It's time to grow up, guys!

[shh!]

I read this interesting article in Newsweek... Here are a couple of excerpts:



the traditional markers of manhood—leaving home, getting an education, finding a partner, starting work and becoming a father—have moved downfield as the passage from adolescence to adulthood has evolved from "a transitional moment to a whole new stage of life." In 1960, almost 70 percent of men had reached these milestones by the age of 30. Today, less than a third of males that age can say the same.

the lockstep march to manhood is often interrupted by a debauched and decadelong odyssey, in which youths buddy together in search of new ways to feel like men. Actually, it's more like all the old ways—drinking, smoking, kidding, carousing—turned up a notch in a world where adolescent demonstrations of manhood have replaced the real thing: responsibility.

Meanwhile, the angst associated with adulthood may not be warranted. A raft of recent studies suggest that married men [regardless of the quality of the relationship] are happier, more sexually satisfied and less likely to end up in the emergency room than their unmarried counterparts. They also earn more, are promoted ahead of their single counterparts and are more likely to own a home.

Today's guys are perhaps the first downwardly mobile—and endlessly adolescent—generation of men in U.S. history. They're also among the most distraught—men between the ages of 16 and 26 have the highest suicide rate for any group except men above 70—and socially isolated, despite their image as a band of backslapping buddies...They are less likely to read a newspaper, attend church, vote for president or believe that people are basically trustworthy, helpful and fair. Meanwhile, saddled with an average of $20,000 in student debt and reared with a sense of entitlement that stops them from taking any old job, the percentage of 26-year-olds living with their parents has nearly doubled since 1970, from 11 to 20 percent

women [...] are showing some signs of outpacing their husbands and boyfriends as breadwinners and heads of family, at least in urban centers. Last year, researchers [...] determined that women between 21 and 30 in at least five major cities, including Dallas, Chicago and New York, have not only made up the wage gap since 1970—they now earn upwards of 15 percent more than their male counterparts.

[url]http://www.newsweek.com/id/156372/page/1[/url]




So guys, what gives? When will your peers grow up to be men?

[misombra]

that's sad.

[shh!]

Who knew that 40 year old males would be singing this?

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWSMdcpgJsw"]YouTube - The Beach Boys - When I Grow Up To Be A Man - STEREO[/ame]

[misombra]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XJZM0k7Q-Q"]YouTube - Ramones - I Don't Want To Grow Up[/ame]

they were raised on the ramones.

[shh!]

I think we've shamed the males into silence...

[1averagejoe]

Ashamed...of course not. I plan to be one of those few that own a home, raise a family, and have a good job. I'll be honest, I have a pretty conservative view on life for someone my age.

I'm already starting to save for a down payment on a home/condo. I dumped about 90% of the money I made from the intern into a CD that I can't touch for a while and is nice and safe. Unlike most people my age who insist on spending every dime they have on a new car, fancy clothes, accessories, and gadgets...I pinch my pennies. I drive an ehh car, I could have easily bought a pretty nice used car with the money I saved but I didn't because my car works, and I have no need for a new car. I've already been looking at condos in my area.

****ing California is ridiculously expensive, so I wouldn't be surprised if I'm still living at home till I'm 26. I plan on getting at least a Masters degree. I don't want to rent, rent is money down the drain.

I'm sure if I lived in an area where homes were a lot cheaper I'd be moving out a lot sooner. But California homes are EXPENSIVE, even Compton is pretty damn expensive.

[ecojeanne]

I'm sure if I lived in an area where homes were a lot cheaper I'd be moving out a lot sooner. But California homes are EXPENSIVE, even Compton is pretty damn expensive.

not as expensive as Ireland...the average house now costs 500,000 euro....crazy prices

[Junket]

I don't want to buy a house.

[shh!]

not as expensive as Ireland...the average house now costs 500,000 euro....crazy prices

500,000 euro is equal to about $700,000 American. Homes in decent, relatively safe areas in California start at around that price. They also come on postage stamp-sized lots.

Fras - you don't count. You are self-supporting.

[ecojeanne]

500,000 euro is equal to about $700,000 American. Homes in decent , safe areas in California start at around that price.

Fras - you don't count. You are self-supporting.

ye? wow same then....its tough to get on the market

[misombra]

the real estate market is ****ed right now. i mean ****ed as in f*ucked.

[Junket]

I'm tellin' ya.

It's those college boys, a lot of them are a bunch of pampered pussies.

Why wouldn't they expect to have an amazing job as soon as they step out of college? Everything they're told in highschool and in the media suggests they'll have a million dollar job. 4+ years of hard work, I'd wouldn't want to work at walmart either.

[shh!]

What do you guys think about the article stating that women in the same age range are beginning to outperform in the workforce with regards to salary?

[starbuck]

I'm tellin' ya.

It's those college boys, a lot of them are a bunch of pampered pussies.

Why wouldn't they expect to have an amazing job as soon as they step out of college? Everything they're told in highschool and in the media suggests they'll have a million dollar job. 4+ years of hard work, I'd wouldn't want to work at walmart either.

I see it with young women, too. I manage alot of people right out of school to fill the more junior positions where I work. More often than not, they don't seem at all ready for some of the hard work involved at a corporate job, and often times seem like they live in a bubble where they expect that everything is going to be handed to them.

Where does this sense of self-entitlement come from?

[shh!]

Sure, there are bratty females, too. But you know, I'm seeing more and more young women who are taking on the "head of the family" position... they earn more money and work longer hours than their husbands, many of whom spend a lot of time playing video games while calling themselves "independent contractors". Then they come home and take care of the kids. I can't help but feel sorry for them (the women). It seems like they married down, although I suppose it's not "PC" to say so.