The demise of guys? (Ted talk)

So Phillip Zimbardo talks about this in a rather short talk, stating a couple statistics and then leaves it open for talk,
http://www.ted.com/talks/zimchallenge.html

So what do you guys/girls think? Feel men are becoming 'weaker' and 'weaker' in comparison to men from the past? Or just different?
I personally think the technology and arousal addiction he talks about is pretty interesting, but also a bit scary because I can relate to that somewhat. And how do you think one should face this in regard to themselves and setting examples for others?
Ask any more questions as you like and as you ponder. Enjoy the ride,

I think he jumps to conclusions when it comes to technology and what comes with it. Maybe back in the days they didn't have porn on the internet, but they had sheep. they didn't have call of duty, they had tin soldiers.

I didn't like girls my age when I was a teen. Now I look at today's female teenagers, and I don't just find them uninteresting, but plain repulsive. Sure they dress nicely and are usually libertine, but that's the only thing they do right, and that only leads to the "quick shag" kind of relationship. The older ones tend to be a headache too, but less so.
Then there's school. School feels more clinical than a secret bioweapon laboratory. What seems abnormal to me is that girls thrive in that environment.

I don't know about weaker, I think it's just society has changed.

Back when my grandparents were young it was expected for my grandmother to drop out of college in order to support her husband (my grandfather). These days women (in western society) are encouraged to learn and get their degrees. So, maybe back in the day if women were encouraged to attend school the statistics would be the same as they are today.

Also, little boys were allowed to be little boys. They were expected to be rowdy or hyper...because they're kids! ADHD, I don't buy it. I think many of those kids who are diagnosed are misdiagnosed.

As for men preferring to spend time with men...isn't that just a norm? Guys have always enjoyed spending time with guys because it's easier to relate with the same sex. You know, like in school how you see best friends. A girls best friend is usually another girl. A guys best friend is usually another guy.

And both sexes are shy when it comes to interacting with the opposite sex. It takes practice to become social. So, I agree that some video games/porn could create an unrealistic expectation and that makes it harder to interact with another. Don't want to shatter the illusion, so I just won't try.

Vusuki wrote: So what do you guys/girls think? Feel men are becoming 'weaker' and 'weaker' in comparison to men from the past?

Absolutely! Just ask every generation that can before us. They'd say the same thing, generation after generation. It's a wonder our species survives.

Even though I know it's true. :whistle:

During the "floating kingdom" era of Japan it was a common complaint that "manliness" was on the wane.

The more civil society becomes the less brutes are needed.

Rugadd- I'm not sure being a man is about bruteness or physical strength. I assume you were talking from that sometimes common viewpoint of manliness being all hair and muscles and a real 'fighter'. But what do you think is manliness? Have you read/watched "The way of a peaceful warrior"? 'Socrates' and the kid later on feel more like a ideal to look towards as 'men' and an example of 'manliness'.

Rickie- But usually it's the generation complaining about the one before or next isn't it? So when our generations start judging themselves and their own generations and self analyse, isn't that a better movement? But you do raise a valid point of the common view, the next generation is usually less moral, and worse than the previous... Is this just humans struggling to keep hold on the old, and dislike of change? :S I don't know

Ren- Sheep? Really? Great image of our ancestors- "I and your other great male ancestors didn't have porn. We had good old-fashioned sheep goddammit and that did the job fine!" Thanks for that anyway ha. I personally believe they is some amount of 'truth' in his link between technology and this 'demise' of men. Do you believe there even is such a thing as a 'demise' of men nowadays and do you think there's a general lack of what I'd call a identity as men? I feel 'Men' are half-expected to be Gamer addicts and to watch regular porn (at the very least if they're single). I'm not convinced this is a good way to look at one another and ourselves. What do you think? As for your info about your experience of women, were you just talking about female teenagers? In contrast to your experience, I feel I strangely got on better with most girls as a teenager than with most guys, (perhaps I find this a little strange seeing as I have 4 brothers and no sisters, ). There's all sorts of women, and I find people are much more interesting, than one would thought once you really get to know them. And if you're shagging them after a couple hours of getting to know one another, sounds obvious to me they'd be a 'quick shag' option and you'd find them libertine and perhaps even repulsive. I find it strange so I'd like to ask- what makes these women feel repulsive to you sorry? And I agree with you about schools feeling more clinical, although I do ask myself specifically at a younger age before puberty, there is little difference between girls and boys minds or so I thought, which makes me believe it's this forced identity onto them that creates this difference where girls succeed as they're expected to and boys do not. I don't know though...

I was referring to classical manifestations of the male stereotype. I own Way of the Peaceful Warrior and watch it often. I agree with "Socrates" being an excellent example of a good man.

ren wrote: Now I look at today's female teenagers, and I don't just find them uninteresting, but plain repulsive. Sure they dress nicely and are usually libertine, but that's the only thing they do right, and that only leads to the "quick shag" kind of relationship. The older ones tend to be a headache too, but less so.

At the risk of derailing, why on earth would you have sex with someone you found "replusive". And the "only thing they do right"? really? Because their purpose is to be more pleasing to men and, apart from their promiscuity, they are failing in that?

No, more pleasing to ren... :whistle:

Brenna wrote:

ren wrote: Now I look at today's female teenagers, and I don't just find them uninteresting, but plain repulsive. Sure they dress nicely and are usually libertine, but that's the only thing they do right, and that only leads to the "quick shag" kind of relationship. The older ones tend to be a headache too, but less so.

At the risk of derailing, why on earth would you have sex with someone you found "replusive". And the "only thing they do right"? really? Because their purpose is to be more pleasing to men and, apart from their promiscuity, they are failing in that?

I wouldn't know. I've only ever had sex with people I either liked, or knew nothing about. I don't have sex with teenagers, even as a teenager myself I only had sex with two other teenagers.

What I'm saying is that today's teenage girls seem physically attractive but that's about it. Of course this is a generalization, but to me, they seem more annoying/shallow/dumb than the girls I knew 10 years ago.
I'm not questioning their right to be uninteresting/repulsive, simply stating that it seems quite natural to me that boys do not like them this much, and that the problem does not seem to be with the boys (or their habits) but with the girls and their personalities.

Ren- Sheep? Really? Great image of our ancestors- "I and your other great male ancestors didn't have porn. We had good old-fashioned sheep goddammit and that did the job fine!" Thanks for that anyway ha. I personally believe they is some amount of 'truth' in his link between technology and this 'demise' of men. Do you believe there even is such a thing as a 'demise' of men nowadays and do you think there's a general lack of what I'd call a identity as men? I feel 'Men' are half-expected to be Gamer addicts and to watch regular porn (at the very least if they're single). I'm not convinced this is a good way to look at one another and ourselves. What do you think? As for your info about your experience of women, were you just talking about female teenagers? In contrast to your experience, I feel I strangely got on better with most girls as a teenager than with most guys, (perhaps I find this a little strange seeing as I have 4 brothers and no sisters, ). There's all sorts of women, and I find people are much more interesting, than one would thought once you really get to know them. And if you're shagging them after a couple hours of getting to know one another, sounds obvious to me they'd be a 'quick shag' option and you'd find them libertine and perhaps even repulsive. I find it strange so I'd like to ask- what makes these women feel repulsive to you sorry?

I think you're making our ancestors out to be much better than they really were. Our modern faults, they had too, in their non-modern way. We have porn addicts, they had sheep shaggers. etc.

Their personalities are repulsive. the makeup, padded bras, knicker shorts and libertine attitude helps make up for that... resulting in them making good "quick shags" but nothing more... It seems pretty obvious to me that people won't spend time with people they aren't attracted to. Blaming games for preventing boys from being interested in girls however seems completely random. Back in college i was founder/head of the most popular club we'd ever had. we'd open and shut when the whole complex would open and shut. We never saw a girl in there, even though there was no ban. Why? they were interested in shoes, handbags, looking smart and studious, or looking cute, or looking better than the other girls (forming cliques)... things i found repulsive then, and still find repulsive now. It's easy really: if a woman is interested in reading one of them people/closer/garbage magazines, i know I want to stay away from her. After having to take my son to kids groups, where the adult population comprised of 99% women and 1% me, I think 2 or 3 times, I concluded that I had to go there with my computer to "take me away". Why? Because I thought programming was less frustrating than talking to them. After that I'd spend hours chatting with a delivery driver to pass the time.