It’s a question more people are quietly asking, even if they don’t say it out loud.
You see it on dating apps.
In workplaces.
On social media.
At family dinners.
Men and women who are emotionally unavailable, entitled, avoid accountability, demand more than they give, and mistake attention for worth.
How did we get here?
Why does it feel like there are more low-value people than ever before?
Let’s take a hard, honest look.
1. Value Is No Longer Rooted in Character
Once upon a time, a man or woman was respected for traits like integrity, discipline, loyalty, humility, and strength.
Today, “value” is often confused with visibility—how loud you are online, how attractive you look in photos, how many people want you, or how edgy you sound.
The result?
A culture where substance takes a back seat to style. And low-value people—who are loud, attractive, or provocative—get more attention than high-value people who are quiet, consistent, and committed.
2. Many Were Never Taught to Become Adults
Adulthood used to be a destination. Now it’s optional.
Too many men were never taught how to lead, provide, protect, or commit.
Too many women were taught to chase validation, to strive for independence without responsibility, or become a hyper-curated version of femininity that prioritizes aesthetics over substance.
When no one teaches emotional maturity, boundaries, communication, and accountability, low-value habits become the default.
3. Hookup Culture and Emotional Numbness
Modern dating encourages casual sex, emotional detachment, and a “next!” mentality.
People become disposable.
Vulnerability is mocked.
Ghosting is normalized.
Long-term thinking is rare.
Men and women alike get stuck in cycles of shallow interaction, often mistaking sexual access for connection.
The soul atrophies.
Self-worth erodes.
And low-value behavior becomes a defense mechanism.
4. Social Media Rewards the Worst Instincts
Social media has trained a generation to perform instead of develop.
To seek dopamine hits instead of personal growth.
To compare instead of reflect (and remember, comparison is the thief of joy).
It rewards outrage, vanity, narcissism, and victimhood.
It punishes humility, restraint, nuance, and patience.
When digital validation becomes more important than real-world integrity, people forget how to be whole—only how to be seen.
5. Therapy-Speak Is Replacing Personal Growth
Self-help language, once a tool for healing, is now being weaponized.
“I’m protecting my peace” sometimes really means “I don’t want to face hard truths.”
“I’m triggered” can mean “Don’t hold me accountable.”
“My boundaries” can become “My excuses.”
Growth requires discomfort. But today, many people are more interested in sounding emotionally intelligent than actually being it.
6. People Want Relationship Benefits Without Relationship Work
Everyone wants to be loved, desired, respected, and chosen. But far fewer want to be disciplined, sacrificial, forgiving, or consistent.
Low-value men want submission without leadership.
Low-value women want provision without loyalty.
Both want to be pursued without investing, to be adored without changing, and to be chosen without earning it.
This entitlement corrodes connection.
7. Too Many People Want to Be Right—Not Better
The scariest part?
A lot of low-value people aren’t trying to grow.
They don’t believe they need to.
They want you to accept them exactly as they are—immature, unreliable, entitled—and applaud them for it.
They don’t want reflection. They want justification.
And until that changes, they’ll keep moving from one broken connection to the next, blaming others the whole way.
So What’s the Solution?
You don’t fix the culture overnight. But you can choose not to be part of the problem.
Choose substance over popularity.
Choose discomfort that leads to growth over comfort that keeps you stuck.
Choose accountability over blame.
Choose to build yourself into someone of high-value—even if no one’s watching.
Because here’s the truth…
High-value people still exist. But you’ll never find them if you become what the world has normalized.
-The Rational Ram
The Rational Ram 