A couple of weeks ago, Liz Wheeler went viral on X for a post that listed men’s least attractive hobbies according to women. While Wheeler (and now the community note) clarified that the statistics presented were satirical, it still managed to stir up quite a bit of controversy. The top hobby on the imaginary “most hated” list was video games. What if regularly spending six consecutive hours playing video games isn’t bad because it’s unattractive but because it’s actually unhealthy? Predictable gender war crossfire ensued. Men hissed back: “Women like you assume your company is more interesting and valuable than a good video game. You are incorrect.” “Women really do hate when men are happy doing something that isn’t centered around them.” “Well, we're not going to sit around and watch the Titanic for the tenth time.” On one hand, it is understandable to feel defensive when you perceive that something you personally enjoy or take pride in is generalized and belittled. This is the essence of stereotyping, and no one has the stomach for it any more. On the other, is the response proportional to the perceived offense, which was simply an expression of preference? The internet has become a battleground for gendered infighting, and the constant bickering has done nothing but send us farther into our respective corners. We all want to generalize but not be generalized. Meme warfare offends this sensibility. It’s not for the faint of heart. But — and hear me out — stereotypes exist for a reason. What if regularly spending six consecutive hours playing video games isn’t bad because it’s unattractive but because it’s actually unhealthy? In other words, what if it’s unattractive to women because it’s bad for men, not bad for men because it’s unattractive to women? There's growing evidence to suggest that gaming can be just as addictive as gambling, leading to withdrawal from and loss of interest in social life and problems at school and work. According to recent study on what's been termed internet gaming disorder:Current prevalence estimates of IGD vary widely (2–15%). ... Prevalence may be underestimated due to low response (surveys take time away from gaming) and underreporting (a criterion of IGD is hiding one's extent of internet gaming). Yet, even by conservative estimates, with 318 million people in the US playing digital games, at least 5 million (probably many more) meet criteria for IGD, experiencing personal, social, and academic difficulties. Perhaps women’s intuition isn’t as shallow as some have made it seem. Perhaps hard-core gaming, as the study suggests, indicates a deeper problem that impedes long-term social success in life. It’s too easy to dismiss Wheeler and the women who agree with her as nagging busybodies who just don’t like it when men “have fun.” Maybe some of them are. But maybe, deep down, some of these guys don’t like their reflection. Accountability is a bitter pill. Distraction is easier. That said, on the particular level, does it really matter if a guy is a gamer as long as he isn’t hopelessly addicted and antisocial about it? If a gamer finds a woman and they fall madly in love, is he still “unattractive”? Certainly not to his sweetheart. And conversely, if you’re a woman who finds gaming unattractive, don’t date a gamer. It really is that simple. Who cares? As one commenter said, “Attraction is subjective; hobbies don’t define someone’s worth or attractiveness. Crazy thought: Maybe we let people enjoy what they love without reducing their value based on personal preferences for entertainment.” Well said.

Americans throughout the country are waking up to the possibility that the medical industry might not always have their best interest in mind, and surgeon Dr. Marty Makary is one of the men leading the charge. Now, he’s sounding the alarm on the way women are treated while giving birth in the hospital and what it means for the future of their children. “We’ve seen the group think and medicine downplay these best practices in childbirth that we now recognize have dramatic benefits,” Makary tells Allie Beth Stuckey of “Relatable.” “A delayed clamping of the umbilical cord once the baby is born. That umbilical cord is pulsating healthy stem cells and fetal hemoglobin which binds oxygen really well, and it’s warm blood infused directly into the child’s circulation to keep the baby warm,” he explains. However, as a medical student, Makary was taught to immediately cut the umbilical cord, the second the baby came out. Those in the medical industry are also taught to whisk the baby away from his mother after just minutes — but skin-to-skin contact for hours after birth leaves the baby with a normal heart rate and blood pressure, and the baby is less likely to need an ICU stay. The baby also has a normal glucose level, because when the mom holds the baby, the stress hormones are not spiking as high, which changes glucose levels. Not only does he take issue with those common practices, but he relays to Stuckey that C-sections and antibiotics are often unnecessary. “Sixty percent of antibiotics are unnecessary, and an estimated 40% of C-sections are unnecessary,” he tells Stuckey. “Mothers are unfairly, inappropriately told there’s no difference. You can deliver vaginally or by C-section, your choice.” However, the microbiome in the gut forms differently when the baby is born by C-section versus vaginally. “The gut of a baby in utero is sterile. There’s no bacteria in there. How do we get our millions of different bacteria that live in this harmony and then are involved in digestion and immunity and mental health? Well, a baby passes through the birth canal and the bacteria of the vaginal canal seeds the microbiome, augmented by bacteria from breast milk, especially in the first hour from skin contact,” he explains. Babies born by C-section also have higher rates of asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, colitis, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome — and there may even be a connection between people born via C-section and higher rates of colon cancer. “If you as a doctor tell a woman in labor anywhere in the world, a C-section might be safer for your baby, then 100% of women are going to say, 'Well then do it, right now,' right? It’s manipulation if it’s not based on good scientific data,” Makary explains. Stuckey had C-sections with her first two births and delivered her last one vaginally. “I was definitely, with my first birth, one of those people that was pressured in all different kinds of ways,” Stuckey says, adding, “They dropped the, ‘Oh, maybe you’ll have a stillborn baby thing.’ Which, there was no indication of that at all. She was perfectly healthy.”Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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