It’s a wild day when Rep. Ritchie Torres uses the straight dating scene in D.C. as his personal soapbox, claiming straight men lack “rizz” and that’s why he’s gay. This is a perfect example of how far the mainstream media is willing to twist a narrative to keep us entertained rather than informed. Let’s be real: straight men aren’t robots, but they certainly aren’t helping their cause with the bland, LinkedIn-generated conversations that flood our screens.

Our so-called “media thought leaders” like CNN and MSNBC love these clickbait stories, peddling the narrative that the heterosexual dating pool is dry when what should be addressed is the societal pressures that stifle genuine connections. Instead of having real conversations about identity, attraction, and what it truly means to date in D.C., outlets like TMZ serve us fluff that distracts from more pressing issues like the incompetence in our political system and the ineffectiveness of our leadership.

While Torres’s observations might be cute in a TikTok, they overshadow the gravity of our cultural discussions. Fox News is guilty of sensationalizing similar topics, but don’t be fooled—this isn’t a partisan issue. Both sides use hot takes to distract from the fact that we are facing an identity crisis at the cultural level. To challenge the status quo, we must demand more from our elected officials and the media. The solution isn’t in diminishing the male experience but rather elevating the conversation around dating, identity, and belonging.