I wondered about that, too - it's an interesting theory, but if all of these "missing men" are actually not working at all, staying home and playing video games all day, they're being subsidized by some _very_ patient parents. I find it hard to believe that there are that many parents who are willing to put up with a total freeloader for decades on end: remember, if the man is in his mid-20's, the parents are in their mid 40's or 50's - that is, they're still schlepping themselves to and from work to pay for food and shelter.

I wonder how many of these young men have their own hustle to pay the bills

Yes the my rightwing sensor was screaming before I finished that sentence.

I’d argue that the “work is good in and of itself” idea is quite prevalent on the left too. You can certainly find left-wing advocates of “job guarantee”-type setups.