Video games and the demise of masculinity
By Scott Tibbs, January 4, 2019Here is very sad story that should make all parents sit up and take notice. This has serious implications for society down the road, and we need to recognize that before it is too late.
"22 percent of men between the ages of 21 and 30 in the U.S. with less than a bachelor’s degree reported not working at all in the previous year... And there’s evidence that video games are a big reason why."Source: Quillette.com.
We are losing a generation of young men who are being unproductive in their prime working years. The time when young men should be building a career and preparing to have a family are spent with things that will have no relevance decades from now. A future employer will not care how great you were at Fortnite, and your future wife will not care either. The later young men decide to be productive, the more difficult it will be to catch up and the less time they will have to prepare for retirement.
We should not underestimate the severe social costs of men living with their parents with no job or prospects for marriage well into their 30's. Marriage and family are the foundation of a strong society, and we will need the tax base that is not being built right now. If you think the deficit and national debt are bad today, imagine what it is going to be like in twenty to thirty years as the culture of "guyland" continues to grow.
I do not believe video games are bad. I have been a gamer since I got my first Nintendo Entertainment System for Christmas in 1987. When in their proper place, video games are a fun diversion. But they should not take the place of work and family. They should not be a means to escape responsibility.
This is not something that can be solved by public policy. The only role for government should be examining what social welfare programs enable men to live in a state of perpetual adolescence and for government to stop making the problem worse. No, the solution must come from churches, families and communities. We need to crush "guyland" and embrace manhood, for the good of young men and women alike.
See previous articles from December 30, 2013 and December 21, 2015.
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