On The Sopranos this week, the psychiatrist Dr. Melfi mentions how young people these days are bombarded with so much information and so many choices that it may take them a while to settle down into something. As she went on to put it, “sociologists are saying 26 is the new 21.”
Great. Let’s extend childhood longer and longer. 🙄
She had a point, though. It’s funny how the sky being the limit can be seen as such a detriment. Choices are good, right? Apparently not. That’s our society for you. Free as a bird in most aspects, and people wish they were less free. What the hell is that?
Not me! I’ll take all the freedom I can get. Do I feel overwhelmed? Sometimes. But it beats the hell out of the alternative. Here in the United States, I can go anywhere and do just about anything I want. If I were in Saudi Arabia or something, I’d have to stay inside unless accompanied by a man and even then must keep everything but my eyes hidden.
Well, unless I’m going to work, I pretty much stay indoors all day and would often love to hide my hideous hair… but that’s beside the point! That’s by choice anyway. That’s how it should be.
Okay, getting off on tangents. Back on topic!
Youth have a lot of choices in where they want to eventually go in life, the injustices NYRA fights notwithstanding. Well, I’m not totally accepting that statement as I would need to think on that some more, but let’s just say that for now as a jumping off point. Youth have lots of choices. Youth have lots of information. There’s about a zillion legal restrictions on youth regarding both of those things, but whatever. Probably talking about the 18-25 crowd anyway.
Why is it considered a bad thing that youth are informed? Oh, God forbid, they’re learning way more than their parents or grandparents did at this age. That can’t be good! Jackasses. Being informed means you know what you’re doing and know the potential consequences and options to your actions. Last I checked, that is good!
But wait! With all these options, they can’t decide what to pick. It confuses them. And that’s where I get scared. You know why? Not far behind are the bullshit “studies” about brain development. The asinine attempts to cast aside folks younger than mid to late twenties as being unable to comprehend the simplest tasks in life, such as driving or learning or doing chores. Even if it were worth thinking about that young adults are bombarded with a lot of information, these people have totally missed the point entirely!
Go at your own pace. That’s how things should be. Not “do nothing until this magical age, and at that point do everything!” Okay, so some people don’t seem all that “adult” until they’re 25 or 26. So the fuck what? Aside from the obvious question of just what makes someone “adult”, there’s little to no mention of how people reach this “adult” threshold at different times. Some reach it at 25. Others at 20. Some at 15. Few even at 10! As well as a fair number of them at 30, 35, and so on, if ever.
Perhaps the most angering of all, and I say that because it applies to me, is this idea that 20-somethings are having trouble “growing up” because so many still live at home with their families even after college. Yes, I am one of these people. Media and such want to point fingers and say we’re still children because of this, because this of course means we’re too scared and immature to live out on our own. You know what? Fuck you. Want to know why we’re not rushing right out to live on our own? Just look at the cost of living in certain areas. It’s not a matter of being immature. It’s a matter of not having a high enough salary yet to afford it. Or maybe I’m all wrong. By all means, I should leave my house, go rent an apartment at some assload of money per month, and be unable to feed myself or pay the utilities or do much of anything because all my money is going into rent and commuting expenses to work. Look at me! I’m an adult! I’m starving, in debt, always dead-ass tired, and have no health insurance, but, hey, at least I’m being an adult! Woo hoo!
Seriously. Since when does being financially smart mean still being a child? That’s an interesting thought. Shut the fuck up with that shit.
So, I suppose the adage about youth having all the choices in the world is true. But every single choice means being royally shit upon by the older generations. Isn’t it great to be young? I hope so. The way things are looking, we’ll be young forever. Not in the good way.
Have you tried getting your hair cut short? You look like you have the kind of head that would go well with short hair.
Haven’t had short hair in a long time. I hate really short hair. Just wish my hair would stay straight. Sigh.
Oh, crap, am I actually talking about hair?! 🙄
Oh, and yeah, it is ironic when Baby Boomers who lived with their parents until their mid-twenties kick their kids out of the house at 18 (or earlier, like my uncle did to my cousin).
It’s the fuckin’ Sopranos, hon. Not exactly an authoritative voice 😆
True. Nothing I hadn’t heard before, though.
You make a lot of good points in this one. Took the words right out of my mouth.
“It’s a matter of not having a high enough salary yet to afford it.”
And another demographic trend comes down to money. And another bunch of people refuse to acknowledge the previous phenomenon.