It's pretty obvious what you should expect from a subreddit called r/malelivingspace, and oh man does it deliver. Reddit's internet ubiquity is such that we sometimes forget at just what an awesome scale this site operates, and how that can transform a hobbyist or humorist niche into a huge connected community.
So to the topic of male living spaces we go and, as this is a subreddit with 1.9 million members, the posts are all over the place: there are the humblebrags, of course, alongside popular genres of picture like ludicrous gaming rooms (and weirdass plant builds), and a healthy dose of self-aware humor from most participants.
One element of the sub is posts about rather grim-looking locations, or those that play up to the sad male loner stereotype, which the denizens of r/malelivingspace absolutely adore. This would be how the humble redditor PathToWater stumbled into his 15 minutes of fame, after making a a post nine days ago titled "I've got everything I need."
The accompanying photograph shows a room containing a desk, a chair, a gaming PC with a neon blue case, a keyboard and mouse, a side table (la-di-dah!), and a mattress on the floor. But this is PC Gamer: computer ENHANCE! Thanks to our peerless hardware team I can tell you that PathToWater is using a SteelSeries Apex keyboard, possibly the Apex 5, and a Logitech G203 mouse—extremely solid choices. You can also see custom/fancy motherboard cables in the PC too, indicating this is a man with their priorities straight. And just to complete the scene, the PC is running SkyFactory4, a Minecraft skyblock mod.
Truly, this is everything you need (except for the scrunched-up ball of toilet paper that can be seen under one part of the IKEA mattress, grotty sod). Which may be how this image and caption caught the attention of a late night CBS talk show, After Midnight, hosted by comedian Taylor Tomlinson alongside other guests. It's basically a mashup of comedy and quiz, and for one of the rounds Tomlinson introduces r/malelivingspace as "a place where single men post pictures of their feral male homes."
It cycles through a couple of submissions before alighting on the "I've got everything I need" post, which has the audience in stitches, before Tomlinson interjects "come on, we've all dated that guy."
On returning to r/malelivingspace, PathToWater's response was heartfelt: "They put my ass on fucking TV???"
THEY PUT MY ASS ON FUCKING TV??? from r/malelivingspace
This is of course the kind of drama and recognition that the inhabitants of r/malelivingspace have been waiting for, and it's time to lean-in to the stereotype. ControllerHead1 gets straight to the point: "What kind of neanderthal goes through life without a second monitor?!"
"You gotta get an 'as seen on tv' sticker for your door now," says Aurens. "Dude sounds like you’ve got a good sense of humor about this, with that spirit this is fucking hilarious," says MaximumTurtleSpeed. "The fact they didn’t even blur your handle kills me."
"Frame this screenshot and put it on the wall," says Bevo. "Really tie the room together." PathToWater responds: "ballsy of you to assume I can afford a frame."
"This is not everything you need," says Mum_Chamber. "This is minimal male living space and you are really giving out a poor image for us all. Ideally you would need another monitor, some anime pictures on the wall, probably varying sizes of collectibles on that table, and a proper gaming chair. You would also need at least one spork and one knife, but I assume you have that near the sink."
It's all good clean fun like this, and especially amusing to see people gradually pick up on the picture's details: no bedframe, no sheets on the bed… you're asking for trouble son! Some wonder whether the new-found fame may result in a second pillow. Then there are those who can't or won't play along, and just berate PathToWater for their picture being the topic of a joke on CBS: but OP has the perfect response for that:
"I got made fun of on cable television," says PathToWater. "How will I ever recover."
