I am currently spending a few relaxing weeks in a sunny Mediterranean coastal city catering primarily to American and European vacationers. Which gives me the opportunity of observing a large and pretty diverse sample set of the Western population, although I do see a good number of Eastern Europeans as well (more on that below). Although I don't go on vacation to engage in empirical sociology I couldn't help but observe a few rather disturbing trends, listed below in no particular order:

• Cameras-on-a-stick * this recent trend in facilitating selfies has become yet another tool in the pursuit of unmitigated narcissism. They are everywhere and women are the main culprits although a small number of men (among all age groups) use them as well. If you are that guy then please go online and learn about the countless unnamed men in history who died in trenches or blood soaked fields defending their country or their family. Then spend the remainder of that day beating yourself over the head with your damn camera stick before disposing it permanently. (sorry it had to be said)

• Selfies * Men are doing it as well but for women going on vacation pretty much is tantamount to being on an extended photo shoot. Quite often the procedure is quite elaborate in collaboration with at least one or two others who are in charge of picking the proper setting, help arrange the lighting, check make up, etc. Make no mistake - we guys are completely outclassed here and the three 'casual' shots that may wind up on her FB page have been carefully selected after snapping hundreds if not thousands selfies over the period of several days. The side aspect of this is that this also serves as an implicit ego boost, again amplifying over bloated egos and the perception of their SMV.

• Obesity * sure I'm not uncovering anything new here. As expected Americans in general are the worst offenders but it seems that British women in particular are hot on their trails (literally as it seems like someone left the gate open). Most of the specimen I had the great misfortune of laying eyes on were at least 20 to 30 pounds overweight, are wearing too much make up, and are dressed in clothes several sizes too small. Muffin tops are everywhere. The fatter they are the higher the likelihood that are traveling in herds. Hot girls usually are seen with their boyfriend/hubby or are accompanied by only one or two girlfriends (not sure if there are lesbian couple dynamics). Again, British women in particular take the cake here (pun intended) - I've come across a wide range of obnoxious large and in charge wildebeests who seem to think that they are God's gift to men. They are loud, annoying, and behave like slobs.

• Dominant/Leading Behavior Among Women * This actually inspired me to write this post as it stood out, and once I started looking for signs of this behavior I began to see it everywhere. Not only are women acting increasingly dominant - a large percentage of men now seem to be relegated to following them around like little pet dogs. I am seeing many women holding a map and/or a mobile phone whilst storming ahead of their blue pill floor-mats - not even wasting a glance back to see if he's tagging along. Men are rarely consulted on where to go or are being ignored. Quite a few times I have seen women snap the map out of their hubbies/boyfriend's hand. Conversations seem to revolve between the women in the group with the men standing by passively. If men are participating then it's mostly to supplicate or attempting to impress the girl. Men are the ones paying for meals/drinks about 90% of the time and quite often the women waits at the table (pecking at her mobile) while her male slave is procuring drinks and snacks. It's a truly sad state of affairs to see such a dramatic shift in social behavior as this is not something I observed let's say 10 or 20 years ago.

• Men Dating < Their SMV * Here it appears European men in particular are among the worst offenders. You may in your own life have come across the occasional 'odd couple' - in that the girl is smoking hot and you wonder what the hell she's doing with that 5'5'' bald creep in tennis shoes (my apologies in advance to all you small guys who happen to be bald and love tennis shoes). But I am noticing the inverse with increasing regularity now - athletic good looking tall and well dressed men who would be simply killing it in the U.S. are accompanies by women at least 2 or 3 notches below their own SMV. We are talking guys who may be accepted by model agencies pairing up with a 5 or 6. If she's not outright ugly then at minimum she's at least 15 pounds too heavy. I'm not saying they are dating ugly girls but clearly they could do a lot better if they had any game whatsoever. Make no mistake guys - despite the red pill it seems that fat acceptance is on the rise. The feministas are either succeeding in rendering obesity socially acceptable/desirable or men are settling lower out of sheer desperation. The thirst is real and I have seen guys who are far better looking than me (taller, more symmetrical faces, better dressed, bigger, etc.) with women I would not even touch with a ten foot pole being shitfaced.

• Men Dating > Their SMV: Rare and the only observances are EE men who are clearly alpha as fuck and seem to be treating their girls as if they're a 3 or 4. Those guys are fully in charge and are running the show - you won't see the average Russian/Ukranian dude holding their gal's purse whilst tagging behind her. Some of these guys are fat and look like they slept in their clothes but just from looking at them you can tell they are not used to taking any shit. Meaning if you make eye contact they look straight back at you with that little tilt of the head that suggests to not come looking for trouble and to STF away from their gal/family. You know - red blooded masculine men.

• Mobile Phone Immersion * While I see most older couples simply enjoy a few relaxing days in the sun, anyone born after ~1990 appears to have been equipped with a cerebral timer daemon compelling them to check their mobile device every other minute or so. The younger the person the more addictive the behavior. Attention span are short and I have seen young girls on guided tours who are constantly immersed in their mobile devices. Here they are in front of a gorgeous 16th century Gothic church and they're barely wasting a glance or are paying attention to the guide. It's not the norm fortunately but I'd say 30% to 40% are completely out of touch with the reality that surrounds them.

• Piercings And Tattoos Are Epidemic * It seems this trend goes in tandem with mobile phone immersion. Almost anyone in their twenties now dons some type of tattoo - it's evenly split between the sexes. As a matter of fact it's become extremely rare to come across a good looking women who has not branded her body one way or the other for posterity - and I'm not talking about earrings here. I think tattoo removal services are going to be a booming growth industry in the coming decade (or at least one would hope). As a side note - many Mediterranean men and young boys now don a tattoo on at least one of their shaved calves. I personally find it a bit effeminate but suspect many of you will disagree.

• Pseudo Bad Boys * Quite a number of you circulating now - especially among S. European guys it seems (less so among N. European men, probably due to more favorable employment statistics). This is related to tattoos and piercings in that a large number of men seem to feel compelled of acting out some kind of bad boy, biker, anarchist, or outlaw fantasy. Sorry guys - you're not fooling anyone. You may hit the gym and don a few tats but it's all an act. Very few of you guys have been in a fight since high school, do even know how to fight, and if you were challenged physically probably would run the other way. Most likely this is some attempt to attract women - clearly the word has gone out that bad boys get the girls and nice guys finish last (which may be a good start). Only problem is that I'm seeing way too many of them now - so the little additional edge it affords you will be gone soon. My personal advice - forget about tats, piercings, and baggy pants - the real bad boy wears it on the face (and approaches without giving a fuck). Contrast that with E. European men who still rarely don any tats (unless they are real - meaning they are connected) but act macho as hell. I'm not really impressed at all by a wanna-be-Eminem acting getting in my face as much as by a guy in a suit who looks me straight in the eyes and tells me in no certain terms what the deal is.

• Women Traveling In Groups / Lesbian couples * I am sure this has been a trend over the past few decades but I do see an increasing number of women traveling in groups - I'm also seeing more lesbian couples. What stands out here is that in almost all cases they seem to be completely immersed in their own network with little interaction with the outside world, especially men. They travel together, talk together, drink together, message each other, take photos of each other. They do seem to be aware of their surroundings but it only serves as a stage for their group's performance. Perhaps this goes hand in hand with an increase in lesbian relationships? Women have always been more accepting of both sexes and there is a lot more here than meets the eye, guys. In a world where they are constantly told that men are pigs who are not needed and are replaceable making the leap, if so genetically predisposed, is now almost procedural.

• Women's Interest In Men * Almost non-existent. I myself am a pretty good looking bloke but the streets here are literally teaming with handsome men and boys. Many of them are well dressed (especially the Europeans - sorry). A pretty good percentage of men seem to hit the gym regularly - they are in great shape and take care of themselves. And most of them are being completely ignored by the women around them. When I see a good looking fellow I often observe the women around him to gauge the level of interest. They don't look around and they don't care - unless you're clearly in the 9 - 10 range you are simply background noise to them - you don't exist. Breaching the bitch shield has become a basic skill if you want to have any opportunity whatsoever. You could be Brat Pitt rolling down the road in a Ferrari and I bet you most gals wouldn't even care or notice (alright - I'm exaggerating but you get the point). The SMV required to trigger passive attention (meaning girls noticing you without you taking action) is extremely high - again, unless you are a solid 9 or 10 you will have to work hard. A shy young man with an SMV at or below 7 may spend his entire youth with barely any female interaction.

• Hair Styles Among Women * It's good to see that no self respecting Mediterranean, EE, or Latin women below 40 cuts her hair off - period. I am seeing swaths of beautiful young girls with gorgeous manes down to their asses here. They really take care of themselves and they clearly are enjoying their femininity. This stands in stark contrast with American, British as well as German, Dutch, and Scandinavian women. At least half of them cut their hair short after they get married or before that. It's rather stunning to set foot here if you're used to a populace of women at home who cut their hair short for convenience or to make a political/social statement. Very rarely do I see 'chicken haircuts' among women younger than 40 except among NE and American women.

• Dress Codes Among Women * Best dressers are S. European, E. European, and Latin women - a lot of them can be seen in stylish dresses of all lengths and high heels - very feminine. Among N. European and Asian women it's very mixed depending on where they're from. American women dress like slobs compared with most European women - it's simply embarrassing. Sorry to harp on you Brits but most of your gals dress as if they receive fashion tips from a color blind Matt Lucas. A positive is the widespread use of yoga pants among Anglo-Saxon women - which given the right specimen is entertaining. I can usually tag a gal from 300 feet (100m) away - at minimum if she's European or American.

• Dress Codes Among Men * The winners here are S. European men - not a big surprise. Most of those guys know how to dress to impress even in hot weather. Very stylish casual clothing. Of course the Mediterranean has their share of white trash and you seem them mixed in. Most N. European guys are in typical holiday gear - short pants and t-shirts - most of them have basic fashion sense. American men - sigh - sorry guys but I rarely come across a yank here who doesn't dress like a bloody tourist. We are talking loud shirts, over-sized pants, baseball caps, tennis shoes. You will rarely to ever see a S. European guy with tennis shoes unless he just came out of the gym. They mostly wear stylish summer sandals or espadrilles, dress shirts with short sleeves, and stylish pants - no shorts unless it's over 33 Celsius (> 91 F). Learn from them!

• Men's Interest In Women * As you may have guessed this has not changed very much - guys are always ogling the gals. What I have not seen very much however are approaches. The chaps are clearly interested but women have become experts in applying a well constructed bitch shield which mainly consists of using the bitch face, group swarming, and especially mobile immersion. Back in the days you could use the book she was reading as a conversation starter. Now it seems like not a moment in a women's life is spent idle, when not entertained any available time is spent maintaining her virtual lifeline.

• Eastern Europeans * What can I say, the women immediately stand out as they are hot as hell. Mobile devices are now ubiquitous among EE women I am sorry to say. Quite notable however is that the women in almost all cases are a lot more attractive than their hubbies/boyfriends. It's the complete opposite of what I'm seeing among Western European couples. Quite often you will see a small chap who looks like money but would not raise a single eyelash in the U.S. with a drop dead gorgeous skinny gal that most of you guys would rate at least an 8 or 9.

• Passive Aggressive Behavior * Along with the ubiquity of tattoos and bad boy outfits/haircuts I also notice a lot more passive aggressive behavior. I actually don't see any real fights but what I'm noticing is some underlying frustration exhibited by young males. Which I find rather disturbing. Clearly there is an arms race at play between young men to gain access to some of the few available high quality women. I'm not saying that there aren't any - I actually am seeing quite a few hot babes. But few of them are available and the ones who are seem oblivious to any advances/attention or actively discourage it (see above). Which seems to frustrate anyone on the lookout for a bit of holiday fun. I'm not certain that this is a new phenomenon but I believe that passive aggression has now taken the place of traditional physical clashes between males. Clearly it's difficult being a man and kick some drunk idiot's butt if you're surrounded by legions of cameras connected to social media sites that may ruin your future career with incriminating evidence.

• In Summary * I'm sad to admit this but it seems clear to me that men are 'losing the war'. The average young women lives in a completely different world than you or I, one in which everything revolves around her ego and everything that surrounds here is designed to cater to her precious feelings. Men are expendable and are grasping for the few low hanging straws left for them (education, career, relationships, sex, social roles, etc.). I wouldn't go as far as label men 2nd class citizens but based on current observations the social role and value of men is systematically (or at least implicitly) being diminished.

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P.S.: I have nothing against tennis shoes and/or sneakers and actually call several pairs my own. No tennis shoes or white socks were injured in the production of this post.