Comments by "Thump Er the Sweaty Fat Guy" (@SweatyFatGuy) on "Gen Z Relationships Are In Shambles...Forget About MARRIAGE" video.

  1. Guys, I am Gen X, 54 years old, born in the 60s. The people around me were the same way as your peers, when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s. Most of them followed the herd, did the fads, and didn't think for themselves. Most of them never traveled more than 200 miles from where they were born. They married the woman they dated in high school, and some of the females never got married because they were too big. Its not so much a new thing, its a being young thing. Having a soft life does it too. The only time its too late to start leading in your own life, is when its over and you reach permanent equilibrium with ambient temp. Working out and working towards goals gets you somewhere in life. Unless you're a hot chick, nobody is going to give you anything without you earning it. When I went to my ten year reunion, the hotties from my class dumped their husbands and crowded around me. I went to the military in 1989, did the desert storm thing, traveled to Europe, the mid east, and Africa, and I gained a ton of muscle mass. I was the strongest kid in school when I graduated (could lift more than the teachers could too), so I was even bigger when I came back. They wanted to hear about my travels and what I did. At the 20 the guys were all bald, pudgy, and looked like they were desperately trying to hold on to their youth. I was married to someone 13 years younger than I am, retired, and building muscle cars for fun. I skipped the 30, now the 40 is in another three years. I will go to that one, and probably be driving one of my gassers that I am building right now, the belly will be gone by then and I will look great for a 57 year old crippled two war veteran. I was an outcast my entire life, the pudgy kid everyone picked on and I was 4'9 until I was 14. I sat on the bench in practice and never got in the game when doing team sports, so I got into wrestling. It changed my life and I realized how beneficial it was at my first tournament. I got my tail handed to me, but I could see the potential, so I continued with it. I learned that nobody is going to give me anything, I had to earn it if I wanted it. Growing up poor meant I had to know how to do things rather than guy things if I wanted stuff like a car. By my senior year I was a monster, 5'8" full of muscle, ripped, and could run for miles, benched 265lbs and weighed 175lbs. 22 wins, 13 of them were pins, and I obliterated most kids who got on the mat with me. Suddenly female attention was being thrown at me, and yes I took advantage of it. The second one I had was 22 when I was 17, she was lots of fun in the back seat of my '72 GTO that I bought wrecked and got driveable. I had no friends, no peer group, only wrestlers from other schools respected and admired me, they were the only friends I had and I only saw them at tournaments. I did my own thing, went my way, and did not follow the herd... because I was not allowed to be in the herd. Rather than trying to fit in, I started to lead. My youngest brother is 13 years younger than me, born in the early 80s, he is 41 now. He wasted his 20s getting high and playing World of Warcraft. Now he has a good paying machinist job, he realized he can make things just like I can. I was a machinist for years when I wasn't in the military. He is a lot like your generation, grew up without the pressures I had, he was softer from a soft life. We gave him his first car, a 1968 Mustang. Dad and I repainted it for him. I had to buy all my cars, including the first one when I was 13. I raised, picked, then sold sweet corn in town to buy my first car. Without wheels, you weren't getting off the farm and into town where the females were. It was easier for him so it took him longer than me and the brother between us to start his life. All three of us wrestled, my two sisters were cheerleaders for wrestling. I started a dynasty, and most of our kids also wrestled in school. The only sibling of mine to not wrestle was our oldest brother who is one of those follower types, he didn't ever do anything impressive or challenging. Dad bought him his first car, and he wrecked it twice. A 1970 Charger. Dad had it rebuilt for him. Around 40 he finally pulled his head out of his rectum and started earning his life. Dang it, now its noon and I have car stuff to do out in the shop... putting EFI on the 70 Cuda.
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  2.  @Mal_Freeman0451  I was 25 when my first kid came along, she is almost 30 now. Her sister is 26. If not for the divorce, and their mother had worked with me rather than against me because she wanted to run my life and the money I earned, it would be great. She regrets divorcing me in 2001... I have gone somewhere, she hooked up with a spineless wimp with no ambition, but he obeys her like a good little boy. She chose poorly.
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  3.  @_Arugula_Salad_  I went from the man who could move, lift, or do anything, to one who couldn't walk without excruciating pain... similar to you. It takes a bit of time to get beyond it, but you have to. So this is our life now, we need to find things we can do to alleviate the pain without putting us in a coma, and still feel productive. Without feeling like we are doing something useful, we don't really feel like a man, at least I don't. I need to feel and be capable, or it really wears on me. I made ways around my physical and mental limitations, found a mix of supplements and meds that help with the inflammation that makes everything hurt. Glucosamine and chondroitin works very well for me. Stopped doing things that cause inflammation, like drinking coffee and sugary stuff. Mainly I don't look back at what I used to be able to do and wish I could still do it. Rather I look forward at what I am going to do, and I understand I am going to end up doing it over a much longer period of time than I used to. My thing is building 60s and 70s vintage muscle cars and trucks. I can get around my limits and still do it, but only about 4 to 5 hours per day, and on 4 maybe 5 days a week. Don't focus on what you can't do, concentrate on what you CAN do, and make the most of that. Takes some getting used to, but you and I still have our appendages, the guys missing stuff have it worse.
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