Two weeks ago, I wrote a piece urging Gen Z to stop talking and start doing. The response revealed something far deeper than I initially anticipated—a generational crisis that transcends borders, cultures, and political systems. While I stand by that call to action, the intensity of the reactions showed that we need to dig deeper into the root causes of this global transformation.
As someone who's studied the “Management of Social Processes”, I've spent the past weeks analyzing data, tracking trends, and connecting patterns that paint a stark picture of where we're heading. What emerged isn't just a story about disaffected youth—it's about a fundamental restructuring of society that will shape the next 25 years.
The Perfect Storm: A Generation in Crisis
Young men in Gen Z are navigating a world vastly different from the one their fathers knew. The metrics paint a disturbing picture: they are more likely to be unemployed, more likely to live at home longer, less likely to be in relationships, and more prone to mental health crises than any previous generation. In the U.S., men under 30 are three times more likely to be addicted, four times more likely to take their own lives, and twelve times more likely to end up incarcerated. These aren't just statistics; they're warning signs of a generation at odds with the world they're inheriting.
The Valley of Tears: Living Beyond Their Means
Scroll through social media, and you might think Gen Z is thriving. Their Instagram feeds overflow with designer clothes, luxury experiences, and carefully curated success stories. But beneath this glossy veneer lies a disturbing reality: a generation building their lifestyle on credit cards and buy-now-pay-later schemes like Klarna, sinking deeper into debt as they chase a lifestyle that feels just within reach but remains fundamentally out of grasp.
When the bills come due, when the interest piles up, when the facade of luxury crumbles, these young people are thrown into what I call the "Valley of Tears"—a place where the sheen of luxury fades, and harsh realities crash in. The result? An escalating spiral into resentment, anger, and even misogyny, creating a psychological defense against a world that feels rigged against them.
A Crisis That Crosses Generations
Perhaps most troubling is how this crisis echoes across generations. The suicide statistics tell a chilling story: in Europe, men's suicide rates are 3.5 times higher than women's, with men accounting for 77% of all EU suicide deaths in 2021. Among young men aged 10-24 in the UK, the rate has been rising by 2.5% annually since 2005—a staggering total increase of over 65% in less than two decades.
Gen X fathers, who grew up expecting economic stability and social mobility, now watch helplessly as their sons struggle with depression, disconnection, and stagnation. This pain creates an unexpected feedback loop: these fathers are increasingly drawn into the same digital spaces and ideological currents as their sons, creating a multi-generational crisis of masculine identity and purpose.
The Rise of the Anti-Woke Manosphere
In this vacuum of purpose and belonging, a powerful cultural movement has emerged. The "manosphere"—a global network of influencers, podcasts, and communities—has become a space where young men are reorienting themselves around a new model of masculinity and misogyny. At its center stand figures like Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, and Donald Trump—men who don't just represent success, but symbolize defiance against a world many feel has become hostile to traditional masculine values.
The Politics of Defiance
Trump—despite his documented record of controversies—is set to retake power. But this isn't just about one man or one election. It's about what Scott Galloway calls "aspirational masculinity"—a referendum on who can best represent an unapologetic, assertive vision of manhood in a world increasingly focused on sensitivity and inclusion.
When Trump appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast, he reached 50 million young men—more than the UEFA Champions League final across Europe. These aren't just media appearances; they're cultural statements that say, "I get you. I'm one of you. I'm here for you."
A Global Movement
This phenomenon transcends America's borders. Across Europe, young men are embracing similar anti-woke sentiment. In Switzerland, figures like Roger Köppel portray authoritarian leaders as models of strong leadership bowing to Putin as the role-model of the future manhood. In France, Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon attract young voters with populist, anti-establishment rhetoric. Influencers like Zeki Bulgurcu, Steven Epprecht, and Joung Gustav in Switzerland amass huge followings by challenging progressive narratives and celebrating machism.
The manosphere isn't just a rejection of "wokeness"; it's a complete redefinition of values, asserting that masculinity itself has become an act of resistance. In a world dominated by discussions of gender fluidity, pronouns, and cancel culture, these spaces offer what many young men see as a sanctuary—a place where strength and traditional values aren't just accepted but celebrated.
The Digital Acceleration
The crisis is amplified by modern media consumption patterns. These young men and their fathers are digital natives in a world where information—and misinformation—travels at light speed. Traditional news outlets can't compete with social media platforms and podcasts that create echo chambers where the loudest, most provocative voices dominate.
Algorithms feed users more of what they already believe, creating self-reinforcing cycles that lock them into increasingly extreme views. It's not about finding truth; it's about finding content that confirms their frustrations and anxieties. When speed is prioritized, nuance dies. The most emotionally charged, sensational content rises to the top, feeding a diet of aggression, divisiveness, and identity politics.
Even Switzerland Isn't Immune
Those who think wealthy, stable societies are protected from these trends need only look at Switzerland. Youth crime has surged 11% in just one year, with juvenile convictions reaching 23,080 in 2023. Since 2015, convictions for acts against sexual integrity have tripled, and offenses related to pornography have quadrupled. Perhaps most alarming, one in five young people now carries a knife—a statistic that would have been unthinkable a generation ago.
Recent incidents paint an even darker picture. In October 2024, a 23-year-old student attacked three kindergarten children in Zurich. In March, a knife attack targeted an orthodox Jewish man, prompting increased security measures. These aren't isolated incidents; they're symptoms of the same underlying crisis affecting young men globally.
The social pressures, financial strain, and frustrations brewing among young men are igniting behavior we've rarely seen here before. If you think Switzerland is immune to the crisis facing Gen Z and Gen X elsewhere, it's time for a reality check. The trends are here, growing under the surface, and if we don't address them now, the illusion of safety will shatter.
A Future Shaped by Discontent
This isn't a trend—it's a fundamental restructuring of how society functions. In the next 25 years, Gen Z men and their disillusioned fathers will be shaping the world we live in. They will be the ones defining politics, reshaping economies, and driving culture. And with a generation feeling marginalized, disillusioned, and angry, the results may be volatile.
This is a demographic with unprecedented access to information—and misinformation. They are connected yet isolated, powerful yet disempowered. They've grown up in a world where the loudest voices win, where complexity is drowned out by the allure of simplicity, and where validation comes from online communities that are often angry, divisive, and defensive.
A World of Winners and Losers
We are accelerating into an age of extremes, where unchecked ambition and corporate greed steer the ship, and traditional institutions struggle to maintain relevance. The world these men will build won't necessarily be one of unity or compromise. If current trends continue, we're heading toward a battleground of extremes, where the winner takes all and the middle ground becomes a distant memory.
A Global Reality Check
We are watching the birth of a new political, cultural, and social era—a world where young men are mobilized not by unity but by discontent, not by shared values but by shared grievances. And their fathers, watching their sons struggle and suffer, are radicalizing alongside them. The manosphere isn't a fad; it's a mirror. And what it shows us isn't just a generation adrift—it's a future shaped by men, young and old, who feel forgotten, resentful, and ready to change the world, whether we're ready or not.
If we don't address these root issues—financial instability, social isolation, and the loss of purpose—then this growing wave of disillusionment will continue to rise, not just in America or Switzerland but across the globe. This isn't just a generational divide; it's a societal reckoning, and it's coming faster than we might think.
The question isn't whether this movement will shape the future—it's how far it will go, and whether we're prepared for what's coming. For those watching in disbelief, now is the time to look in the mirror and ask, "How did we get here?" Because the forces that delivered us to this point aren't going to disappear; they're digging in deeper, widening the cracks not just in the American experiment but in democracies worldwide.
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