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The first examples that come to mind of things teenage boys like - Beavis and Butthead, first person shooters, Jackass - generally are considered the downfall o

by imgabe 6y ago

The first examples that come to mind of things teenage boys like - Beavis and Butthead, first person shooters, Jackass - generally are considered the downfall of civilisation and inspire calls to ban them. So I’m not sure where the author gets the idea this is limited to teenage girls.

leetcrew 6y ago
I think this is a solid point. teenage boys definitely have their own "hated things" that, as a group, they tend to like. one possible difference is that there's a vocal segment of adults who also enjoy these things. when I was a kid, adults in my life didn't understand how I could spend so much time "staring at a brown wall" (I spent a lot of time on 24/7 dust2 servers). but a decade or so later, it's pretty common for adults to play those sorts of games. I don't think it's quite as acceptable for adult women to still enjoy twilight. if I had to generalize, I'd say there's a greater expectation for women to "grow out of" their teenage interests. but it varies a lot for each specific interest, not sure how well that generalization holds.
- SpicyLemonZest 6y ago
  I think this really depends on who you talk to. I know lots of professional adult women who are super into Korean boy bands, but they don’t feel obligated to hide it from friends and coworkers, and I’ve never heard anyone express a hint that they need to grow out of it.
- mwcampbell 6y ago
  Maybe we adult men can more likely get away with holding onto our adolescent obsessions because we already tend to have more power than our female counterparts. I recently re-read _Ready Player One_, and now that I think about it in this context, it's largely about a billionare who became so powerful that he could not only hold onto his 80s obsessions for his whole life, but give the rest of the world a powerful incentive to share those obsessions.
ben_w 6y ago
This reminds of a famous quote: “I believe that children are our future. Unless we stop them now.”
op03 6y ago
Jackass is high art. As high as it can get. It reminds the herd, just as Van Gogh and Picasso did- no one has done this before, but guess what, you bunch of obedient cattle, you can! What 'this' is doesnt matter. What matters is, the herd gets that signal on periodic basis. Its what pushes outliers in the herd, doing their own thing, to take steps in directions no one has before. People who think its marks a downfall of civilization need to pack their bags and move to China where you can see first hand what happens to a herd that doesnt get that signal.
- solosoyokaze 6y ago
  Jackass are modern clowns. They appeal to base level emotions (ala fart jokes). It's not high art, and it's not anything particularly special. It's basically Garbage Pail Kids IRL. Hardly the "downfall of civilization" but I'll take some decent Chinese folk art over Jackass any day.
  - leetcrew 6y ago
    I'm sure people said similar things about marcel duchamp in his time. toilets and drawing mustaches on people are two mainstays of puerile humor.
    - solosoyokaze 6y ago
      > I'm sure people said similar things about marcel duchamp in his time. Duchamp came from a successful art family and was widely recognized by the industry even at the start of his career. Johnny Knoxville copied You Can’t Do That On Television and Super Dave Osborne and produced nothing notable prior to or after Jackass. Joe Rogan and Fear Factor had more influence. (Lol)

by imgabe 6y ago

leetcrew 6y ago

I think this is a solid point. teenage boys definitely have their own "hated things" that, as a group, they tend to like. one possible difference is that there's a vocal segment of adults who also enjoy these things. when I was a kid, adults in my life didn't understand how I could spend so much time "staring at a brown wall" (I spent a lot of time on 24/7 dust2 servers). but a decade or so later, it's pretty common for adults to play those sorts of games. I don't think it's quite as acceptable for adult women to still enjoy twilight. if I had to generalize, I'd say there's a greater expectation for women to "grow out of" their teenage interests. but it varies a lot for each specific interest, not sure how well that generalization holds.

SpicyLemonZest 6y ago
I think this really depends on who you talk to. I know lots of professional adult women who are super into Korean boy bands, but they don’t feel obligated to hide it from friends and coworkers, and I’ve never heard anyone express a hint that they need to grow out of it.
mwcampbell 6y ago
Maybe we adult men can more likely get away with holding onto our adolescent obsessions because we already tend to have more power than our female counterparts. I recently re-read _Ready Player One_, and now that I think about it in this context, it's largely about a billionare who became so powerful that he could not only hold onto his 80s obsessions for his whole life, but give the rest of the world a powerful incentive to share those obsessions.

ben_w 6y ago

This reminds of a famous quote: “I believe that children are our future. Unless we stop them now.”

op03 6y ago

Jackass is high art. As high as it can get. It reminds the herd, just as Van Gogh and Picasso did- no one has done this before, but guess what, you bunch of obedient cattle, you can! What 'this' is doesnt matter. What matters is, the herd gets that signal on periodic basis. Its what pushes outliers in the herd, doing their own thing, to take steps in directions no one has before. People who think its marks a downfall of civilization need to pack their bags and move to China where you can see first hand what happens to a herd that doesnt get that signal.

solosoyokaze 6y ago
Jackass are modern clowns. They appeal to base level emotions (ala fart jokes). It's not high art, and it's not anything particularly special. It's basically Garbage Pail Kids IRL. Hardly the "downfall of civilization" but I'll take some decent Chinese folk art over Jackass any day.
- leetcrew 6y ago
  I'm sure people said similar things about marcel duchamp in his time. toilets and drawing mustaches on people are two mainstays of puerile humor.
  - solosoyokaze 6y ago
    > I'm sure people said similar things about marcel duchamp in his time. Duchamp came from a successful art family and was widely recognized by the industry even at the start of his career. Johnny Knoxville copied You Can’t Do That On Television and Super Dave Osborne and produced nothing notable prior to or after Jackass. Joe Rogan and Fear Factor had more influence. (Lol)