I'm completely ok with people being "manchildren" so long as they're self aware of it and own it.
I actually really hate that people think we should just throw away the imagination and joy of youth after reaching a certain age and I applaud all the people who just don't and are completely self aware of it, in a positive way.
Maybe it's fair to draw a difference between the two? The manchildren never gained self awareness, they didn't grow while maintaining youthful joy, they just didn't grow at all.
By a certain age, you should be able to critique your own interests without having an identity crisis. The real issue is just commodity fetishism. The idea that some geek's childish plastic junk is worse than your cool mature plastic junk is just a smokescreen that I see leftists fall for way too often.
Except there is no imagination. These people don't create new things or even mix old things, they just buy and consume whatever is placed on their plate by the company.
Like, there is a difference between someone who likes Superman, collects the comics and intimately knows the lore, and someone who buys every single Superman themed item for their house. One of them is interested in Superman as a character developed and shaped by writers and editors, the other is only interested in Superman as a brand shaped by company aesthetics. Perhaps if they are into the art, and art history, it could be forgiven, but that is rarely the case in my experience.
The difference is in understanding. And there can still be joy in understanding.
Did you watch the world cup celebrations? Watching the full grown men of the Argentina side jumping around like children in completely childlike glee is something I wish adults could feel comfortable doing all the time. Seeing that really has me thinking about how we emotionally neuter ourselves as adults in a way that is totally unnecessary. I'm not against people holding onto the things they like from childhood, just so long as they also become adults where it really matters.
I'm completely ok with people being "manchildren" so long as they're self aware of it and own it.
I actually really hate that people think we should just throw away the imagination and joy of youth after reaching a certain age and I applaud all the people who just don't and are completely self aware of it, in a positive way.
Maybe it's fair to draw a difference between the two? The manchildren never gained self awareness, they didn't grow while maintaining youthful joy, they just didn't grow at all.
By a certain age, you should be able to critique your own interests without having an identity crisis. The real issue is just commodity fetishism. The idea that some geek's childish plastic junk is worse than your cool mature plastic junk is just a smokescreen that I see leftists fall for way too often.
It's not just the hobbies it's the percieved notion that they still have a teenaged worldview and lifestyle
Except there is no imagination. These people don't create new things or even mix old things, they just buy and consume whatever is placed on their plate by the company.
Like, there is a difference between someone who likes Superman, collects the comics and intimately knows the lore, and someone who buys every single Superman themed item for their house. One of them is interested in Superman as a character developed and shaped by writers and editors, the other is only interested in Superman as a brand shaped by company aesthetics. Perhaps if they are into the art, and art history, it could be forgiven, but that is rarely the case in my experience.
The difference is in understanding. And there can still be joy in understanding.
At the risk of sounding like a lib, as the fourth Doctor of Doctor Who said:
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
I don't even mind if it's all times.
Did you watch the world cup celebrations? Watching the full grown men of the Argentina side jumping around like children in completely childlike glee is something I wish adults could feel comfortable doing all the time. Seeing that really has me thinking about how we emotionally neuter ourselves as adults in a way that is totally unnecessary. I'm not against people holding onto the things they like from childhood, just so long as they also become adults where it really matters.