Not Wanting a Girlfriend is a "Serious Illness"

[OtherSideofSky]

I suppose society not providing people with the incentive or opportunity to get together? Meeting people as an adult in Japanese society is notoriously difficult. This is just a bunch of old windbags trying to blame popular culture for the failure of established social institutions. Also, logically speaking, wouldn't the women have to be equally responsible for a problem like this?

I can't say if it's the same or not, but a I know a lot of guys over here are deciding to just drop out of the dating scene because the way social expectations for modern relationships run, there's just nothing in it for them that's worth the risk and expenditure. All the people over here who write all the admonishing articles about it are just bigots trying desperately to enforce traditional gender roles and out-dated notions of support and self-sacrifice that have no place in modern society.

Does this mean Japan hates homosexuals as well?

If the presence of Yaoi is any indicator, then no.

Actually, I think a population slide may not be too bad for Japan. The population density over there looks frankly ridiculous ( though this is coming from an Australian, so take that for what it is...)

Actually, Japan is an extremely homophobic society. Gay people are only accepted as jokes and one note stereotypes in mainstream Japanese media. As for yaoi, by the Japanese definition, it's explicit pornography portraying gay men for the enjoyment and sexual gratification of heterosexual women. The less explicit 'boys love' material is also exclusively heterosexual female sexual fantasy. It in no way indicates an attitude of acceptance in Japanese society.

 

[Tiger Sora]

So your saying since many of your males in Japan simply have given up on trying to get a girl and have become a shut in. Only to leave for food, work and hand lotion. I should learn Japanese and once I get through my schooling move to Japan, being about 6 years from now and if this trend only worsens I'm sure to bag a hottie.

Tempting Japan, very tempting.

 

[samsonguy920]

Considering we are already hitting serious population overpressure in many places, especially Japan, I would think this is something to be relieved about. If people don't want to have kids, that is fine. If people do want to have kids, that should be fine, too, but can we possibly avoid all the frikkin octomoms? I think we have enough examples to show that that sort of household is not healthy, at all.

 

[Bat Vader]

If people think I am ill because I like being single than so be it. I would rather be single and ill than be in a relationship and be depressed.

 

[drisky]

Part of me really wants to agree with this piece, but I can't help but feel there's another reason for Japan's low birth rates. INTERNET RESEARCH HO!

And I just realized I have the perfect video for this situation:


(Couldn't find the actual clip)

You don't need the actual clip, anime works better considering the topic is Japan. In any case we could just as easily blame yaoi and say women there have no interest in heterosexual relationships. I don't think pointing fingers will fix many problems, however it is fun.

 

[Cecilthedarkknight_234]

Here I was hoping for a serious article on the issue and all I got was kotaku bs...

It has been stated over and over again nations with a high population of smart/intelligent people there will be a decline in birth-rate. People are more focused on higher education, getting well payed jobs and their work rather raising family. The same thing would happen in america if we didn't have a huge immigrant population.

Well Here is why I don't want a girl friend at this point in time. I want to find my niche/meaning in the world but even so despite being a gamer/anime fan and. I have chosen not to on due in part that My genetic material is just horrible, with a huge risk of schizophrenia, major depression, cancer, blindness, retardation me throwing my genetic make up into the gene pool would be a mistake. I my self suffer from chronic depression with other mental disorders the best thing I can offer is that I will not bring a child into the world that will suffer from the same thing.

 

[Rad Party God]

With such a clusterfuck of people that is Japan, why would they need even more people?, let them play their dating sims, damn it.

 

[ph0b0s123]

I love that I made this point about Japan's birth rate issues, in the discussion about the new version of Love Plus. I feel somewhat vindicated now. Japan the Panda's of Asia, you just can't get them to reproduce.

I have an idea, since dating games are so popular there. How about instead of Love Plus having a service where you get emails from fake girlfriends, they 'gamify' dating. So the dating game on your DS becomes an MMO where you are trying to date real guys and girls, and once you have succeeded and 'cut the ice' with a potential partner you can go on a date with that person in reality. The government can chuck in some money / support to the effort. Something needs to be done and shouting at people that if they don't get a girlfriend they are ill, is only going to make matters worse, rather than better.

And we aught to look how Japan does with dealing with falling birth rates, as it is a problem most of the western world is facing to some extent.

 

[renegade7]

Do your part: Nail a Japanese girl!

That's really just because of the natural evolution of a developing society...postindustrial countries usually see a decline in birth rate as people become more cautious and conservative* about having children due to career or economic pressures.

*conservative in the sense that they don't have as many, wait longer, and are more economically careful about it, not in the sense that they have a politically conservative attitude towards having children

 

[Cecilthedarkknight_234]

I love that I made this point about Japan's birth rate issues, in the discussion about the new version of Love Plus. I feel somewhat vindicated now. Japan the Panda's of Asia, you just can't get them to reproduce.

I have an idea, how about instead of Love Plus having a service where you get emails from fake girlfriends, they gamify dating. So the dating game on your DS becomes an MMO where you are trying to date real guys and girls, and once you have succeeded you go out on a date with the person in reality.

...hmmm excuse me for a moment

the problem is getting the game off the ground... Japan plays more hand-held games than console so it might be a problem

 

[draythefingerless]

>japan low on people
>import chinese baby
>????
>PROFIT

 

[ResonanceSD]

Do your part: Nail a Japanese girl!

that would make a kickass propaganda poster.

 

[Caligulove]

I've been in that situation before. Though I never felt like I couldn't be bothered with getting a girlfriend- its just that I know there are times in my life when I would be happier to be in a good, healthy relationship rather than endlessly looking for a potential girlfriend out of some fear of being "forever alone" or something.

 

[The Wykydtron]

So my practicality is an illness? Oh dears. I decided to not bother with dating much since after "time alone" with a girl for teh first time my first natural thought was "well that was a waste of time, could have finished that anime series instead"

Needless to say life reevaluation occured. I was going for a girlfriend just because everyone else was, I noticed I had no actual motivation or reason for doing so...

In conclusion, WOO I gets to keep my monies!

I may have half proven that guys point though, kinda. Doh well

 

[Baresark]

Haha, it does point at a social problem when people don't see relationships as worth it. It could also be an acute sign of depression. The problem with low birth rates are well documented. For instance, one of the big problems that helped Greece along to their woes was it's 1.2 birth rate. After more several generations of such a low birth rate, the number of retiring people from the workforce outweighed what was collected in tax revenues from the younger generation, and then they had an economic meltdown (this clearly is not the sole issue, but it was a contributing factor). A low birth rate is also a sign of people being unhappy with their society. They see it as a society not worth having and raising children into.

But, I digress. To lighten the mood:

QUICK! Get them all brides that dress and act like their favorite anime character! We need 10 billion cc's of testosterone, STAT!

 

[MegaManOfNumbers]

Time for my contribution!

I'm not interested in relationships in today's society due to some of the fucked up expectations people have towards partners. I'm not really socially active, seeing that reality is a dumb place to live in anyways. I'm not socially inept (maybe awkward), in fact I'm able to engage in proper conversation with people of any sex. The underlying issues is the ridiculous hurdles society wants me to leap through to achieve a healthy relationship. Also, I hate humans. Yeah, misanthropism would definitely make having a potential relationship very awkward.

Funny enough, my standards aren't really twisted up or insanely high, I just want to meet a mentally and emotionally stable person! I'm not even fat either! I'm actually relatively normal looking, well, as normal as an Asian male can look.

Also, I like anime/manga and love video games. Fuck reality, too inefficient.

 

[Imp_Emissary]

Maybe it has something to do with the total lack of living space, privacy and borderline toxic air quality in Japanese cities.

Smog damages lung capacity and blood flow... just sayin'

Of course, these problems are insignificant compared to videogames and Naruto box sets.

If smog was the problem then how do you explain China's overpopulation problem?

 

[Xanthious]

Then I must be a sick sick individual. I can promise I'm nowhere near depressed and I wouldn't take on a girlfriend if you held me at gunpoint. I live in a 2 bedroom apt with a spectacular loft that's decorated how I want it. I am free to come and go and do whatever the hell I want whenever the hell I want. I have complete control over my finances. When I decided I wanted long term companionship I went and got a dog.

The most miserable people I know are in relationships/married. These are people that would cut off any one of their appendages to live like I do for a day or two. These poor bastards have the same soul sucking routine day in and day out and scrape by in a job they hate only to come home to a wife/girlfriend they'd like to submerge in water until the bubbles stop. A few are trapped by the threat of losing half their stuff while others are trapped by the threat of a hefty child support payment. Bottom line they are trapped.

Don't get me wrong I'm not living like a monk by any means. I have a handful of female friends and one in particular shares my point of view on the matter of commitment. Over the years we've established what you could call a mutually beneficial arrangement. That being said we are miles away from exchanging gifts on Valentines Day and our commitment to each other is taken on a night by night basis.

Relationships might be awesome for some people. Others though, like myself, shouldn't enter into one and expect to be happy. The bottom line is you need to know what kind of person you are. I value my freedom over every aspect of my life far too much to bring in another person. Some people are looking to share their lives. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

 

[Imp_Emissary]

I love that I made this point about Japan's birth rate issues, in the discussion about the new version of Love Plus. I feel somewhat vindicated now. Japan the Panda's of Asia, you just can't get them to reproduce.

I have an idea, since dating games are so popular there. How about instead of Love Plus having a service where you get emails from fake girlfriends, they 'gamify' dating. So the dating game on your DS becomes an MMO where you are trying to date real guys and girls, and once you have succeeded and 'cut the ice' with a potential partner you can go on a date with that person in reality. The government can chuck in some money / support to the effort. Something needs to be done and shouting at people that if they don't get a girlfriend they are ill, is only going to make matters worse, rather than better.

And we aught to look how Japan does with dealing with falling birth rates, as it is a problem most of the western world is facing to some extent.

Call me crazy, but that doesn't sound like a bad idea. If done right it may at least show some effect. Unless mostly only boys play it. Though unlike what some republicans seem to believe gay people can have kids too so that could still work.

 

[Imp_Emissary]

>japan low on people
>import chinese baby
>????

Well damn. China will be making everything for us now won't they!?