A basement or attic dweller is typically a male over eighteen, often without a high school diploma or GED, who continues to live at
home with his parent(
s) without any ambition to move out or contribute to society. These individuals live in a perpetual state of ‘getting their shit together.’ Their daily routine often includes excessive
marijuana use, contributing to a lack of motivation. They usually wake up around noon or later and stay up past midnight or later.
Comparable to hikikomori, basement dwellers never or rarely pay rent, lack a
job or aspirations for further education, and lead an unhealthy lifestyle dominated by video games and junk food.
Their employment, if any, usually lasts only a few weeks before they quit or get fired. Many of these individuals are socially inept, misogynistic, and either obese, unhealthily skinny, or physically appear normal.
This phenomenon, more prevalent in the US and Canada, is becoming increasingly mainstream globally. While women can also be basement or attic dwellers, it is rarer.
There are subcategories within this group, including:
- The obese,
anime-obsessed, heavy-breathing type who neglects personal hygiene.
- The ‘fake
gangster’ (AKA Malibu’s Most Wanted), often white, obsessed with
weed and mumble
rap, adopting behaviors and slang (mainly the N-word) from
popular rap culture.