I talked to JJ (pseudo-name for my brother) last night about this blog. He read it for the first time and his comment was,“it’s like you are a 14 year old”. His second comment was, “that’s not an insult, just an observation”.
Now, I know being a kid is a whole lot less fun since the mandatory sunscreen rule, but I can’t see how this could be an insult? Recently, I was trading cd’s with my 10 year old cousin who stated simply, "you and I have a lot in common". So after that, 14 is a big step up. What makes JJ’s comment interesting to me is that clearly he is in complete denial that there is no longer a generational gap between 30 year olds and teenagers. We all, on some level, are in touch with our inner 14 year old. It’s a phenomenon unique to the times and we will all be better off if we can stop living in denial and embrace the peter pan syndrome that is sweeping the nation.
Many of you are in denial like JJ. Think about it…
Do you still walk around with your ipod buds in your ears?
How many of you can’t get enough Wii?
Do you ever wear jean’s to work?
How many friend’s do you have on Facebook?
What’s the most you’ve spent on a pair of jeans that look like they’ve been worn in?
Who hasn’t read either Harry Potter or Twilight and thought this is the best book I’ve ever read?
Do you love new stuff like HDTVs, touch phones and anything Apple?
Face it….you're just like a teenager, but with more discretionary funds. This is not a personal theory. Books have been published about it. And New York Magazine even wrote a feature article about it where the author termed a new phrase for it, “grups”. One of the biggest distinguishing features of a grup is that the parents of grups would trade a pay day for a vacation day any day. What impresses a “grup” is someone in their 30s who can still sleep in on a week day. I can vouch for this. I am self employed and the comment I get most frequently from people is not about my earning potential but rather how lucky I am that I can work at will and travel freely.
Now why does any of this matter? Because it’s time to pick a side. With the number of grownups who absolutely refuse to grow up increasing every year, you need to think about where you want to end up. Do you want to be one of those people who own more pairs of khaki’s than you do jeans and just can’t understand what’s the big deal with the Jonas Brothers? Or would you rather be the kind of grown up who goes shopping with your kid at H&M and can explain that the reason the Jonas Brother’s are so popular is because they remind everybody of the evolution of Tom Hanks?
So what should you do to please your inner 14 year old?
- Go to itunes and download Britney’s new CD
- Vote in the next round of American Idol
- Take your kids to Starbucks
- Hang out in the YA section of the bookstore
Not only will you find yourself more satisfied with life, you also be more prepared to face the future of American culture.
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