This article is full of such strange implied absolutisms and "just-so" stories. The silliest and most striking one is probably "Japanese women invented and pioneered emoji". As far as I know the :) symbol was first used by an American man, and there was no specific gendered usage of emoji afterwards.
Why are so many adults acting just like children?
31–40 of 140 posts
Re: Why are so many adults acting just like children?
#32I gave up after a paragraph or two. It looked like it was going to moan about people trying to have fun and do some self care. I don’t have time for that. Over time, I’ve come to see many “senior” or “success” behaviours as refined versions of childhood ones. Political sniping, business competitiveness, standard hierarchical power dynamics, etc. These are all “playground tactics” but grown up. I don’t see (many) “suc…
I made it farther than that, but also stopped. It seemed to go on and on without making it's point.
It also seems it missed a big part (unless they talk about it later). Sure, some people might be doing stuff because of hardships and responsibilities (like living at home to save money). But I think there are also those who were not given responsibilities as a child and don't know how to be responsible and act like an adult now that they are one. I think the delays are even evident in our laws (age of many things continues to increase).
Re: Why are so many adults acting just like children?
#33Leaving this here for those who might be interested in the concept of an inner child [0].
I like to think of the inner child in mathematical terms: if I am 40 years old, then it also holds true that I am 6, 10, 16, and 21. At all times, I carry with me the memories (with implicit feelings and attitudes) from each of those distinct years. The person I am today consists of those years strung together.
It’s no wonder things like Pokemon and CRTs intrigue me. Six year old me likes them too, and he never left.
Re: Why are so many adults acting just like children?
#34I gave up after a paragraph or two. It looked like it was going to moan about people trying to have fun and do some self care. I don’t have time for that. Over time, I’ve come to see many “senior” or “success” behaviours as refined versions of childhood ones. Political sniping, business competitiveness, standard hierarchical power dynamics, etc. These are all “playground tactics” but grown up. I don’t see (many) “suc…
Further down: > But as the legendary Midcentury Modern designer Charles Eames put it, ‘toys and games are the preludes to serious ideas.’ Grownups who play with Lego, dump fortunes into JPEGs of cartoon characters online or dress like overgrown toddlers force us to question long-held assumptions about adulthood and society as a whole.
I don't like the implication that those are somehow less worthy ways to spend one's time and money, or that the tendency towards those interests betrays some... divergent cognition or eccentricity. Pick any interest that you think is "proper" for an adult; the person who engages in it either enjoys it, in which case it's indistinguishable from any interest that doesn't meet that criterion, or they don't enjoy it, in which case the person is rather silly for using their free time to do things they don't enjoy.
Re: Why are so many adults acting just like children?
#35As long as it is not coupled with toddler tantrums. We all know adults who have the emotional maturity of a 5 year old. I’m more concerned about America’s growing body of narcissism.
Narcissism has always been the unstated official state religion of the US.
Which is true of all empires. You don't get to run the world - at least the parts you can access - by having empathy for the people you're exploiting and abusing.
One of the popular forms of gaslighting is labelling empathy and concern "childish", "unrealistic", and "unserious."
Re: Why are so many adults acting just like children?
#36I usually remind myself of this quote, “We Never Really Grow Up, We Just Learn How To Act In Public.”
One of the most depressing things about growing up is realising the playground bullies don't disappear. They just surround themselves with armies, lawyers, accountants, and propaganda/PR people.
Re: Why are so many adults acting just like children?
#37I don't even understand why do people become adult in the first place. Sure, your body changes and you begin to understand some more complex things you previously couldn't (and that's fun), but why change anything else? Why be boring and take bullshit seriously?
Because the world has not always been this way. The infantilization out teens and young adults, with the lack of purpose and call to become an adult with responsibility took us here. Basically, people have capital and no responsibility so they spend money on toys, be it car, game systems, or figurines from their favorite anime.
One has to wonder, in 20 years, with this lack of meaning and responsibility lead to regret? Having children and taking responsibility are huge in giving people meaning instead of being simply a consumer.
Re: Why are so many adults acting just like children?
#38I gave up after a paragraph or two. It looked like it was going to moan about people trying to have fun and do some self care. I don’t have time for that. Over time, I’ve come to see many “senior” or “success” behaviours as refined versions of childhood ones. Political sniping, business competitiveness, standard hierarchical power dynamics, etc. These are all “playground tactics” but grown up. I don’t see (many) “suc…
Axe throwing, IPAs, cosplay outfits? Learn to play golf and drink scotch in your smoking jacket like an adult .
You're telling me kids won't chase a tiny ball around a yard or convince each other to consume things that are gross?
Re: Why are so many adults acting just like children?
#39Could the author skip the mini op-ed about the Great Whatever they have decided Society is going through, and just talk about the actual historical topic that could at least be potentially interesting (Japan in the 90s)?
Re: Why are so many adults acting just like children?
#40> In 2020, a Pew study revealed that more than half of 18- to 29-year-old Americans were living with their parents.
This is the part I think we all need to be talking about more. It’s a huge root cause of everything else the article discusses.
I have come to understand adulthood as being centered on responsibilities, and adult behaviour as handling those responsibilities well. The transition to adulthood is the gradual accumulation of responsibilities, and the cultivation of adult behaviour is the process of learning to handle them.
Living with parents is a barrier to that progression. It defers basic responsibilities like funding your own food and shelter. It makes relationships harder to start, and having children of your own seems out of reach.
Now, there are other sources of responsibility that are attainable while living in mom’s basement. You can still go out to work. You can still have a responsibility to a cause. And maybe the reason you are still at home is to care for your parents. But for a great many people, seemingly including the article author, living at home is a source of shame - a failure to launch.
I can see two ways forward here. Either we manage to address the economic issues that make independent living unaffordable. Or we rediscover multigenerational households as a virtue. There are many advantages to having grandparents, parents and children all together as a unit. If we can destigmatize living with parents, perhaps we can stop treating it as a waiting room for responsibility, and unblock progress towards adulthood.