When I graduated college after I broke up with my girlfriend, I had moved cities and lost my job, and my wealthy parents refused to give me any more money.

After a year of trying to live off the generosity of others and the merits of my eccentric personality/good looks, I suddenly realized I had no last resort, no quick way to drum up a bunch of sustenance, no shortcuts. It is not easy for men to find financial support in a romantic situation in the society we have set up—men are expected to support themselves. Lots and lots of people have lectured me that this isn’t true but experience and observaation have taught me this: No amount of handsomeness or superficial appeal will change the fact that people expect you to drive your own car in life, so to speak.

It’s like they said in the very first episode of Rick and Morty where they’re arguing about how stupid Morty is:

Beth: ”Come on Jerry! It’s not like he’s a hot girl or something . He can’t just, like, bail on his own life and set up shop in someone else’s.”

Now alternatives to the traditional patriarchal setup are becoming more popular and society is finally allowing submissive male personalities to exist comfortably, but I still learned the lesson that part of what it means to be a man is the ability to adapt to your environment and support yourself without the assistance of a safety net. If you are unlucky, you’ll just have to work to earn your keep.