Social Progress. Good or bad for relationships?

I cannot decide if I am relieved or saddened by sexual social progress. Perhaps young people have a more realistic outlook than we have?

The hookup culture is upon us. I hear from younger women what a nightmare dating is and how it seems that people are very upfront and vocal about not wanting a relationship. They all seem to want to keep their options open. They do so by simply not committing. And sadly, it’s not just young people now.  Grown ass folks seem to be following in their footsteps!

People, and solely based on my limited research, and yes, mostly men, have no desire to be monogamous. The mere expectation is thought to be ridiculous to many of them.

With all of the social media access and the swiping left and swiping right and websites and apps utilized for the sole purpose of hooking up, it is no wonder that this is the mentality. Sex seems to just be easier to get without a real commitment.  There are too many willing women to accept the way the rules have changed.  Maybe they’re not wrong to do so.

Many people, especially young people have also likely experienced the pain of infidelity by watching their parents go through this type of issue. How do you avoid infidelity?  It’s simple. Never have a real relationship. Never commit.  “Just hang out,” as they call it.

So if a woman is not interested in “just hanging out” or having an open/non-monogamous relationship, seems she best be prepared to experience the pain of infidelity when she discovers her so-called monogamous lover never had any intention of practicing monogamy or being faithful.

I recall a male friend saying to me that his father told him as a young man he should never get married while telling his sister who was roughly the same age, she should find a good man and settle down. More often than not, that is just not the reality for young women these days. They’re self-sufficient, so it’s not like they NEED a spouse. It is my belief, however, that most women want a real relationship. Straight or gay, or other, most humans want to be in a loving and committed relationship. Just seems like a tall order these days.

You’ve probably heard the phrase (although probably a lyric in some hip hop record) “it’s hard out here for a player.” On the contrary, it seems harder out there, if you’re not!