>>64486825I think it really comes down to the horsehoe theorem (sorry for wall of text, but stick with me here): We all enjoyed teletubbies/blue's clues/dora as toddlers, found it absolutely awful as we grew up, but somehow come around to watching FWMC (teletubbies with tits) as adults.
In a similar manner, GFE appeals to both extremes, both inexperienced newbies, and old jaded veterans who have given up on the state of IRL relationships.
Most are parasocial simps who have never had (and may never have) a IRL GF, and thus drop their life savings in the hopes of winning the affection of their 2d waifu. Eventually, a simp grows out of it, joins /fit/ and /fa/, gets a life, and becomes a responsible member of society. That is where the journey ends for the few who stay happy and successful, but what about the rest? Given historically low marriage/birth rates and a society ruined by two generations largely raised in divorced/single parent households, many who were badly burned become either monks or doomers. In the end, you'll see plenty of divorced retirees end up either being red pill gurus or SEA/LatAm sexpats who embrace transactional relationships as the most "genuine" version that they cannot be hurt by. Maybe it's just another form of cope in abandoning hope for a 0.1% miracle relationship, but this mindset is ideal for dealing with the 99.9% of soulless transactional relationships (bar girls, hookers, and GFE vtubers among others).
We always look at society through a single slice/snapshot at one point in time, but on a longer timeframe, sometimes the innocent simp, the successfully married normie, and jaded divorcee are the same person on different stages of life. Most who are /here/ are just beginning their journey, but many might someday come to the same depressing conclusion: parasocial relationships are optimal after all. By avoiding an exhausting 'real' relationship, nothing is expected of you, and you can enjoy a happy pandering fantasy with no attachment. Sure, it will never reach the highest peaks of the "real", but you do not bear the risk of returning back to rock-bottom. For jaded old adults no longer seeking adventure in a grand fantasy, sometimes that happy innocent healing slice-of-life fantasy is all that we need.
