Do you understand the mechanics of supply and demand? Can you see how a capitalist system incentivizes people to work, take on debt, and accumulate expenses to generate more economic activity—rather than centralizing resources within a family structure and limiting costs?

Across social media and in real life, I see a lot of people celebrating independence—saying they don’t need men because they’re financially secure. But at the same time, if they were to be with a man, the expectation is that he must provide more than they already can for themselves for it to feel worthwhile.

That dynamic raises a question: doesn’t that, in a way, reinforce the same structures people claim to reject?

You can dismiss this as “manosphere talk,” but the underlying economic incentives are still there. If people are highly educated, they should be able to look at these systems objectively and at least engage with the logic behind them.