Unlimited Sympathy: Does anyone actually think Kyle isn’t responsible for the majority of stress in his life?

The odd corollary of the Summerhouse drama is an outpour of support for Kyle. To be honest, I don’t know how you can be a longtime fan of the show and think he’s not at fault for the consequences of his actions.

What I consistently see is a grown man, going to be 44, who struggles to regulate his emotions when things don’t go his way. The stakes could be minor personal drama, or major stress from Loverboy. His coping mechanisms are yelling, throwing stuff, slamming things, shifting blame, and melting down in a way that involves everyone around him. Season after season, and we see 1% of their lives.

And at a certain point, it’s hard to sympathize with “I’m under stress” from the guy who built the environment causing the stress. The business he constantly cites as the source of pressure is one he founded, while making aggressive financial and lifestyle decisions around it. Taking out 7 figure loans is CRAZY. Putting $500k to simply pay your employees is crazy. I understand the stress, who wouldn’t be? But that’s what happens when you roll the dice. I’m not betting my mortgage on the World Cup and crying foul when I lose. It’s why crypto bros sell courses, because it’s more stable income than actually putting your money on the line.

At the same time, his entire identity is being a frat boy party entrepreneur. Late nights DJing, drinking, socializing heavily, while also complaining about burnout and pressure from the same thing he perpetuates!!! His lifestyle outside of work doesn’t seem like he’s trying to reduce that stress. I wouldn’t expect him to either, that’s who he is.

There’s also the relationship fallout which only adds more instability to his personal life. But again, it raises the same question, how much of this is external pressure versus repeated personal choices that compound each other? Going back to his physically handling of emotional stress, compare him with Carl. It’s night and day. Carl is a shining example of personal therapy, accountability, etc. Kyle has not progressed in those areas for essentially the whole show.

He’s a hard worker, there’s no denying it. He does a lot of things well in different areas. But at some point, you have to ask whether the pattern is “life is happening to him” or “he keeps choosing dynamics that predictably lead to this outcome.” And I think it’s the latter. 10