Basically a repost pf things I said in the mega, but anecdotally I'm hearing that sales of fiction read by men are dropping precipitously, and English and literature classes in colleges are now dominated by women. It seems like young men are not being exposed to literature in the same way that they used to. Like, when I was in high school and college, you could be a "bro" kind of guy and read Chuck Palahniuk, or Hunter S. Thompson, or David Foster Wallace. For decades, authors like Hemmingway and Bukowski found receptive audiences in young men, not to mention all the crime fiction, horror, sci-fi, and fantasy that men have traditionally consumed. The "guy in your English class who loves David Foster Wallace" was a stereotype for a reason. I read in another thread that music is less culturally important to young men than it used to be. It seems like younger men just straight up see no value in reading literature or fiction, or exposing themselves or critically engaging with art and music, because the algorithms just railroad them into Alpha Gridset world.

Am I wrong about this? Am I being condescending and out of touch, or is this a real thing that's happening, where the whole "male" culture is turning into grindset podcasts and streamers?

Edit: Okay, so the impression I'm getting is that everything is worse but also kind of the same as it ever was, which sounds right.

  • Belly_Beanis [he/him]
    ·
    2 months ago

    but the thing is that while they want that, they also only read YA dystopian fiction written in the past simple as an iron rule.

    I was watching a YouTube video yesterday tmaking fun of YA dystopian fiction and there were endless comments about how great the Hunger Games is. A lot of "Best book ever! Someday it will be seen as proper literature!" Granted, I haven't read the book (only saw the movies), but it was Battle Royale in the future instead of the present day.

    I dunno. I want to let people enjoy things, but I also think a lot of this stuff is just shit. Battle Royale was already pulp, so Hunger Games being a copy is even more pulp. The same goes for 50 Shades of Gray being Twilight fan fiction turned into a whole series.

    • Andrzej3K [none/use name]
      ·
      2 months ago

      I want people to enjoy things, and there's nothing wrong with trash! I enjoy a lot of trash! But there's so much more!

    • UlyssesT
      ·
      edit-2
      11 days ago

      deleted by creator

      • Belly_Beanis [he/him]
        ·
        1 month ago

        What do you mean? Love triangles are the pinnacle of storytelling.

        • UlyssesT
          ·
          edit-2
          11 days ago

          deleted by creator

          • Belly_Beanis [he/him]
            ·
            1 month ago

            You ever watch Terrible Writing Advice on YouTube? Recurring bits include love triangles, Man with No Name spoofs, evil empire that's evil for reasons, chosen one prophecies, self-insert wish fulfillment, etc.

            • UlyssesT
              ·
              edit-2
              11 days ago

              deleted by creator

              • Belly_Beanis [he/him]
                ·
                1 month ago

                Still can't believe that book was not only a bestseller, but also got made into a movie. I get it, not everyone wants to trudge their way through obscure 18th. century literature or avant-garde meta commentary on English academia. But like..."The idea hit me like an anvil on the top of my head." Really? 300 pages of that? Why would you do that to yourself?

                • UlyssesT
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  11 days ago

                  deleted by creator

                  • Belly_Beanis [he/him]
                    ·
                    1 month ago

                    Okay but Heinlein is kinda mid so that tracks lmao

                    At least your chud reads. My chuddiest chud relatives think reading is for dorks and I'm pretty sure one of them hasn't picked up a book since high school (despite being almost 50).

                    • UlyssesT
                      ·
                      edit-2
                      11 days ago

                      deleted by creator

                      • Belly_Beanis [he/him]
                        ·
                        1 month ago

                        That's a

                        Show

                        from me considering how open the director and cast have been about the movie being satire. These last few years have convinced me you have to be explicitly and vocally anti-fascist in storytelling because these brainlets don't realize when they aren't welcome.

                        • UlyssesT
                          ·
                          edit-2
                          11 days ago

                          deleted by creator