I agree I've noticed cold approaching becoming less and less common.
I blame modern extremist feminism and it making men afraid to approach.
I also blame the rise of social media and online dating. Not only do people seem more stand-offish due to finding their social fix online, but the problem with online dating is it's difficult for men on average and, even if you don't do online dating yourself, other people DO which means that cute girl who's number you got the other day has at least two guys from Tinder on the backburner.
"And this is good, men should boycott the cold approach altogether, because it's trouble, humiliating, and it simply doesn't work if you're average."
But if you don't make an effort, who will?
Men typically have to do the approaching if they want any sort of success whatsoever.
Besides, what do you define as 'cold approaching'?
It doesn't have to be approaching random women in the street all the time.
What about at some sort of club or group where you might get to know one of the more frequent members a few times and then ask for their contact details?
What about when you meet someone at a social event, hang out and chat together for several hours, and then ask for their number at the end?
That may have still been 'cold approaching' as you approached a strange and struck up a conversation.
Even if instead of asking for a number after 5 minutes, it took you 50 minutes of hanging out, that's still 'cold-approaching'.
"The only socially acceptable mating-approach nowadays is getting to know people through friends or when women initiate the conversation with the men."
Not everyone has mutual friends with another person, heck, not everyone has ANY friends altogether.
Some women rarely do the initiating, sometimes even if they express an interest in him, but may be too shy to do so. Someone's got to make the effort.
From your past posts you've tended to strongly agree online dating is hopeless, so trying to meet people online is a pointless endeavor as well.
If online AND real-life is not an option (lol), then what is?
Why do you suggest severely limiting potential dating options?
What good will that do?
Some nations around the world are having all-time highs of single rates.
Japan is having something of a crisis due to its high single population, in the United States single person households are at an all time statistical high and only increasing. Divorce rates are also at an all time high in the U.S. Japan has all time low birth rates.
Google this and there is evidence of all 4.
Dating has become so hard nowadays it is actually affecting the world as we know it.
Why make it even harder?
Look, I don't like it just as much as you, approaching random strangers rather than people I know decently first.
Heck, I'd probably prefer to meet people through 'mutual friends' first myself.
But I can't do this right now and for some of us that will never be possible.
I have 4 scattered friendships in 3 different cities. 3 of my friends, males, do not know many females our age at all, just like me.
The one female friend I do have only knows other females where we both used to live, but we have both since moved to different places. No point meeting people through her friends if they'll be 4+ hour away.
What else is there for me?
Honestly, I would consider approaching a female classmate at university who you've had a few conversations with and is your acquaintance 'cold approaching' as well so ruling that out literally rules out EVERYTHING.
Cold approaching should not stop, but it should be a last resort. And for some, it is.