By David Futrelle
What’s the point of life? More specifically, what’s the point of living if you’re some old lady random dudes on the internet don’t want to bone?
That was more or less the question that one intrepid Man Going His Own Way put to his colleagues in the MGTOW subreddit not long ago. “I’m genuinely interested in what the purpose of old woman is,” wrote Governator.
Let’s assume that the granny in question is way past any thoughts of sex. She has some kids, some grandchildren, no husband or a husband who can’t get his willy up, some property, a proper job.
What’s her MO? Let’s assume that she is unhappy and bitter – what could be the reasons?
I don’t know, maybe she’s bitter she ended up with a grandson like you?
Any way to point her to a proper purpose in life?
Reason: a relative of mine.
As you might imagine, Governator’s pals had some thoughts on the matter.
“Baking cookies for the grandchildren,” wrote one. Teaching grandchildren skills they don’t need “like sucking eggs or darning socks,” wrote another, and serving as “a cheap babysitter.”
“They help and guide others with their decades of experience and wisdom. Sometimes.” wrote another MGTOW Redditor a bit more generous in his appreciation of old women than his MGTOW buddies.
Others weren’t sure the old gals had any reason to exist. “There isn’t a purpose,” wrote yooshio.
Old women aren’t women…they are simply old little girls.
They waste the resources they’ve accumulated throughout a lifetime…most likely procured from a man they’ve manipulated and nagged.
There is an overriding behavior I’ve noticed and that’s: manipulation.
It never stops.
My thesis is that character trait truly is genetic.
Another commenter seemed a little bit like he was working out some issues he has with his own female relatives.
Their life purpose is the same as ours: control. Men seek control and power through overt physical means with the world around them. Women seek it through covert means with the people around them. She will demand all her children and grandchildren communicate with her constantly so she can use guilt and withholding approval to control what they do, say, think, etc. Anyone who dares to withhold information or defy her will immediately become the black sheep of the family and have their social safety net torn away until they get back on granny’s plantation.
Hmm. Dr. Lechter, do you have any questions?
A commenter called user_miki couldn’t seem to get past the fact that some older ladies are out there having sex.
Before the madness an old lady had a vital social purpose.They advised young girls how to become women and what marriage is like and what men to seek for marriage.Don’t whore around, wait until marry to open up your legs,how to cook and be a good wife, aso. Now the old grannies are the first sluts after the sexual revolution.
Dude, if you’re interested, there are porn sites for that.
All of this raises a question: what is the point of MGTOWs?
I mean, even the most generous of MGTOWs seem to think that the value of old women stems entirely from what they do for others — whether baking cookies or dispensing wisdom. MGTOWs, meanwhile, are all about not doing things for others, about living their lives with as little responsibility towards anyone else as possible. They don’t simply advocate avoiding women. Some talk about dropping out of society altogether.
Basically, the only way they “give back” to society, in their own perverse way, is by urging other men to become MGTOWs like them.
So if MGTOWs do nothing for the world except make other MGTOWs who will also do nothing for the world, doesn’t that make them — by their own logic — worthless?
Just a thought.
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My question to the MGTOWs: what will be your purpose when you get old? Never mind that, what is your purpose now? My grandmother, who is in her 80s, has certainly done way more for the world in her life than any of these MGTOWs. Not to mention that she is a far more pleasant person to be around.
Regarding porn featuring old women, I would somewhat worry that the kinds of things featured in hardcore porn would be dangerous for people of advanced age. The risk of injury seems very high.
I have the same problem with showers. What; cologne ain’t good enough for ya?!
From the stories I’ve been told, my grandmother on my father’s side was a sweet, compassion woman who never had anything bad to say about anyone and was always looking out for others. She raised 11 children. She past away from breast cancer way before my mother even met my dad. But a story about her that stuck out the most was one my aunt told me.
While my grandmother was dying of breast cancer. She went with her to one of my grandmother doctor visit and their was a young man there that was just given his diagnosis of cancer a week ago. He was in his early 20s and my grandmother said to my aunt “oh that poor man. We need to make sure we pray for him” to which my aunt said “mom your a lot worse off right now then he is”. Even when her pain was greater then others and she face the oblivion of her own mortality. She only thought of others and what she could do to help them.
I suppose what I am saying is that my grandmother Had more compassion and humanity in a single one of her cells then a mgtow has in their entire bodies collectively.
My grandmother on My moms side. Who I did get to have in my life, was also a wonderful woman but she would have straight up told anyone dude from the manosphere to go fuck themselves. While my dad’s mom would have probably chasted sternly for not being upstanding men tbh.
The evolutionary advantage of elders is very well understood through observation of contemporary hunter/gather societies.
But the ignorance of one single MGTOW is enough to drain the knowledge out of a university library.
Can’t they just go already?
@Knitting Cat Lady
Then there’s all the things elders do in non-hunter gather societies. Many scientists and doctors continue working into old age and keep discovering new things that can benefit humanity. My grandfather, a professor, didn’t retire until he was 78, and even now, years later, he still goes to relevant conferences and comes out of retirement when needed. He’s not a scientist, but the same could hold true if he was.
My maternal grandmother was a saint on Earth. She was available for when her extended family needed help, but she never meddled in their business, and I never heard her complain about anything.
One thing…she was born in 1908, and I don’t think she ever fully became accustomed to telephones. She simply didn’t like answering the phone…my mother would give her a call, and then my sister and I, both under the age of 8 at the time, would take turns with the receiver pressed to our ears, waiting for her to finally answer the phone.
Her 3 children pestered her to get an upstairs phone extension in her bedroom, but she refused. Her single phone had to have dated from around 1940, and boy, was it heavy.
I wonder what she’d have thought about Smartphones.
The actual title should be more like “Old women unsure of what the point of MGTOWs is.” Pretty much everybody else is unsure too.
I’ve had multiple jobs in which I’ve worked with seniors. 90% of the time, it is the wife that takes care of almost everything and the husband who doesn’t know basic things like his full address or what insurance he has. I don’t know if women’s brains age better than men’s or if it’s an issue of socialization, but anyone who spends significant time around older people noticed the pattern. It’s actually one of the reasons I don’t want to marry all that much and one of the things that pushed me towards realizing I was aro.
What I’m saying is not that old men are the useless ones, as I don’t think we should talk about people that way at all, but that MGTOW may regret calling old women useless when they’re 80 years old, defenseless and confused, while their married friends get cared for by their still sharp wives.
How very convenient that the point of women, old and young, just happens to coincide with what these guys want those women to be doing. And yet, as a woman, I am very sure that being somebody’s wife was never the point of my existence. Not even when I was married.
@WWTH
I’ve noticed the same thing. Women live longer than men on average, so it seems likely that their brains would age better as well. Though I will say, some old women seem to lose mental abilities as well: my great-grandmother had dementia for about 10 years before she died and didn’t recognize her own children. Her husband was dead by that point.
My guess is that few MGTOWs will live into their 80s. Male life expectancy in the US is 78, and people tend to live shorter if they are overly angry, which it seems these folks are. As well, single men live shorter lives, so that’s not in their favor. If they don’t give up MGTOW, it will reduce life expectancies notably.
@WWTH
In Japan, I’ve often heard as a bit of folk wisdom that women live longer than men because their husbands would starve if they died first.
Maybe they can get Mr White to cook for them.
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/aug/30/marco-pierre-white-women-too-emotional-chefs
@Jesalin
That’s a new one. I thought the typical attitude of misogynists was that women should be in the kitchen, and men shouldn’t. He’d better sit down and have a talk with the MGTOWs from a few days ago.
Yet I’m sure this boy would flip his lid if anyone were to question his masculinity.
I bet a toddler, which women are expected to happily lug around, weighs more than any pan.
Professional cooking is kind of a sausage fest, in more ways than one.
What does “waste resources” mean here? “Buy things I don’t approve of”? Why shouldn’t retirees spend their own money on what they want?
Or does he mean that more basic resources like food and medicine are wasted on old people? That’s uncomfortably close to “useless eaters”, and it’s a dangerous philosophy to champion if you’re planning to grow old without any family support.
Has everyone heard about Mr. Hipster Coffee Shop?
https://www.thedailybeast.com/jacob-wohl-wanted-on-felony-arrest-warrant?via=twitter_page
Perhaps the person is a Communist of the sort who favors authoritarian central planning and therefore thinks other people’s use of resources ought to be micro-managed? Certainly the data would seem to indicate this. 🙂
@WWTH
The latter.
@Naglfar
There’s not any evidence I know of that there’s a biological basis for that one. Social factors explain the difference quite well.
It becomes men’s work if you’re being paid for it.
BWAHAHHAHAHAHHAH!!!! Men who work in kitchens are the biggest fucking drama factories you will meet, by and large.
Did you misspell Hannibal Lecter’s last name wrong on purpose? Great gif use.
@WWTH:
Securities fraud from three years ago? Seriously? When is this fucker going to face consequences for any of the scams he’s tried to pull since then?
Hey, if the thread’s already going off topic, can I throw in a book recommendation? I think there’s a good chance at least some of you are going to dig this:
https://sjhigbee.wordpress.com/2019/08/14/new-release-special-review-of-the-heart-of-the-circle-by-keren-landsman-brainfluffbookreview-theheartofthecirclebookreview/
Disclaimer: the writer is a friend of mine. But she’s seriously one if the best writers I know in Israel, especially in the SF/F scene, and the sort if person where I’m constantly a little surprised that I actually know someone this awesome.
(Another sort of disclaimer: the main character is somewhat biphobic, just so you know, but it’s not supposed to represent anything other than his own prejudices, as an imperfect character. I thought is was sadly very realistic.)
What ? Your granny is a serial killer ?
@weirwoodtreehugger
They’re practically the same thing. Old women kinda have to do stuff, because their partners won’t… they cook and clean (whilst they still can) and they talk to their peers instead of just quietly rotting away. The social side is vitally important because one day you won’t be able to do stuff anymore, and when your back and your hips and your fingers and your eyesight has given out, you’re gonna need something else to live for.
That “cheap babysitting” mocked in the thread? Dealing with tiny people is surprisingly good for your mental health and certainly keeps you active, and I note that more grandmothers seem to be involved in that than grandfathers.
@kindasortaharmless
Pretty much true the world over, to be honest. Men seldom outlive their wives. Once their partners are gone, the rotting away process tends to speed right up. Its a rare old man who has had a housekeeper, cook and live-in carer since he was married who can pull himself together and survive by himself when that support isn’t available anymore.