men

Every single human society that has ever existed, past or present, has had to contend with the question of how to control the generative impulse. Variously identified as the will to power, yetzer hara (יצר הרע), or "toxic masculinity," it is almost always referred to in terms that are more male than female, and potentially destructive if not properly addressed. Anyone who has observed groups of young men interact without normative boundaries on behavior, such as in the form of competitive sport, will instantly identify the phenomenon. Chuck Palahniuk's "Fight Club" is an excellent contemporary fictional representation of it.

Strategies for managing the generative impulse generally fall under one of two categories, (1) monogamous and (2) polygynous. Monogamous societies tend to be more peaceful, less violent, more innovative, and sedentary. Polygynous societies are more prone to violence, stagnant, and nomadic. Since the generative impulse is, like all human traits, not distributed equally among individuals in society, the monogamous strategy depends on strong normative taboos against infidelity to be maintained. If successful, however, the excess impulse will be invested into productive economic ventures. The polygynous societies, in contrast, do not require strong normative restraints as this strategy more closely resembles our evolutionary history. In this strategy, large number of unwed men are either sent into expansionary / defensive war, enslaved, or left to express their rage and frustration in creative but increasingly destructive ways.

Due to the waning influence of religiously imposed norms across the developed world, we are currently undergoing a rapid transition, perhaps a reversion, from the monogamous to the polygynous strategy. Excess impulse, when not sufficiently dissipated into pornography, drug use, and video games, will inevitably be channeled into more destructive behavior.

Everything is about to get a lot more violent, stagnant, and unpredictable.