Going Galt, Going Gray

At the dawn of the 21st Century we look back and marvel at the world that we have made. And by "we" Southern Man means Western Civilization, the source of pretty much all that is good today. That's right - dead white males built the world, and you get to live in it. You really can't thank them enough.

For the first time in human history, social stratification is a diamond, not a pyramid. For most of history most poeple were dirt poor; there was no middle class and few were wealthy. Now the middle class dominates. And we are almost unbelievably wealthy. A family of four living on the so-called "poverty line" in the USA lives in a constructed home with electricity and heat and air conditioning and indoor plumbing, with refrigerators and cable TV and cell phones, whose most significant health concern is obesity. To actually be "poor" in the traditional sense of the word, in the USA, is rare indeed. And while we in the USA and in the rest of the First World have it really, really good, it's improving worldwide as well. At no time in human history have so many had so much access to the basics of human needs: good food, clean water, shelter, clothing. Life is getting better all over, every day.

And in the First World we have built the most woman-friendly society ever. Well, that's what men do - take care of women. Never in history has there been a cleaner, safer place to be a woman than the 21st Century USA. There is no metric - none, zero, zilch, nada - by which women were better off in any time or place other than right here, right now.

And what are the unintended consequences of this utopia? There are many. Increasingly feminized workplaces, where a single unfounded accusation of harassment can cost a man his job, and increased disdain for what were once considered honorable jobs and "skilled trades" - construction, carpentry, oil field work, farming. The burgeoning welfare state, where nearly half of the population live on the forced charity of the other half. Mass media that portrays men as ignorant oafs, unnecessary and disposable. Universities that advocate anti-male programs of study and openly discriminate against men, who are dropping out in record numbers. And, most critically, no-fault divorce and woman-friendly family courts, meant to protect women and children from abusive relationships, has caused the divorce rate to skyrocket and the increasingly one-sided nature of marriage itself is causing many men to simply opt out - a problem that is exaberated by easily-available birth control (which has transformed sex into a commodity) and pornography, both of which gives men an outlet for their sexual desires that doesn't require the hassle of dating and expense of marriage - and leave a lot of women wondering where all the "good men" have gone.

Why is this a problem? Married men, with wives and children to support, overproduce. Men want the best for their families and they work hard to provide it. It was the industry of married men that built this country. Unmarried men tend to be less willing to put in sixty hours a week when twenty will do. And workers in general look askance at the welfare state and ask themselves why they are paying the way for a bunch of ne'er-do-wells who won't lift a finger to support themselves.

The result are two philosophies in the MGTOW movement: going Galt, and going gray.

Lots has been written of late about going Galt, or simply chosing to cease to be a productive (that is, over-producing) member of society and simply going your own way and earning just enough to take care of your own needs - like that unmarried thirty-something dude who is perfectly content with a part-time job and his video games and porn. Since most middle-class wage earners actually consume more in services than they pay in taxes, that's actually a drain on society. And it's not just the USA; Japan, in particular, has a surprisingly large percentage of young men who have no interest in marriage at all and will no doubt earn just enough to get by. They've never even heard of John Galt, but that's who they're following.

And Southern Man sees lots of men going gray - that is, leaving traditional jobs and working for cash on the gray market. Why continue to feed a ravenous beast that actively works against their own interests? Southern Man's auto mechanic, his brush-hog guy, the men (and women!) at the farmer's market, the dealers at the gun show, the crews of Mexicans who can erect a rural outbuilding in a day... No taxes, no W-2s, no 1040s, and cash only, if you please. Muchas gracias, señor.

Southern Man is doing a little of both. Continuing improvements on The Land will make him a little more independent. And if opportunities arise that allow him to convert his labor and skills into unreported cash - well, he was once a stickler for doing everything By The Book but today he's not going to turn that down. His retirement plan might consist (in part) of a tractor with a brushhog and box blade along with a (hopefully considerable) output of home-grown food. Slowly but surely, going Galt and going gray.