Insights from the demented genius of Nanjing Red Uncle

 

The most interesting piece of news that has gone viral around the world is that of Nanjing Red Uncle, a 38-year-old who managed to convince 1,691 men, many of whom were heterosexual, to have sex with him. As I have fewer subscribers on my YouTube channel than Red Uncle has men, it was pretty fun to read up on the commentary regarding his behaviour.

Over the weekend, I've been hanging out with really smart Millennials, and one snippet of our conversation was about ladies from an elite school in Singapore who are having problems dating men because they are just so good at cutting them down. Of course, it took me a while to put two and two together, which was only after I read some commentary from Taiwanese gossip channels about Red Uncle's genius that my mind was blown by this insight.

Red Uncle's genius lies in being the inverse or opposite of these elite ladies.

In some perverse way, Red Uncle, being a man, has a firm grasp (yes, pun intended) on the problems that men in China, and possibly most Gen Z men, face. Men in China have serious demographic disadvantages, as the unbalanced sex ratio condemns many men to a life of singleness. Even if they do find a way to get hitched, Chinese women call the shots on dowries and bride price, making it hard for a family to establish itself for men in rural regions or low-earning men. 

So there's really no reason for Chinese women to pander to men because of the bargaining advantages they have. So over time, I suspect what's missing in a guy's life is emotional safety. A place to be vulnerable, but also to feel like a man. You find this in many gag videos where American Gen Z dudes pay women to say nice things about them. 

Which explains Red Uncle's demented genius. He looks like Shrek, but all he wants is for the men to hook up with him to bring some fruits and, occasionally, some milk or cooking oil. Red Uncle also makes it a point to occasionally find ways to make his hookups look heroic, like asking for help gently to dispatch a cockroach. If you put everything together, this is the exact opposite of how Chinese women, and possibly our elite ladies, would treat the average non-PMET guy in Singapore - how else can you explain the high margins of "hang flower" places?

With all this analysis, the question we have to confront is whether a homegrown Red Uncle exists, perhaps in the underbelly of the Yishun area.

I don't think Singaporean men are so hard-up that they can settle for some anal with Shrek. Our currency is strong, and there are bridal agencies specialising in brides from other parts of Asia.

But what makes me ultimately uncomfortable comes back to the notion of emotional safety. Not every guy has that in their relationships. 

Maybe Red Uncle is, indeed, the girlfriend of a better age.