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Young men dropping out of the job market to spend time in an alternate reality

1843magazine.com

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Re: Young men dropping out of the job market to spend time in an alternate reality

#151

Post by glangdale »

alphonsegaston wrote: post #66

Every job I've worked in my adult life has involved being judged by standards the boomers doing the judging could never live up to, and then covering for their incompetence with technical skills(because I'm young, so I can just do that stuff). It would be such a sad joke if it weren't for the fact that they squat in every opportunity young people have for their futures (real estate, higher positions, etc) while the y…

Very true.

I have seen this in Australian academia: Boomer academics who were permitted to publish a paper every 2-3 years during the first 10+ years of their academic life, and/or defer getting a PhD to ludicrously late in their careers, are now elevated to senior positions supervising students and junior faculty who will not have reasonable careers unless they publish a paper every 2-3 months or better.

Re: Young men dropping out of the job market to spend time in an alternate reality

#152

Post by hbosch »

peckrob wrote: post #72

I've watched this happen to my friends. One that I graduated high school with in particular comes to mind. We all played video games back then. Half Life, Goldeneye, Starcraft, Everquest, etc. He was a smart guy, driven, usually made better grades than me (I was lazy in high school). Took a job at an medical supply company after graduating from high school intending to work for a few months before starting college. W…

Saw this happen with some of my old friends, years ago. Not with WoW, but Final Fantasy XI... it was insane and scary, for sure.

Re: Young men dropping out of the job market to spend time in an alternate reality

#153

Post by flukus »

saryant wrote: post #112

I'm a 26 year old male and never got any deeper into video games than some intense rounds of Mario Kart in college. I've played others but generally lose interest and move on quickly. Doubt I've played a video game in a few years at this point. What follows is likely senseless babbling and bullshit armchair pop psychology. The prevalence of video games among young men frightens me, in two ways: First, in the developm…

There's a generation a decade older than you that grew up putting enormous amounts of time into video games. We're all (mostly) functional individuals now, so I'm not to worried about kids today doing the same.

Re: Young men dropping out of the job market to spend time in an alternate reality

#154

Post by researcher11 »

firstpost1234 wrote: post #26

Hard to blame anyone for spending their time doing things where success is quantifiable and quickly displayed. This is the Western countries' version of hikkikomori and there will only be more of it as education and good opportunities become out of reach for more people. Men seem more likely to do this than women because of the societal pressures on them to get a job and run the rat race of dating and climbing a none…

I think the social penalty of a young man dropping out is lower than a young women because their perceived social value is much lower. It is a lower height to fall from.

Re: Young men dropping out of the job market to spend time in an alternate reality

#155

Post by pessimizer »

ganfortran wrote: post #85
ajross wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're saying... feminists invented sexism?

How do u read that? Mind to illustrate me your thought process?

I think you got caught trying to humanize and understand people with reprehensible beliefs instead of condemning them, censoring them, and diagnosing them as sociopaths.

Re: Young men dropping out of the job market to spend time in an alternate reality

#157

Post by daodedickinson »

pbkhrv wrote: post #95

On a cynical note, "young men immersed in alternate reality" is also an opportunity: - It's a rapidly growing market - those people will eventually need financial support systems beyond family - new forms of annuities? - more demand for "gig economy" type jobs - demand for jobs that can be done inside virtual realities that are better suited for humans instead of robots - this one is a stretch - more demand for on-de…

It's veering into seeing the reality outside the small bubble of people that are empowered by technology.

Re: Young men dropping out of the job market to spend time in an alternate reality

#158

Post by marknutter »

65827 wrote: post #19

I really like this read, something just smells off about blaming young people for "wasting years" on video games. We've got a horribly stacked real life "game" where the boomers and elites have horded everything and fucked future generations, blaming an individual for dropping out and not wanting to really participate in that trainwreck is being dishonest at best.

So why did the generations before the Baby Boomers do so well despite having a much worse game stacked against them? I think the crisis that Millenials are facing are a case of over-parenting/over-protection, increased secularization, the rise of feminism and demonization of masculinity, and a failed higher education system.

Re: Young men dropping out of the job market to spend time in an alternate reality

#159

Post by saryant »

projektir wrote: post #148
saryant wrote: post #112

I'm a 26 year old male and never got any deeper into video games than some intense rounds of Mario Kart in college. I've played others but generally lose interest and move on quickly. Doubt I've played a video game in a few years at this point. What follows is likely senseless babbling and bullshit armchair pop psychology. The prevalence of video games among young men frightens me, in two ways: First, in the developm…

> They are also coming of age in an economy which increasingly doesn't need them. Their job—and therefore romantic—prospects are poor. > Narcissists, of course, do not blame themselves for their problems. Those are the fault of others. I find this juxtaposition rather funny. What I find really odd is that you seem much more concerned about the results of this rather than what caused this trend in the first place.

Fair critique.

I was thinking of an acquaintance who fits the mould I described. He lives in a shithole town where the are no jobs and no prospects. He complains endlessly about how he'll never find a career. Why doesn't he take responsibility and move somewhere with an actual economy? I know he's not stupid. So why doesn't he try?

And yes, I am more concerned about the results. Knowing how we got here is necessary but isn't going to change the future.

Re: Young men dropping out of the job market to spend time in an alternate reality

#160

Post by laughfactory »

nodamage wrote: post #87
graeme wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Many jobs do not provide (marginal utility > income) to society, and many even produce negative marginal utility. What are some examples of this? Why are people paying those workers?

How about the 2 million truck drivers that are about to get replaced by robots?

They'll take up gaming. The gulf between being a truck driver and, say, a programmer is vast. Imagine losing your truck driving job and suddenly trying to figure what the hell else you're going to do to support your family. Yikes!
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