Puriteens
I saw two broccoli-headed zoomer boys at the gym today wearing shirts that said something to the effect of “I survived self-centered millenial degeneracy and all I got was this lousy tee shirt.”
This exacerbated a feeling that has been growing within me for a couple years now: I think I hate (most) zoomers.
I think that by and large, zoomers are scared to get hurt. They seem to expect there to be some set of rules, that if they follow to the letter, will prevent any sort of hurt. There are no such guarantees in sexuality and love and this terrifies them into prudishness. “Traditional” mores, they think, will save them the heartache of “choosing wrong” or “wasting their time.” Any of us over 30 know this is laughable, but I understand where they're coming from.
Sexuality and love are terrifying. They are awesome in an almost Biblical sense. There are no guarantees in any of it, and that's what makes it so wonderful. There will be times you get your heart shattered into a million pieces. There will be times you feel used, or gross, or as if you have used others. These are simply things we deal with, and grow from. These are definitely things we need to deal with if we are to have any amount of sexual or romantic freedom in this life. In my opinion, freedom is worth the risk of being hurt, in most if not all things.
Obviously freedom includes those who choose differently than I do, including those who choose prudishness. I respect this.
I just worry that all our young people are throwing the baby out with the bathwater here, and also creating an environment that discourages people from exercising said freedom. Zoomers seem disturbingly conservative in many ways that I think are kind of dumb, and very liberal in other ways I think are equally dumb.
Oh well. People hated us too when we were that age. Maybe it will just pass. Maybe not.