[adhd1110101]

> Whether self-pleasuring with a hand, or with a vibrating device, the societal factors (of hookup culture, or of cost of rent in cities to own your own place and delay marriage, or everyone getting married later because women now want to focus on their career, while gender age gaps remain similar) matter and should be systematically explored. This article or the nofap movement or women's tacit use of vibrating devices, are all quiet ways to cope with many societal structural changes.

I am raising my eyebrow at this. You want to look upstream at hookups, declining marriage, women's financial independence and their use of vibrators? When that conversation turns to "traditional" gender roles in religion, I win a prize for calling it early.

Anyway, even if there is some tractable upstream problem we can eventually solve, we still have to deal with the people who are already downstream. For them, the diagnosis and treatment of diseases is valuable, even if we deal with the root cause so future generations don't suffer.

[EGreg]

I think if you're looking for some cookie-cutter viewpoint, you'll be disappointed, and no you won't win a prize.

If you look at the rest of my comments on this branch of the tree, you'll find that I am identifying a pattern... whenever X vs Y start fighting (women vs men, vaxxers vs antivaxxers, vegans vs meat eaters, ) there is a bigger issue that involves government and corporations working together, while individuals are distracted and blaming each other.

(2021) https://magarshak.com/blog/?p=362 Super-processed Foods and obesity, Factory farms and veganism, Plastic containers and recycling, Fossil fuels and climate change, Vaccines and mask mandates

(2017) https://magarshak.com/blog/?p=286 Women in Tech controversy

(2014) https://magarshak.com/blog/?p=194 Net Neutrality controversy

Both Greta Thurnberg and George Carlin are right. The people in charge have not just failed us, but the entire system is pushing the individual around. What you perceive as a medication you have to take is a symptom of an underlying systemic issue.

Just in the last few decades we have had:

  an opioid epidemic for men

  one in four middle aged women uses antidepressants

  elderly in nursing homes are medicated more than ever

  a huge rise in diagnosis of ADHD, autism, gender dysphoria for kids

did I miss any demographic? adult men, women, elderly and children are given medication, and somehow people are more depressed than before. (Sometimes even more than countries with seasonal affective disorder.)

There are many societal reasons I could get into, but let's look at a few other ones:

  attention spans of adults have steadily fallen
  (not just ADD for kids) to that of a goldfish

  stress levels are higher than they used to be

  obesity and diabetes has risen tremendously in USA
  (including in children)

Perhaps we should really look at upstream issues, like technology, economic system, social institutions, cultural influences / celebrities / TikTok / notifications / incentives.

Yes in some ways I am a social conservative. But it seems to me, just like "postmodernism", my views are more progressive than "progressives" LOL. I want the government and industry to stop dominating our lives, our time, making us work and telling us that "having no time" is a badge of honor. You're right that I want most women not to "lean in" at work, but I also say that exact thing to the men... if we had a UBI, we could all "lean out", and spend more time with our kids an elderly parents who took care of us, instead of sticking them in nursing homes, that would be a start.