Summary
Overview
Scott Galloway joins the show to discuss the collapse of young men in modern society, examining loneliness, declining economic prospects, educational gaps, and the crisis of male role models. The conversation explores what happens when half the population gets written off, the structural forces behind male decline, and practical advice for men in their 20s, 30s, and 40s to build successful lives despite these challenges.
The Crisis of Young Men and the Gag Reflex Around Discussing It
Scott Galloway opens by addressing why discussing men's issues triggers such strong reactions, explaining that while he benefited enormously from historical male privilege, today's 19-year-old men face drastically different circumstances. He emphasizes this isn't about tearing down women's progress but recognizing that no cohort has fallen further, faster than young men today. The conversation tackles the uncomfortable reality that men are 4 times more likely to die by suicide, 3 times more likely to be addicted or homeless, and 12 times more likely to be incarcerated.
- Men from 1945-2000 had massive unearned advantages that are no longer available to today's young men
- Four out of five people who die by suicide are men, with men three times more likely to be addicted or homeless
- The gag reflex around discussing men's issues is understandable but counterproductive
- 97% of elected officials were men when Title IX passed, showing many men supported women's progress
" If you look at from 1945 to 2000, America registered a third of the world's economic growth with just 5% of the population. And then within that populace, all of that prosperity was crammed into the third of the population that was white, male, and heterosexual. But now what we're doing is we're holding a 19-year-old male accountable for my privilege. "
The Critical Importance of Male Role Models
Galloway reveals that the single point of failure for boys is losing a male role model through death, divorce, or abandonment. He shares his personal experience growing up as the son of "the other woman," with his primary male role model living a double life. Despite this unconventional situation, various men stepped in as mentors, from coaches to a stockbroker named Cy Saro who taught him about investing at age 13. The research shows girls have identical outcomes in single-parent homes, while boys become dramatically more likely to be incarcerated and less likely to graduate college.
- When boys lose a male role model, they become more likely to be incarcerated and less likely to graduate college, while girls show no such decline
- Boys are physically stronger but emotionally and neurologically much weaker than girls
- A boy sexually molested at 15 is 10 times more likely to kill himself than a girl who experienced the same trauma
- Galloway's stockbroker mentor taught him about investing at 13 with $200, establishing a pattern of financial literacy that led to long-term wealth
" If you were to reverse engineer to the single point of failure for when a boy comes off the tracks and has trouble as a man, it's the following. It's when a boy loses a male role model through death, divorce, or abandonment. "
" Girls are stronger than boys. There's no doubt in getting around it. Girls are stronger than boys. "
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