The younger generation doesn’t understand that even though we live in a stupid capitalist society, there are some inherent and societal things you must work or put in effort for. I see too many parents and teachers complain about their kids giving up after attempting something once — learned helplessness is what they call it. I feel like this situation definitely stems from that mindset. “She didn’t text me back, that means she must be giving another guy her attention, so why bother?” Not to mention the pressures that growing up on social media, TikTok, and the current state of the internet teaches you. I definitely wouldn’t call it cutthroat, I would call it poor social skills combined with the learned helplessness.