[luckylion]

> what you're asking is far beyond "illegitimate"

Wanting to be acknowledged is illegitimate? Because that's really all I read from that. Being acknowledged not even for one's self, but at least for what one does or has done.

[nickflood]

The comment of laurent92 doesn't read as if he needs acknowledgement.

It reads like he thinks he's done enough "good" or has enough "accomplishments" in his head that he is definitely owed affection from women now, because clearly he's good enough as he is now. While also "refusing to budge" on the amount of what he's owed.

And I also read an anger at the inability to receive what he's owed, and some violence angle on top of that.

(Sorry, at this point this turned into a reply to Laurent92 themselves.)

That's not how it works, however, - you don't take what you're owed in a personal relationship (if you want it to be good and long lasting, anyway), and you don't treat the other person like they have to give you what you're owed. You're not against your partner.

However bad you think men have it today, women have it worse, and had for a long time. It's really only fair for the pendulum to swing another direction till everything settles in a good fair balance.

And that balance will look like people from different social groups working together, understanding each other, instead of taking what they're owed from each other.

What you need to do is look at your partner as you look at yourself because they are a person, too, not a device that gives you your reward.

[luckylion]

He mentions his father that praises his sister's climb of Mt. Everest (whether figuratively or not), but does not acknowledge his achievements, even when they far surpass his peers'. I don't think that's unreasonable at all.

I totally agree with you that he's not owed anything from anyone, but I assume that we'd split about whether he owes anyone anything (e.g. taxes).

> However bad you think men have it today, women have it worse

In Saudi-Arabia? 100% agree. In France, Denmark, Germany or Sweden? No.

I think you're focusing far too much on the partner-angle. That's likely a part of it, but it sounds like an (especially painful) rejection in a long line of rejections.

I've witnessed that in multiple young men where they do achieve extraordinary things, but aren't part of the world elite in whatever they do, and they don't get the recognition they feel they deserve (usually rightfully so, imho). At the same time, a woman does something of much lesser difficulty and drowns in praise and opportunity (look up Aja Jaff for an example in Germany). Most of the men experiencing that get bitter and eventually become destructive.

It's easy to fix, but the whole "women have it worse, everywhere, always" shtick does get in the way. It doesn't hold up to reality either.