You’re not imagining it — modern dating has taken on the emotional temperature of a networking event: polite smiles, calculated moves and everyone quietly scanning for the exit. Romance hasn’t disappeared — it’s just been rebranded as optimization. Part of this shift traces back to the digital rabbit holes shaping how some men think about women and relationships: Andrew Tate soundbites, red-pill forums and the broader manosphere, where growth is measured less in empathy than in leverage.
Looking back, I feel ashamed of what I watched and my amusement with the content. Seeing an anti-feminist video or laughing about it with a friend became so normal that it was easy to get drawn in. This phase could have shaped my worldview and my personal politics, reinforcing harmful stereotypes and limiting empathy. For some, this wasn’t just a phase, as it has developed into stronger beliefs. For me, it was a wake-up call to take control of what I let influence me and to build my own understanding of the world.
The interesting thing about fascism and socialism, despite being ideologically antithetical, is that since they're both a response to the failures of capitalism.
