High school class of 1974 here. We loved the sex, drugs, and rock and roll of the 60s, but we also were keenly aware of the impermanance of the hedonistic lifestyles of Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison.
High school class of 2020 here. We wish we could have the life our boomer forefathers did, but their life was so hedonistic, they destroyed ours by proxy.
Interesting. Can you give some examples of how boomers were more hedonistic than earlier/later generations, and how that destroyed your life? I'd be particularly interested to see how you feel boomers compare to your own generation with regard to hedonism?
I'm wondering if young people are really less hedonistic now, or if the types of hedonistic activies people engage in have just changed? Would you consider doomscrolling to be a form of hedonism, for example?
considering that the big cliffs of western fertility coincide with major smartphone releases, you are comparing that which the young gentleman would have appreciated experiencing (shared human experience of pleasure), with the death of his opportunity to experience such. do you genuinely consider lying in bed alone on the phone for hours on end to be comparable to sex/drugs/rock n roll in any manner outside of resultant dopamine spiking?
I would say they are comparable in that they are both pleasure-seeking behaviors that are fine in moderation, but carry a significant risk of turning addictive and self destructive.
There are pros and cons to both. Both provide outlets for creativity and socialization. But I've lost several childhood friends to drug overdoses, and spending too much time on the phone can lead to withdrawal and depression.
I feel like you are asking me pick one or the other as the superior pastime, but I would choose neither. IMO kids are better off playing sports, playing in a band (without the drugs), drama club, etc. Those are structured activities - but given enough time and space people will start to form relationships too.
sex drugs and rock n roll are fine in moderation because they take place during human socialization and serve to enhance an experience of connection. does doom scrolling enrich anything outside of dopamine receptors & corporate profits? rather than request your choice of option, I intended to note that doom scrolling alone in bed could not be compared to the hedonism of generations above in any way outside of a common neurological response.
I imagine a lonely young adult scrolling away, then I imagine woodstock. not many parallels outside of the species involved ..
I think they were never fine in moderation, but one at least had a chance of real human connection, love, marriage, and even the potential for it to grow into something "mature", and non-hedonistic. And it's not the one with smartphones.
blendo · · focus · HN ↗
Huarache1 · · focus · HN ↗
freetime2 · · focus · HN ↗
I'm wondering if young people are really less hedonistic now, or if the types of hedonistic activies people engage in have just changed? Would you consider doomscrolling to be a form of hedonism, for example?
thin_carapace · · focus · HN ↗
freetime2 · · focus · HN ↗
There are pros and cons to both. Both provide outlets for creativity and socialization. But I've lost several childhood friends to drug overdoses, and spending too much time on the phone can lead to withdrawal and depression.
I feel like you are asking me pick one or the other as the superior pastime, but I would choose neither. IMO kids are better off playing sports, playing in a band (without the drugs), drama club, etc. Those are structured activities - but given enough time and space people will start to form relationships too.
thin_carapace · · focus · HN ↗
I imagine a lonely young adult scrolling away, then I imagine woodstock. not many parallels outside of the species involved ..
Huarache1 · · focus · HN ↗