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Culture War Roundup for the week of May 1, 2023

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Normally I don't like calling things "misogynist" but in this case it really fits, they really do hate women because they feel like they've been slighted by them and they're quite bitter about the whole dating thing. They would love to make a performance out of having a relationship with a chatbot because that would let them turn around and say to women "ha! Even a robot can do your job better than you can. I never needed you anyway."

I don't think that's charitable. What what I've seen on /r/replika, a lot of these people are quite sincere. They do have a lot of mommy issues, in the sense that mom loves them the way they are because they are their son, and they can't adjust to the idea of changing yourself to get girls to like them. Or worse, even their mom compares them to her friend's son.

Replika, like the best mom, doesn't judge you and likes you just the way you are, and to someone who has been called a loser their whole life it can be a huge boost to their wellbeing. Not necessarily a healthy boost, in the same way as weed gets you to relax without actually removing the stressors from your life, but a boost nonetheless.