The Hollow Generation – Insight into the Middle-Class Westerner:

In the comfort of prolonged peace and prosperity, a new generation of middle-class Western stratum have emerged. This segment have been raised by parents infected with decadence, who have been raised in an era of prolonged peace and prosperity. They represent a linear evolution of decadence unlike bygone societies that haven’t benefited from exponential progress and massive technological advancement. Growing up in prosperity, this generation has become complacent, and are distanced from certain constants faced by all humans throughout history; they are disconnected from violence and genuine struggle. Modern Western society, shaped by a rise in subjective ethical philosophy and the loss of genuine spirituality, retain no concept of universal morality, communal solidarity or ethical foundations. They are lost. Hyper-individualism and the obsession with one’s own ego has made them into a maimed tabula rasa. Values are no longer inherited through their parents leading to a reliance on school systems, ideologies and movements of hedonism they desperately cling onto to regain a sense of identity and belonging. The monumental impact of the internet, along with schools and universities that don’t teach objective, communal institutions of morality and belonging fills the maimed tabula rasa of the Western middle class individual. A new category of individuals has risen, people who aim to fill their moral husk and loss of identity with superficial things on the internet. Often, this person is comfortable yet lonely. They frequently suffer from social anxiety, loneliness and lack genuine, meaningful friendships and relations (romantic or physical in the case of the opposite gender). These traits, in tandem, lead to this generation to escape or find meaning through the vast web of the internet. What results is not individualism, but ironically hive-minds based off of subcultures. My piece does not attempt to elaborate on the typical partisan political compass screeching, but elaborates on the collective experiences and neo-morality of all parties involved – the one thing they all have in common. This includes a spiritual void, parasocial obsessions, heterodox moral debasement and the lack of a sense of purpose.

The Internet:

The internet has given rise to forms of human-relations unlike any seen before. Parasocial relations and an unhealthy, disturbing obsession with fictional characters, micro-celebrities and artists. Celebrities would be fawned at on the TV, but they would still remain exclusive; we didn’t see every glimpse of their lives. Social media, live streaming and the massive growth of bite sized content has made fawning an introduction. Fixation on micro details manifests into para-social relations which eventually becomes a part of the Western middle-class person’s identity. In this world, all lines of normalization become blurred. As previously stated, human society has always followed generally stable patterns based on different communities and shared spiritual values. In this new world, everything is turned upside down. Prevailing roles entrenched in the majority of societies become blurred and questioned. A prime example is the role of a man and what a man represents, the role of a woman and what a woman represents. In fiction, TV shows, livestreams and through bite-sized content all of these begin to overlap. Modern entertainment has gone far and beyond previous societal evolutions through its disproportionate excessive inclusion of sexuality. Sexual innuendos and fetishes are constantly pushed by nearly every form of entertainment we consume. They become “inside jokes”, and normal words now become pseudo-taboos worthy of a chuckle by the “ones who understand”. Pornography has become a cornerstone of this digital culture. It shapes perceptions of sex and intimacy in ways unseen. Once stigmatized, porn and sexuality has become celebrated and normalized in most corners of Western media. This has paved the way for “fetish culture”, where extreme and niche sexual fetishes almost become an identity. This segment of the population is becoming increasingly debased. Fetish culture destroys traditional views of what “love” is, twisting it into a debased lust worn proudly as an identifier to symbolise individuality.

Shedding Stability:

The middle class Westerner has shredded stability. Every distinct society retains certain stable customs and morality, such as the importance of family, marriage, worship, and avoiding harm. From decades of peace and prosperity, the middle class Westerner has torn off stability. Marriage is frowned upon, with over 50% ending up in divorce in some Western countries. In Australia, the likelihood for a second marriage ending in a divorce is over 60%. Having children is no longer a duty but a choice chosen by increasingly few. The places of worship are devoid of devotees. Divorce and adultery are rising, and substance abuse has been romanticised and considered natural. The remaining children are confused and exist in husks of confusion. The turn to the internet where they’re faced by a toxic amalgamation romanticizing what has frequently made them confused and unstable. They form parasocial relations with irrelevant celebrities, streamers, fictional characters while being forcefully fed promotions of sex and fetish culture. Often they lack fathers and are given too much freedom by their parents, who have abandoned the traditional role as a guardian, putting them at further risk. Children lacking father figures statistically disproportionately commit the most crime, reoffend the most, and engage in violent acts such as rape. This is more contextual to a society where violence and poverty isn’t as rare. Imagine a Western middle class confused teenager, who doesn’t have the capability or the ability to commit crimes owing to their lifestyle. They must cope in different ways, and the internet is a prime honeypot to twist their instability in debased ways. If they are a man, they may become effeminate or proud of their heterodoxy, or, they may attempt to desperately prove their masculinity and overcompensate, becoming trapped by populist traps preaching a return to an unspiritual tradition. Ironically, they form parasocial relations either way. If they are a woman, they may crave for affirmation without commitment while putting on the airs of exclusivity (they are within the middle class western fold influenced by promiscuity regardless), or they may revel in their sexuality promoted and commercialised by the media and our economic system.

The Paradox of Opposition:

The internet is a renaissance in disseminating information. It hasn’t solely introduced heterodoxy and deviancy. It has also allowed for a rise of commentators who oppose the rise of heterodoxy. These people, pioneers of so-called tradition and stability are nearly always spiritually devoid, decadent men without actual moral foundations. They are raised in the decadent, peaceful slothful west, yet oppose the prevailing Westerner due to their own subjective morality and ethical opposition. Any religious rhetoric they use is just that, rhetoric. It is almost always devoid of true spirituality and promotion of religious practice. Ironically, they have made religion an icon. The deification of religion as a means to oppose the prevailing Westerner has become a religion within itself. 

The “opposing” party influences different groups in divergent manners. For the males, they are already tainted due to the normalisation of sexuality. They will never admit to having been influenced by the cesspool of sexual debasement and romanticisation of sexual exploits. On the other hand they might brag and justify them. Arrogance prevails and they declare they have stayed on the right path since the beginning. This phenomenon is radically different to traditional forms of self-improvement and religious spirituality, which is focused on self-purification, repentance, and the struggle against oneself. Rather it is a satellite to individualistic arrogance, which is a major indicator of the new amoral middle class Westerner. 

They are completely soulless. Their views on a conservative society, free from sexuality are bound by delusional secular views of past “Western” societies. They employ symbolism and quotes from authors that deal in subjective ethical philosophy. A man influenced by the opposition pathetically attempts to regain a sense of their masculinity blurred by society. A woman influenced by the opposition aims clumsily to regain exclusivity. Both deify the idea of religion and tradition, or deify broadly spiritual bastardization built off the ashes of Western religion, e.g. neo-traditionalism, performative spirituality, neo-spiritualism. A preference is given to these forms of ideologies over genuine self-reflection, purification and redemption, which are characteristics of all valid universalist religions. 

Conclusion:

Ultimately, both the proponents and opponents of this cultural decay are products of the same conditions: decades of peace, prosperity, and a lack of communal solidarity.

The commodification and normalization of sex, parasocial relations, and the breakdown of self-sustaining communities where everyone is beholden to one another has been disastrous for the middle class Westerner. Depression rates and suicides are ever more common. Parental issues, while statistically linked to crime and violence in poorer communities, manifests strangely. In this case, it produces men who exhibit effeminate tendencies or create identities based around parasocial relations and the glorification of sex culture or men who overcompensate for their lack of purpose in a subjective, blurred world by pushing soulless masculinity. For men, they either appreciate validation without commitment or commodify themselves. This moral and emotional fragmentation is fueled by the internet which fuels toxic values and heterodoxical taboos. Opposition is often run by similarly spiritually devoid men who promote delusional linear takes on masculinity and society. What is certain, is that both lack moral foundations and the concept of divinity. Their opposition is worthless, they come from the exact same backgrounds – they are hypocrites. Both are meaningless and outlets for a loss of purpose – both are a response to the rise of the internet and normalization of sex as a culture, a business and an occupation – fused with western concepts like race, sexuality and physiognomy.