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View Poll Results: Is it taking longer to become a man? | |||
Yes, men aren't developed until much later these days | 17 | 60.71% | |
No, men today are developing at the same pace as those in recent history | 5 | 17.86% | |
Other | 6 | 21.43% | |
Voters: 28. You may not vote on this poll |
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02-28-2011, 12:18 PM | |
fides quaerens intellectum
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Where Have the Good Men Gone?
Kay S. Hymowitz argues that too many men in their 20s are living in a new kind of extended adolescence.
From The Wall Street Journal Not so long ago, the average American man in his 20s had achieved most of the milestones of adulthood: a high-school diploma, financial independence, marriage and children. Today, most men in their 20s hang out in a novel sort of limbo, a hybrid state of semi-hormonal adolescence and responsible self-reliance. This "pre-adulthood" has much to recommend it, especially for the college-educated. But it's time to state what has become obvious to legions of frustrated young women: It doesn't bring out the best in men. Between his lack of responsibilities and an entertainment media devoted to his every pleasure, today's young man has no reason to grow up, says author Kay Hymowitz. She discusses her book, "Manning Up: How the Rise of Women Has Turned Men Into Boys." "We are sick of hooking up with guys," writes the comedian Julie Klausner, author of a touchingly funny 2010 book, "I Don't Care About Your Band: What I Learned from Indie Rockers, Trust Funders, Pornographers, Felons, Faux-Sensitive Hipsters and Other Guys I've Dated." What Ms. Klausner means by "guys" is males who are not boys or men but something in between. "Guys talk about 'Star Wars' like it's not a movie made for people half their age; a guy's idea of a perfect night is a hang around the PlayStation with his bandmates, or a trip to Vegas with his college friends.... They are more like the kids we babysat than the dads who drove us home." One female reviewer of Ms. Kausner's book wrote, "I had to stop several times while reading and think: Wait, did I date this same guy?" For most of us, the cultural habitat of pre-adulthood no longer seems noteworthy. After all, popular culture has been crowded with pre-adults for almost two decades. Hollywood started the affair in the early 1990s with movies like "Singles," "Reality Bites," "Single White Female" and "Swingers." Television soon deepened the relationship, giving us the agreeable company of Monica, Joey, Rachel and Ross; Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer; Carrie, Miranda, et al. But for all its familiarity, pre-adulthood represents a momentous sociological development. It's no exaggeration to say that having large numbers of single young men and women living independently, while also having enough disposable income to avoid ever messing up their kitchens, is something entirely new in human experience. Yes, at other points in Western history young people have waited well into their 20s to marry, and yes, office girls and bachelor lawyers have been working and finding amusement in cities for more than a century. But their numbers and their money supply were always relatively small. Today's pre-adults are a different matter. They are a major demographic event. What also makes pre-adulthood something new is its radical reversal of the sexual hierarchy. Among pre-adults, women are the first sex. They graduate from college in greater numbers (among Americans ages 25 to 34, 34% of women now have a bachelor's degree but just 27% of men), and they have higher GPAs. As most professors tell it, they also have more confidence and drive. These strengths carry women through their 20s, when they are more likely than men to be in grad school and making strides in the workplace. In a number of cities, they are even out-earning their brothers and boyfriends. Still, for these women, one key question won't go away: Where have the good men gone? Their male peers often come across as aging frat boys, maladroit geeks or grubby slackers—a gender gap neatly crystallized by the director Judd Apatow in his hit 2007 movie "Knocked Up." ... continues |
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02-28-2011, 12:19 PM | #2 |
"Think BOOM!"
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This should be funny.
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I think the young people enjoy it when I "get down," verbally, don't you? |
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02-28-2011, 12:27 PM | #3 |
..........
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This is stupid;
for every adult male living in an "extended adolescence" stage there's a woman living in "extended treat me like a princess" stage |
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02-28-2011, 12:28 PM | #4 |
MVP
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I heard about this article. My initial reaction was "A little bitter are we that someone hasn't found Mr right?"
Then saw that she wrote "Losing Confidence in Marriage" in 09 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124658294270189935.html Think that about says it all. |
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02-28-2011, 12:30 PM | #5 | |
Tossed Salad & Scrambled Eggs
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Quote:
Make me a sammich, ya ****-bitch.
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02-28-2011, 12:36 PM | #6 |
Time Keeps On Slipping
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"Turn the channel to 26!" |
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02-28-2011, 12:36 PM | #7 |
When a nightmare becomes real
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tl;dr
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02-28-2011, 12:43 PM | #8 | |
In Search of a Life
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Some people pimped the book Boys Adrift to me, and I believe it explores similar themes (blames it on video games in part).
http://www.boysadrift.com/ Quote:
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In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican. - H. L. Mencken |
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02-28-2011, 12:48 PM | #9 |
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Attn. Hootie! Your 15 minutes of fame starts in....Now
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02-28-2011, 12:53 PM | #10 |
Banned
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Playing craps in alleys, having strippers at the men only Lion's Club. Meeting the guys at the pool hall. Those were real men. Building bomb shelters they used to meet neighborhood MILFs of the 50s. Today's men are all "let's talk about our feelings." Now the women know our game. Loose lips sank our ships.
The dames stayed home and had dinner on the table at 5:30 or got one across the chops. On the off chance the cops were called, they looked the other way. Just like they did when they stopped you for weaving down the street drunk. Just followed you home, because the did the same thing. Last edited by Okie_Apparition; 02-28-2011 at 01:04 PM.. |
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02-28-2011, 12:53 PM | #11 | |
MVP
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Quote:
The overemphasis on math and reading at an early age might be a ligitimate concern. My sister taught 1st and 2nd grade for many years. She said a study showed that learning to read a little later was surprisingly beneficial. I think it's Finland that doesn't (or didn't) start to teach reading until 2nd grade. By the time they were in 5th grade they're reading skills had zoomed to the top of the charts compared to other similar western countries. |
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02-28-2011, 12:54 PM | #12 |
Ain't no relax!
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02-28-2011, 12:55 PM | #13 |
Cast Iron Jedi
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Here's a couple:
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02-28-2011, 01:01 PM | #14 |
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what is amusing about this article is that these are the same women that were bithcing and griping about men since the beginning of time. Then they were bithcing because we like to sit on the couch, mow the grass with a beer, watch the game at home with our family, grill out all the time, meet the fellas once a week for softball or pool or something, and coach our kids in little league. It forces me to the conclusion that no matter what, women just like to bitch about something. (I do tend to agree that quite a few of todays 20-something "guys" need to grow up).
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02-28-2011, 01:02 PM | #15 |
Say hello to my little friend
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Probably went the same place all the good jobs went to.
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