a version of humans that are now more uncomfortable living in close proximity to each-other than in isolation
Frightening how true this feels.
Everybody, please be affectionate and social and loving to as many people as possible. Do favors and give gifts and hugs and say "I love you" you your friends and do not be afraid of strangers.
Edit: if you say that it makes you uncomfortable that is why you need to do it more
While I do find your intentions admirable. Personality changes of that caliber are very difficult, especially when society looks down on such intimate proximity —especially if you're a man :bear-despair:
Do Communists have better sex?
The documentary depicts and compares the sexual lives of people from West and East Germany during the period from the division in 1949 to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The comparison uses statistical data collected in the months following the fall of the wall on sex practice, age of start, partner numbers and orgasm achievement, and through opinions on abortion, dating, divorce, marriage, the pill, pornography and sex education. The main theories advanced are that sex in the East was "earlier, better, [and] more often" than in the West, and that women had more pleasure in the communist state, as evidenced by the fact that East German women reported having twice as many orgasms as their West counterparts.
I mean personally I can't fucking imagine going on dates so long as covid's around, which is looking like it's just going to be forever.
which is looking like it’s just going to be forever.
:thinking-about-it:
seems like it
Shortly after I met my partner, Tinder was unleashed upon the world. A small part of the reason I got married was so I'd never have to date again.
Nope, it was the pre-COVID days! What I meant was that I met my partner right at the advent of hookup apps. It was really weird watching everyone become addicted to swiping and I don't think I could handle it, but COVID has made online dating the only option for a lot of people.
I don't know how the fuck I read "tinder" as "covid" but in my defense they're both extremely bad
I can't imagine going on dates and not want to claw your own eyes out because how frustrating it is.
I'mma keep it real with you 46th President of the United States, Joseph Robinette Biden, starting a war with Russia won't solve the US' declining birth rate
yeah. its real fucking fun graduating into being an adult right now :kitty-cri:
A dude I went to high school with could afford to have a baby because he spend 5 years on a neo-colonial oil rig avoiding getting kidnapped by warlords.
Presumably somewhere in West Africa, but it would be pretty funny if OP meant North Dakota or West Texas.
hey, i'm your fbi handler, i'm around you all the time and i care about you! :hyperflush:
I am so fucking alone. I literally have a nervous tick where when an embarrassing memory plays in my head, as they often do, I suddenly blurt out, against my own volition "No one is ever going to love me, I'm going to die alone!"
I have the same sort of verbal tick except mine is usually "Fuck me" or "I want to fucking kill myself." Same feelings though, sorry you have to deal with it too. I experience physical pain with really shameful memories and it sucks.
I say that kind of thing too! Not just the die alone thing, but really dark self-harmful stuff. Violent stuff. And it's not even like I really want to do that kind of thing in that moment, it's just a set of words that I think part of my brain responds to the painful, embarassing thoughts to "shock" me out of it. And yeah, there is a painful sensation that goes along with them. I call them "wince words." Years ago I was searching around to see if other people did it too, and... they do. Here is an ancient conversation about it that I came across and found comfort in, knowing I wasn't the only one. I'm likewise sorry you're tormented by this kind of thing.
Oh yes, sometimes I even have intrusive thoughts with vivid images of mutilating myself, even though I'm not having any sort of self-harm ideation these days. I came to a similar conclusion - that my brain was trying to distract me from the painful shame sensation with the strongest thing it could think up. Thank you for the thread, I was really surprised to see how many people responded and could relate to this! It's definitely the sort of thing that can make you feel crazy.
You aren't worthless or a loser, just FYI. Even if we'll never meet, if you're posting here and engaging with leftist thought then you're worth something to me. I'm sorry you're dealing with this crippling loneliness - I'm married, but I haven't seen anyone besides my family and coworkers for months. Things will get better sometimes, even if they also get worse.
Thank you. I really do appreciate that. I know this name is extreme, and I don't always feel that way but yes I really do struggle with loneliness and solitude.
Damn that's tough sorry
I do that too but with a lil whistle, sorta sounds like the twitter notification. Once had someone check their phone after I remember something.
Thanks. Yes, I've read about other people who do that kind of thing. On the occasion when I am around other people I'm afraid I might do it within earshot and there have been some close calls but not too bad. Yours makes for a pretty funny anecdote though.
Hey buddy, do you have any help with these feelings? (I mean like a therapist or counselor)
I have phone therapy on and off. Been struggling with this kind of thing for years and have had help in the past but there's only so much a therapist can do.
I hope you'll find the help you deserve. I used to suffer from OCD and severe social anxiety for a long time, and it made me really lonely. But at some point it worked out, and I was able to slowly overcome it. You can too, I'm sure of it. :meow-hug:
Many Americans won't get their partner a card for Valentine's Day
Alternative headline: "MILLENIALS NO SPEND MONEY ON CARD. HALLMARK CORP FOUND DEAD IN ALLEYWAY"
What do we expect? Dating and sex have been rapidly commodified. Dating is primarily done through websites driven by profit driven algorithms (coincidentally it's much more profitable to keep you on the app than it is to actually get you to a date) and the rapid expansion of pornography, especially subscription based services, has provided an easier relief for sexual desires as well as making sex work for many other people. Put this in the context of a rapidly proletarianizing population and suddenly we return to what proletarian relationships always were - relationships of necessity. Either fleeting fits of passion to overcome the dreadful existence of toil or long term financial dependencies.
The communists in Russia faced a similar situation after the revolution and they definitely did not do everything correctly, but alleviating the economic pressures of society, providing an accessible real world means of socializing (including ending COVID) and decommodifying romance should be goals of ours.
Dating is primarily done through websites driven by profit driven algorithms (coincidentally it’s much more profitable to keep you on the app than it is to actually get you to a date)
In my vision of a socialist future, we still have dating apps but they're tooled to match you with people that you will actually connect with and have the best potential to have a fulfilling relationship with.
IMO, dating apps are good. Great for people like me who really struggled with approaching people and asking them out. It's their implementation under capitalism that sucks.
Yeah. This is true for most technologies. In and of themselves they are neither good nor bad. The question is how they are wielded and to whose benefit.
Dating and sex have been rapidly commodified
Anywhere one could learn more about this? This seems like fertile ground for theory. As for the rest of the post, I must say I agree with it, especially the parts concerning pornography and society after the revolution.
I don't have any specific recommendations unfortunately. It's more just an observation since dating apps have gotten pretty big in the last few years and someone is making money off of them. I've read articles about the psychological effects of Tinder and they affirmed my experience but that's about it.
My basis comes from Kollontai though. She was a Bolshevik, so a little before dating apps became popular, but she wrote about romance and sex under capitalism and it's some interesting stuff. I'm sure there's more recent literature on the subject out there but I haven't read any of it.
Haven't read any articles, watched a YT vid or two, the apps seems really damaging to someone's self esteem and wallet. It being one of the leading causes for the changes the cnn article talks about is unsurprising.
:stalin-approval: thanks for the recommendation, her writings like "Sexual Relations and the Class Struggle" seem quite interesting.
great. hopefully it won't seem too weird when I'm a virgin into my 40's.
