According to everyone’s favourite non-newspaper The Onion, emerging adulthood never ends, and the U.S. is down to its last 104 adults. Like most jokes, what makes this funny is that it’s kind of true. Postponing the real responsibilities of adulthood is a serious North American trend:
“According to recent data, the grown-up population has plummeted dramatically since 1950, when a Census count found that more than 24 million Americans could both admit when they were wrong and respect a viewpoint other than their own. Today, only one in three million citizens can provide thoughtful advice to a fellow human being instead of immediately shifting the topic to their own personal issues or what they had for lunch.” (The Onion)
Sound like anyone you know?
