#011: Sex, Love, and Intimacy Under Neoliberalism

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In this episode, Max and Harriet talk about how neoliberalism paved the way toward our epidemic of mass loneliness and why dating now resembles a short term, extractive, free market activity wherein alienated singles try to connect through a market medium to secure a basic human need: love. The new norm is that everyone is expected to perform in a place called "online" portraying themselves as a special, eye-catching brand, to maximize attraction to consumers (dates) within a particular niche market (potential matches within monetized software on phones built with hyper-exploited third world labor). We argue the precarity of housing, jobs, and healthcare has created a kind of "trickle down economics" effect so that even sex, love, and intimacy have transformed into increasingly precarious, scarce commodities. Harriet speaks on how lovers used to meet through living in the same neighborhood, attending the same school or church or bowling alley, and could vet each other within their overlapping circles because people knew each other for a long time. We urge our loneliest and most despairing listeners to fall in love with "the movement" in some way, and to keep searching for meaningful connections however they can so they don't feel so alone within an economy that sees them primarily as a source of cheap labor.
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Resources:
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The ‘Dating Market’ Is Getting Worse

https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/02/modern-dating-odds-economy-apps-tinder-math/606982/

How Tinder Became The McDonalds Of Love

https://medium.com/@petekennedy/romance-2-0-how-tinder-became-the-mcdonalds-of-love-d89f40735a5a

Tinder, Destroyer of Cities—When Capital Abandons Sex
https://strelkamag.com/en/article/tinder-destroyer-of-cities-when-capital-abandons-sex
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ATTENTION! This is a Boring Dystopia/Obligatory 'don't sue us' message: This podcast provides numerous different perspectives and criticisms of the mental health space, however, it should not be considered medical advice. Please consult your medical professional with regards to any health decisions or management.