? Many popular forums like 4chan have allowed hate toward women to run rampant, and very recently, the killing of a blue-collar woman because the man just didn’t like her, despite this woman reporting to human resources multiple times, the man made her feel uncomfortable. Amber Mary Czech will forever be twenty years old, and that is due to femicide. Thousands of women lose their lives every year to acts of violence from men, and this femicide needs to end, but the government will not act. WHEN WOMEN are assaulted, often they are treated as suspects and blamed for the acts of men. The common saying “Boys will be boys” excuses this inexplicable behavior, but men continue to allow their fellow men to exploit and hurt women to uphold what? Masculinity?

    Straight men perpetuate this rhetoric as if they are not the cause of it. In the grand scheme of things, many may not feel hopeful about change, and I echo those sentiments: so, when will the status quo change? ALL OF THIS TO SAY, MEN SHOULD BE LONLIER AND SIT WITH THEIR ACTIONS!

  • Opinion | Always a fetish, never a girlfriend

    So you get excited. A cute guy just messaged you on Hinge or Tinder, and somehow, you think this one will be different. You talk for a while and exchange jokes about The Office, or talk about your love for Bob’s Burgers. Everything is going pretty well. Nothing seems off. His profile says he is interested in a long-term relationship, and you see that as a green flag. As you progress in conversation, you exchange numbers after you say you’re not giving your Snapchat to a guy when he asks for further communication. Which in experience, when a guy asks for your Snapchat, it is a red flag. You talk for a few hours, and he sends a selfie. Then he suggests hanging out. You think maybe this will be your opportunity to go on a fun date, but then he asks if you can host…. It was never about being long-term or a date; it was always about the man wanting to have sex with you.

    Suddenly, you lash out, rightfully so, and are infuriated and feel like your time has been wasted. You were led on with false promises. Men often say makeup is false advertisement but blatantly lying about your intentions is never seen as a lie. You believe things can change from this experience but when you have over 3,500 conversations in your history on Tinder and not one relationship to account for it, you start to think you are the problem. You find a therapist to fix the thing that is wrong with you after you internalize a problem with yourself that doesn’t exist. You now think that because you cannot find a relationship, you are the problem in dating. You wish you were compatible with just one guy, but that doesn’t seem to be the case in all your conversations. After months in therapy, you flat-out ask your therapist if you are the problem, and he responds,” No.” So after all of this, you go searching for an answer, asking all of the men that wasted your time if a relationship was ever the goal. Most of them use the iconic line “I am not in the headspace to be in a relationship”. Three weeks after that, you see them going on a date night with a girl, and they say “She’s my light, I am so grateful” about the girl they just met, seemingly when they were not in a great headspace.

    You sit there for a second in awe and disgust. It was never about their “headspace” because they made room in their mind for someone else. Suddenly, you feel so angry and sad at the same time, and your mind begins to rush. Everything is moving so fast. You start breathing heavily. You have rushing thoughts; if your mind were slowed down, you would comprehend, but the thoughts all rush before your eyes like a stream of consciousness you are seeing on a VR device.

    What did I even try for?

    Some of the guys truly admit to having a fetish, or say it would make their life complicated if they dated a trans girl. You wonder why it is so complicated, and you cannot find one reason. You know, in your heart, that you are a compassionate and loving partner. Your friends enjoy being around you, and you spend quality time with them. Are friends enough, or do you yearn for a romantic connection? This thought passed through my mind. I think everyone wants a deep connection, but not everyone wants a relationship. The evidence contradicts what you see guys state on their dating profiles about wanting a deep connection. If anything, you try to reaffirm yourself, you say the routine words of “I am enough.”

    All of this triggers a childhood wound you worked so hard to heal. You begin thinking you are actually not enough, and you may be unlovable. In a world of sexualized media, you wonder if you are attractive. You scroll on Instagram and see countless photos of women living their best lives on vacation with their partners, and while you know you should totally be happy for them, you feel anguish. I know all of this seems blown out of proportion, but in the five years I have been transitioning, I have only made it to one brief relationship with a fellow trans person. It ended abruptly after finding out they cheated, claiming they previously told you they were spending the night at a girl’s house, and while you were trying a polysexual dynamic with them. You go through all of the messages and see they in fact they did not tell you. Cheating is very possible in poly dynamics.

    Where does all of this lead you? You go on a quest and visit your favorite beach at night and smoke some weed, put in your Airpods and try to heal. Sometimes you cry, but for some reason the beach always has a way of centering you, despite the awful texture of the sand. You think about the one time (we’ll call them all Mike) Mike said his family would never approve and they are very conservative. You think about the time a guy friend with benefits, with whom you are close, said they wouldn’t date a trans woman. So many of the things you hoped and wished for do not happen, and that is understandable in life. We cannot realistically get everything we want. Before transitioning, you were in a committed relationship for over 4.5 years. You have so many pleasant memories, and while it may have been tough at times, you worked through it with your partner.

    If you love me, sung by Brownstone, plays through your headphones. One lyric stands out: “I don’t wanna rain on this parade, I’m starting to question the love that was made, I’m not looking for just an affair, Want a love that is based on truth, not just dare.” You wonder why there is such a stigma around trans women dating straight men. The world answers on Twitter with the main consensus that a man is gay if he dates a trans woman. I was told by my family when coming out as trans, “It makes so much sense now”. My parents said, “I thought you were gay, but that never stood out to you and doesn’t resonate; it is truly not who you are inside”. I presented feminine since I was twelve and stopped for a few years because my previous partner did not like feminine characteristics. So I complied with their wishes just for the hope of love, and all those memories that came with my partner before suddenly seem so shitty. This all causes a spiral of even more anger. The song gets to the good part, and you begin vibing.

    You begin to heal.“At Your Best, You Are Love” by Aaliyah plays, and suddenly, the magic you felt when you first came out enters your mind. With all the feelings you just experienced, you try so hard to shut it out, and you begin crying. You are love, and you embody everything about it. You give to countless people.

    You think about all of the people you dated and how a few have come out as trans or non-binary, and you make a joke about being a hen, just laying on eggs, incubating them. Shoutout to the eggs.

    What ways make you feel loved? Is it the hug from behind when you are cooking food for a man that slept over that night, while you make a small smile and turn around and give him a kiss while caressing his chest? Is it the time that one man deleted his dating profile only to make one without a picture? Does the presence of a man towering over your 5’4 build make you feel safe?

    You think of all the guys who are lying about having a wife or just flat out cheat, and you wonder why. Then you feel insecure, thinking that if they ever date you, they will just cheat on you too because they are narcissists and always want something better. Instead of working on their own grass to grow, they look for the illusion of greener grass in the next yard. You wonder why, if they are so unhappy, why do they not just leave, and then you get the excuses. We are not connected at all, and it is easier to share responsibilities, such as financial burdens or caring for their children. They got themselves into this situation, so you try your hardest to feel sympathy for them.

    In my entire transition, I have only been on two public dates. Two public dates in five years. That seems like a lot, I know. Calm down, friends, as I rehearse it to myself in a sarcastic way before writing it down here. You have cisgender friends who are already on Boyfriend Seven in the time period you have been out. Everything seems so trivial. You know your needs and look for qualities in a partner that can fulfill them. Are you self-sabotaging? You think back to the time your therapist reassured you that you do not self-sabotage and often have an even-minded logic about the way you approach things.

    You see a post on Reddit in /mtf (male to female) often describing trans women, which states, “​​It’s been a nightmare for me. No idea how, no idea where to look. I’ve managed a few dates over the last two years, but nothing substantial. It gets harder and harder to want to try but damn I’m tired of being lonely.” You know this is not a problem within yourself. It is very widely talked about among trans girlies. The group chat even jokes about it and you think “how stupid am I, defending that man who I thought was an angel?”. You scroll even further and the comment comes up “I have been flat out told – I am not trans if I do not take HRT, therefore they can’t date me” HRT is “hormone replacement therapy” and most commonly consist of testosterone blockers, widely distributed as “spironolactone” and “finasteride” and taking hormonal agents that feminize, like progesterone and estradiol. In my life, I have been discriminated against, but I never thought it would be so hard to find a partner. It has been the hardest thing to just have a casual relationship. That does not even happen.

    Even when trans people do not want to change their bodies or take medicines to induce physical transition, they are completely valid. We, as trans people, are often told things about our bodies, but most people should never comment on someone else’s body or make laws on bodies, as seen in conservative states. Bodily autonomy of trans people is the same fight that people capable of pregnancy are facing.

    You think back to your main comment after losing focus for a while and rehash. “Am I lovable?” You cry once more but hurry up and stop crying, shutting down your emotions and say “hi” to the couple walking the beach. After all, you cannot have emotions for being trans; you are constantly told, “Can I see your clitty?” as if that’s the right language to use for male-to-female genitalia. Coming from sex work, as a creator, I was used to the objectification of my body, and for a while, I was okay with it . Until one day, when everything comes crashing down, and you think to yourself, “Why am I doing this if I hate it?” You stop immediately and delete all of your promotion engines for the pornographic content you create and focus on healing the trauma from the industry. Some guys you pursued found it to be a turn-on that you created content. I always found that weird, and then the questions came in disguise, as guys tried to hook up with you: “Do you want to make content together?” I ask, “Can your face be in it?” and they always say no. It was never about making content but just having the experience of a girl with a cock.

    I will never understand the exotic appeal of trans women because I have never felt exotic. I have always been the sensitive girl from Jersey who grew up by the beach and would often spend summers in the water.

    A study done by the University of Michigan around the stigma that trans women experience can be found here. Rejection is a common experience amongst trans women who date cisgender men. You think of all the ways guys have asked you to top them. “Topping” refers to women with a penis penetrating others, mostly through anal or vaginal sex. It is not uncommon. Most of my interactions start with a comment about my physical appearance, and my bios are always filled out with plenty of info about me; guys can comment on things other than my physical appearance. The assumption annoys me that most guys think trans women are dominantly a top. I equate that to the porn which is made of trans women, where women are primarily the top. People do not realize that porn is just acting; it is not actual sex. Mind-boggling how people think this…

    Often, I see on dating apps, like Grindr, headlines like “Hung4CDTS” for “LookingForCD”, always equating a “crossdresser”, which is a fetish, to trans women, who are women, not someone who is fetishizing feminine qualities. These headlines are created by cisgender men who have a fetish for trans women. The men, not realizing they are labeling trans women as men, cause damage. There is nothing wrong with being queer. As previously discussed, people view men dating trans women as gay, when in fact if most people would talk to trans women they would see there is a clear difference between a trans woman and a man.. I know for me I have been told multiple times my voice passes and my mannerisms are feminine which is a whole different discussion about the inequality all women face from not being feminine enough or the perfect, put-together eye-candy men view us as.

    You, yet again, feel defeated.

    You pack up and head to the car, mumble. Always a fetish, never a girlfriend…

  • Education | Beyond the Celebration: Facing the Brutal Truths of Black History

    This Black History Month, let’s look at the history of the Black disenfranchisement of a community that built the country we call home.

    The struggle and generational trauma passed down in Black Communities started with The Middle Passage. The maritime journey that brought millions of Africans to the Americas was under brutal conditions.

    The country was built on the ownership of the people, and the government knew that.

    Millions suffered during The Middle Passage, and stories have been passed down through generations, paving the very month we recognize the Black Resistance and protest for equality and equity.

    A famous poet, Robert Hayden, wrote the “Middle Passage” in 1962. (Quotes to emphasize the name).

    The poem begins by naming the slave ships, which are primarily named Desire, Starlight, and Fortune.

    Black People were the cargo. An inhumane act of creating property from humans.

    The poem is illuminating. Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

    Jesus, Estrella, Esperanza, Mercy:
    Sails flashing to the wind like weapons,
    sharks following the moils of voices
    shouting, and the weals, the whirlpools of the dead.
    Deep in the festering hold thy father lies,
    of his bones New England pews are made,
    those are altar lights that were his eyes.

    The beginning of the resistance and fight for true freedom.

    The poem begins to describe the testimony of traders and finally The Amistad Rebellion.

    The Amistad Rebellion in 1839 was a revolt on board the Amistad. Led by Cinqué. Hayden signifies this rebellion as a historical event for the Black Community. The people who were considered cargo fought back to gain humanity.

    Poem Excerpt:

    But Cinqué!
    A night-smelling flower of the desert,
    a song of the sun,
    a soul who would not be a slave.

    In 1787, the Constitution included the Three-Fifths Compromise. A dehumanized, codified count of enslaved people as only being worth 3/5 of a person for legislative representation.

    From there followed decades of struggle.

    The Civil War is a turning point in the Black Resistance in America. The war was the deadliest in American history, with roughly 750,000 deaths.

    The Underground Railroad operated primarily during the first half of the 19th century, reaching its peak around 1850.

    Resistance existed as long as slavery existed in the United States. Organizers began gathering in the late 18th century among Quaker communities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

    During peak, it is estimated that 1k people per year successfully escaped using the network.

    During the fugitive slave act, the federal law required that even in free states, slaves were captured & returned.

    New Jersey played a critical role in the Underground Railroad due to its geography. Serving as a vital “bridge” between the slave holding states and the South with the safety of New York City and Canada.

    The Greenwich Line crossing was the Delaware Bay, where people landed in Cumberland County or Cape May.

    The Jersey shore provided refuge for those moving toward NYC.

    Committees called Vigilance were the backbone of the movement, providing food, clothing, and legal services.

    Famous conductors include Harriet Tubman (Born in Dorchester County, Maryland), who led 13 trips into Maryland to free enslaved people.

    A lesser-known conductor was Abigail Goodwin, a “Birthright Quaker” committed to abolition so strongly that she was eventually ejected from the Orthodox Quaker Meeting in Salem.

    Some Quakers felt the Underground Railroad was “too radical” or “broke too many laws.” Abigail disagreed, believing human freedom superseded government decree. Famous conductors include Harriet Tubman (Born in Dorchester County, Maryland), who led 13 trips into Maryland to free enslaved people.

    After the war the “Reconstruction” era began from 1865-1877, Black Men saw the right to vote until federal troops withdrew from the south leading to the Jim Crow era a a century of state sanctioned violence which included segregation, disenfranchisement and extrajudicial violence (Lynching, murders, bombings)After the war the “Reconstruction” era began from 1865-1877, Black Men saw the right to vote until federal troops withdrew from the south leading to the Jim Crow era a a century of state sanctioned violence which included segregation, disenfranchisement and extrajudicial violence (Lynching, murders, bombings)

    The foundation of Black History Month began in 1926 as “Negro History Week” in February by historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.

    Woodson chose February and the second week to be precise because it encompassed the Birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (Feb 12th) and Fredrick Douglass (Feb 14th)

    Two figures celebrated in Black Communities.The foundation of Black History Month began in 1926 as “Negro History Week” in February by historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.

    Woodson chose February and the second week to be precise because it encompassed the Birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (Feb 12th) and Fredrick Douglass (Feb 14th)

    The following years, before the shift to a month and the recognition nationally in 1976, were superseded by the civil rights movement. A act of resistance which resulted in rebellions fueled by resisters who dignified themselves as humans.

    Thousands of people died.

    Two notable Figures include Ross Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.

    During the 1976 United States Bicentennial, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month for the first time at a federal level.

    He urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout history”.

    In 1986, it was codified into law.

    Law 99-244During the 1976 United States Bicentennial, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month for the first time at a federal level.

    He urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout history”.

    Since 2026 would mark the 100th anniversary of Carter G. Woodson’s original 1926 version, it is the first time a president has not recognized the month in decades.

    Donald Trump has caused undue harm to the black community by perpetuating stereotypical culture and racism.

    We must all fight to continue this pledge to honor the history of Black People in America and end systemic oppression.