Are we children that don't want to grow up?

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2004-01-09 12:10pm

I come by it naturally, my mom has one of the most active inner childs in existance....

aerius · Post by **aerius** » 2004-01-09 12:21pm

I'm 24 and I still have snowball fights with some of my friends, it's just as fun now as it was 20 years ago. Some people think I'm an immature dork, I think they don't know how to have fun, but hey, to each his own. I figure as long as I have my responsibilities taken care of I can do whatever fun & recreational activities I want (within legal limits of course). So if I feel like skinny-dipping and running around naked in my backyard because it's fun I'll go right ahead and do it.

Post by **Lagmonster** » 2004-01-09 12:36pm

As amendment, the guys on THIS particular forum might not necessarily be the best example, because we are dedicated sci-fi geeks one and all. It's fair to say that a lot of guys (especially one or two I work with) take being an adult VERY seriously, and tend to look down on people who act childish (possibly because we spoil things for them by making adulthood seem fun).

I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that this is true: ask most adults, and they'll say that an adult is supposed to put aside the interests they had as a kid, but can't give a convincing reason why. Teenager years is where this happens; I recall my sisters put aside their dolls as 'uncool' but couldn't bring themselves to stop liking the latest dolls and moved to 'collecting' and 'fashionably dressing' them as some kind of adult-equivalent to actually taking them out and playing house with them.

Bertie Wooster · Post by **Bertie Wooster** » 2004-01-09 12:44pm

It seems to socially acceptable for 40 and 50-year old males to be die-hard baseball or football fans, or to enjoy fishing or chess and without being labelled as slightly juvenile.

I fail to see how those pastimes are any more "mature" than researching sci-fi or fantasy stories, playing video games or computer games, or doing electronic engineering for fun.

Maybe in the late 1800s it was not yet acceptable for gentlemen to follow baseball since it was a new pastime, but after a while it was.

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2004-01-09 02:25pm

Bertie Wooster wrote:It seems to socially acceptable for 40 and 50-year old males to be die-hard baseball or football fans, or to enjoy fishing or chess and without being labelled as slightly juvenile.

I fail to see how those pastimes are any more "mature" than researching sci-fi or fantasy stories, playing video games or computer games, or doing electronic engineering for fun.

There used to be a theory in psychology about why athletes seemed more sociable than, say, a nerd. The theory went that athletes' brain activity was naturally low, so they craved outside stimulation, while the nerds' brain activity was high, so no outside stimulation was needed. While I like the implications of the theory, I seriously doubt that it's true.

Post by **Lagmonster** » 2004-01-09 02:30pm

Durandal wrote:There used to be a theory in psychology about why athletes seemed more sociable than, say, a nerd. The theory went that athletes' brain activity was naturally low, so they craved outside stimulation, while the nerds' brain activity was high, so no outside stimulation was needed. While I like the implications of the theory, I seriously doubt that it's true.

It probably boils down to ego. Sports champions are social heros - everyone roots for the home team. So athletes probably APPEAR more sociable because all their fans want to be around them all the time, and they eventually come to enjoy the attention of the lifestyle.

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2004-01-09 02:55pm

I suppose it does partially boil down to the growing Nerd population. At the risk of stereotyping, it seems common that Nerds reject the 'standard' images of what we should be. Certainly that seems to be at the core of it; different values.

Since Nerds don't value the idea of switching our tastes over to 'adult' things, the drive to abandon our childhood pleasures is lessened.

Vertigo1 · Post by **Vertigo1** » 2004-01-09 02:58pm

Hell no, I don't wanna grow up.

My dad thinks its odd that I still watch Gargoyles, but I don't care.

Hell, I still enjoy watching "The Lion King" every now and then. I may have the body of an adult, but I'm still a kid at heart dammit!

Damaramu · Post by **Damaramu** » 2004-01-09 10:08pm

I'm 27 (will be 28 next month) and I still collect comics, watch anime, am an avid gamer, blah blah blah.

I like think that you're only as old as you feel. Luckily, I still feel the way I did when I was 18.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2004-01-10 03:43am

Growing up (for the most part) sucks. You get lots more responsibility, and comparatively few perks. I have a wife, now, and I didn't have to grow up to get one. Why, then, would I have wanted to grow up? B5, LotR, SW, ST, they're still cool, and granted I haven't gotten any younger, but I have what I need and I managed to reject all of the responsibilities that would rightfully be given to someone of my age.

Why SHOULD I grow up?

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2004-01-10 04:01am

besides the toys we can afford these days are cooler, and we can share and bond with the little ones...

after all my GF's son has his own memory card, he has several PS2's that he can play one too.

Rathark · Post by **Rathark** » 2004-01-10 12:38pm

Who is more mature ... the single guy who has spent years writing a half-decent science fiction novel, or the married guy who gets his rocks off over Jerry Springer and (insert your country here) Idol? What about the guy who would rather see Welcome to the Jungle than Return of the King?

Somehow, somewhere along the line, conformity and mediocrity became equated with maturity; while creativity, curiousity and the "sense of wonder" became equated with "childishness".

That is not merely irritating, that is actually dangerous. An establishment that basically believes backward = forward can only go in one direction ...

Rathark · Post by **Rathark** » 2004-01-10 12:51pm

To add: I believe that the best definition of "growing up" has nothing to do with "giving up". Rather, it has more to do with expanding your horizons. Yes, I still like Star Wars, but I also like The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Shawshank Redemption. Yes, I still like Arthur C Clarke, but I also enjoyed Catcher in the Rye and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. And many "geeks" have more diverse tastes than I do.

Get two "geeks" to talk about science fiction, and eventually the conversation would get around to Scorcese, real-life travel and international politics.

Get a journalist to interview a science fiction writer, and the first question is either "Can you speak Klingon?" or "Do you wear plastic ears?"

Guess who's more mature? Guess who's more fixated upon frivolous details?

InnerBrat · Post by **InnerBrat** » 2004-01-10 03:07pm

*points at screenname*

need I say more?