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Dark? Separation anxiety? What age are we talking here? "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I beca

Dark? Separation anxiety? What age are we talking here? "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." Look at all the "adult" men today, especially in America for some reason, whose desks are littered with action figures and whose offices contain a shrine to comic book superheros and Star Wars/Trek that would put the Sistine Chapel to shame. (Or women who seem to live in some alternate universe about their biological clocks, indulging infantile behaviors and attitudes, perhaps only to realize sometime in middle age the consequences, if not the cause, of their predicament.) These are people who do not take their lives seriously. Someone clearly never told them that they're not 10 years old anymore. One of the most valuable lessons you can teach a child is the ability to suffer. All who live suffer, and developing the correct attitude and orientation toward suffering is important lest you become soft and weak. Those who don't learn, those who flee from the suffering that the pursuit of the good often entails, suffer all the more and become depressed, miserable, and mediocre. A story in which the main character loses his toys can be a very mild, age-appropriate, narrative way of presenting the subject matter of sacrifice or loss. Growing up means parting ways with childish ways for the sake of something greater: adulthood. We do the same thing with pets. The death of a pet fish is a way of introducing a child to the reality of death in a way that's appropriate for the child's level of maturity. Maturation can be unpleasant, even painful, as the childhood attitudes and attachments and their familiarity are loosened. Film can also be cathartic in this respect. (This is not an endorsement of Pixar or Toy Story, btw, only a general response to an apparent presupposition. Call it a rant, if you want. I vaguely remember watching the first Toy Story on TV, but I do not recall the ending and have only a vague recollection of the plot. For all I know, Toy Story may enable unhealthy dispositions.)

piva00 3y ago
You know what's so great about adulthood? You can live it as you wish if you are not harming others, you might not have unlimited freedom due to all responsibilities you are now under but for the most part, it's your choice, it's your path. If one wants to have action figures, or read comics, or whatever their heart's desire: you may, it's your life, it's your adulthood. Trying to paint adulthood as some kind of suffering we have to endure, we have to be serious, we have to be whatever you think one needs to be as an adult is... Just sad. Life is best lived when you can have fun, love, and a sense of accomplishment, some people have that by doing research and pursuing great new discoveries, some by starting businesses and products they envision, and some others find other ways to fulfill the yearning for living. Don't be a sad, serious adult, trying to tell other adults how to live their lives. It's a waste of your life, go be fulfilled without having to project your insecurities unto others. Disclaimer: I own no action figures and have no interest in comics, so no direct offense taken, just feel that this seriousness is exactly the pressure that harms so many people who don't feel they fit the mold you are trying to put everyone in.
- c_crank 3y ago
  Life without action figures and comic books isn't supposed to be suffering, it's supposed to be a realization that such things are childish for a reason. Adults deal with responsibility, and have their own joys that children can't share.
  - bmacho 3y ago
    > Life without action figures and comic books isn't supposed to be suffering, it's supposed to be a realization that such things are childish for a reason. And the reason is that you personally want to be superior to others, and the best you can come up with is insulting their hobbies and taste.
    - c_crank 3y ago
      I didn't invent the conception of comic books and action figures as childish. It's very much worth considering why it exists and where it came from.
      - bmacho 3y ago
        It exists because you want to feel good by looking down to others, and this is the best you can come up with. I don't know where does it came from. The church, probably? Does it matter, tho? edit: you are bullying people for their hobbies and taste, it is bad, please stop.
        c_crank 3y ago
        It came from people organically reacting to the flood of juvenile comic book stories put out in the 50s. Nothing to do with "the church" at all.
        bmacho 3y ago
        Yes, and the audience mainly consisted of young adults. Now that this is settled, I think you should stop insulting people because of their hobbies and taste.
bemusedthrow75 3y ago
I have absolutely no idea why you were downvoted for this, unless it was just too on the nose. It might be a pointed remark but it's not an unusual one. Adults have always quite enjoyed childish things in moderation; there's no harm in enjoying something for the sheer childlike joy of it. And there's value in retaining feel for a childlike approach to thinking; naïvete is a useful filter. But it is impossible to ignore the recent mass infantilisation of media generally, and the amount of self-justification that goes into it. The MCU is just one example of it. Grown men arguing vociferously that childhoods are betrayed when the Little Mermaid is not a white girl is another consequence of it. (edited for clarity)
- tehbeard 3y ago
  I think you're reading their intent WAY too kindly, especially when you see them in essence say "stop having fun, life is suffering, & also women should be making babies instead of having fun." (see their part on bio-clock and maybe look at how they switch wording from childish for men, to infantile for women...). They're attacking people for trying to find a little joy in their short lives on this rock. And maybe there's more a percentage of "childish things" enjoyed now. But when you can't do the things you were told you'd be able to as an adult (get a good paying job, go on holidays, own a home, settle down with some stability), is it any wonder there's some regression?
  - bemusedthrow75 3y ago
    I don't think that is a particularly fair interpretation, but again it's not an unreasonable one.
  - zpeti 3y ago
    No. You can enjoy yourself, god knows we have the good life compared to 200 years ago. But joy doesn’t actually satisfy you on a deep level, and it is a childish thing to pursue. Doing really hard and responsible stuff doesn’t make you happy. I have two children, trust me, it would be way easier and happier to lie on a beach and drink cocktails all day, and I could actually do it from past successes. Is that really worthwhile though? Does that add meaning to my life? How many happy moments will I ultimately have from these, and will I look back and be happy I spent my life drinking cocktails? And it’s not just cocktails, it’s all the infantile pleasured that we can indulge in, from Star Wars collectibles to activist politics. These things just won’t fill you up ultimately. And so few people “get this” these days. It’s delusional and it’s childish, and it’s reinforced by the current capitalism and leadership. It’s the wrong path. And 30-40 years from now many many people will realise and will have extremely depressed retirements.
sofal 3y ago
If I see someone with a little shrine to kids movies, I think, "I have different tastes than this person." If I see someone write a comment like this, extrapolating that to some sort of general societal ill wherein children don't adequately suffer, I think, "this person might be very difficult to get along with."
jrmg 3y ago
C. S. Lewis: “When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/84171-critics-who-treat-adult-as-a-term-of-approval-instead https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/84171-critics-who-treat-adu...
mlyle 3y ago
> Look at all the "adult" men today, especially in America for some reason, whose desks are littered with action figures and whose offices contain a shrine to comic book superheros and Star Wars/Trek that would put the Sistine Chapel to shame. Eh. I've adulted plenty, sir. I've started companies, I'm the father of 3 boys, and now I run a program at a nonprofit and I'm responsible for the safety and well-being of a lot of youth. But I still like watching Mobile Suit Gundam, building plastic models, and playing SNES games on my MiSTer. And that's OK: maybe you don't find meaning in it and maybe you view it as childish. But I find enjoyment in these simple things and don't need to eviscerate them to prove how grown up I am. (And now and then, my boys catch enthusiasm for these things, and we can experience them together which is really awesome, too).

piva00 3y ago

You know what's so great about adulthood? You can live it as you wish if you are not harming others, you might not have unlimited freedom due to all responsibilities you are now under but for the most part, it's your choice, it's your path. If one wants to have action figures, or read comics, or whatever their heart's desire: you may, it's your life, it's your adulthood. Trying to paint adulthood as some kind of suffering we have to endure, we have to be serious, we have to be whatever you think one needs to be as an adult is... Just sad. Life is best lived when you can have fun, love, and a sense of accomplishment, some people have that by doing research and pursuing great new discoveries, some by starting businesses and products they envision, and some others find other ways to fulfill the yearning for living. Don't be a sad, serious adult, trying to tell other adults how to live their lives. It's a waste of your life, go be fulfilled without having to project your insecurities unto others. Disclaimer: I own no action figures and have no interest in comics, so no direct offense taken, just feel that this seriousness is exactly the pressure that harms so many people who don't feel they fit the mold you are trying to put everyone in.

c_crank 3y ago
Life without action figures and comic books isn't supposed to be suffering, it's supposed to be a realization that such things are childish for a reason. Adults deal with responsibility, and have their own joys that children can't share.
- bmacho 3y ago
  > Life without action figures and comic books isn't supposed to be suffering, it's supposed to be a realization that such things are childish for a reason. And the reason is that you personally want to be superior to others, and the best you can come up with is insulting their hobbies and taste.
  - c_crank 3y ago
    I didn't invent the conception of comic books and action figures as childish. It's very much worth considering why it exists and where it came from.
    - bmacho 3y ago
      It exists because you want to feel good by looking down to others, and this is the best you can come up with. I don't know where does it came from. The church, probably? Does it matter, tho? edit: you are bullying people for their hobbies and taste, it is bad, please stop.
      - c_crank 3y ago
        It came from people organically reacting to the flood of juvenile comic book stories put out in the 50s. Nothing to do with "the church" at all.
        bmacho 3y ago
        Yes, and the audience mainly consisted of young adults. Now that this is settled, I think you should stop insulting people because of their hobbies and taste.

bemusedthrow75 3y ago

I have absolutely no idea why you were downvoted for this, unless it was just too on the nose. It might be a pointed remark but it's not an unusual one. Adults have always quite enjoyed childish things in moderation; there's no harm in enjoying something for the sheer childlike joy of it. And there's value in retaining feel for a childlike approach to thinking; naïvete is a useful filter. But it is impossible to ignore the recent mass infantilisation of media generally, and the amount of self-justification that goes into it. The MCU is just one example of it. Grown men arguing vociferously that childhoods are betrayed when the Little Mermaid is not a white girl is another consequence of it. (edited for clarity)

tehbeard 3y ago
I think you're reading their intent WAY too kindly, especially when you see them in essence say "stop having fun, life is suffering, & also women should be making babies instead of having fun." (see their part on bio-clock and maybe look at how they switch wording from childish for men, to infantile for women...). They're attacking people for trying to find a little joy in their short lives on this rock. And maybe there's more a percentage of "childish things" enjoyed now. But when you can't do the things you were told you'd be able to as an adult (get a good paying job, go on holidays, own a home, settle down with some stability), is it any wonder there's some regression?
- bemusedthrow75 3y ago
  I don't think that is a particularly fair interpretation, but again it's not an unreasonable one.
- zpeti 3y ago
  No. You can enjoy yourself, god knows we have the good life compared to 200 years ago. But joy doesn’t actually satisfy you on a deep level, and it is a childish thing to pursue. Doing really hard and responsible stuff doesn’t make you happy. I have two children, trust me, it would be way easier and happier to lie on a beach and drink cocktails all day, and I could actually do it from past successes. Is that really worthwhile though? Does that add meaning to my life? How many happy moments will I ultimately have from these, and will I look back and be happy I spent my life drinking cocktails? And it’s not just cocktails, it’s all the infantile pleasured that we can indulge in, from Star Wars collectibles to activist politics. These things just won’t fill you up ultimately. And so few people “get this” these days. It’s delusional and it’s childish, and it’s reinforced by the current capitalism and leadership. It’s the wrong path. And 30-40 years from now many many people will realise and will have extremely depressed retirements.

sofal 3y ago

If I see someone with a little shrine to kids movies, I think, "I have different tastes than this person." If I see someone write a comment like this, extrapolating that to some sort of general societal ill wherein children don't adequately suffer, I think, "this person might be very difficult to get along with."

jrmg 3y ago

C. S. Lewis: “When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/84171-critics-who-treat-adult-as-a-term-of-approval-instead https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/84171-critics-who-treat-adu...

mlyle 3y ago

> Look at all the "adult" men today, especially in America for some reason, whose desks are littered with action figures and whose offices contain a shrine to comic book superheros and Star Wars/Trek that would put the Sistine Chapel to shame. Eh. I've adulted plenty, sir. I've started companies, I'm the father of 3 boys, and now I run a program at a nonprofit and I'm responsible for the safety and well-being of a lot of youth. But I still like watching Mobile Suit Gundam, building plastic models, and playing SNES games on my MiSTer. And that's OK: maybe you don't find meaning in it and maybe you view it as childish. But I find enjoyment in these simple things and don't need to eviscerate them to prove how grown up I am. (And now and then, my boys catch enthusiasm for these things, and we can experience them together which is really awesome, too).