Who’s Your Daddy?

I open today’s bit by sounding like a crotchety old Boomer: Back in the day, eighteen year olds went off to war. Today, twenty-five year olds get to stay on mommy and daddy’s health insurance.

I offer the cliche as shorthand for a broader reality: the fact that today’s young adults are, especially in our urban centers, far less mature than those of previous generations. This is in part a natural outcome of growing societal wealth. If you aren’t thrust into a crucible at an early age, you don’t have to toughen up as quickly.

This echoes the “easy times breed soft men” trope, of course.