There Will Always Be An Angry Young Man
The rage of youth is always there, always exploitable.
In my last article, I wrote about how Baby Boomers are going through a major regression in terms of beliefs — or at least, that’s what it looks like to so many of us. However, there is always another group that has historically been more prone to radicaliztion.
I’m talking, of course, about Angry Young Men.
I’ve often heard that one of the most common signs of political instability is a large percentage of single young men. This does not surprise me. Let me explain why Angry Young Men are
The trope of the Angry Young Man is a real one.
It’s been the name of a group of youthful, bitter working-class writers in 1950s Britain. Billy Joel wrote a song about it. In fact, it may just be one of the oldest tropes in history.
Men, more so than women, have been the ones who have historically raged against the machine. They’re the ones who have famously beat the turds out of one another.
Though the exact causes have changed from century to century, an Angry Young Man is typically the same personality:
He’s often a loner. As a person who society turned into a loner, I can tell you that being an outcast brings with it a certain level of anxiety and anger. Most people are actually happy-ish as long as they have well-adjusted friends around them. Angry Young Men usually don’t unless they are fellow Angry Young Men.
He was often told that his life would be better than it is, and he is struggling with the disillusionment. This is why so many Angry Young Men clamor for the white picket fence and wife. They were told things would get so much better after they did X, Y, and Z, only to realize that’s not true.
He’s often tight on money. This makes him particularly bitter. If he were wealthy, he’d just be a rich douche who got everything handed to him.
Women don’t like him too much. Otherwise, he’d be getting laid and he wouldn’t be as angry. His social currency, at least in his eyes, is zero.
He wants something to have meaning to him. This is often where he gets his rage from. It all just seems so dull to him.