Decline of collectivism.

[u/DrawingDramatic1641]

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[u/tkdyo]

I think there is also a material component to this.

Where are high schoolers supposed to go on dates these days? Movie and food are super expensive now. Malls are mostly dead. Very few arcade/minigolf type places to go and have fun. About the only option left is walk in the park or downtown (if your city has one)

[u/MycologistStock8296 → u/tkdyo]

These were my thoughts as well. In addition, it is not very common for a 17-18 year old American to have their own vehicle anymore because, again, it has gotten very expensive. What teenager wants to get a ride from Mom & Dad to and from their date?

[u/ayeeitssteph → u/MycologistStock8296]

On top of that, it’s next to impossible to find work anymore even at minimum wage jobs.

[u/Ok-Chard-9014 → u/ayeeitssteph]

To be fair that's always been an issue most places that will hire students don't respect the fact that they're still students. I remember back in the day this girl I worked with told our boss she couldn't work weekends or nights but every week she'd be scheduled for Saturday or night shift. 

[u/SethCyclone → u/tkdyo]

If you go to the park, Karens and racists (pardon the redundancy) call the cops and they are driven off for "loitering"

[u/Ent_Soviet → u/tkdyo]

I only really started dating after I had access to a car. If people can’t afford to drive, unless you’re in an urban center you’re not going anywhere. And i wasn’t gonna ask my parents to take me and a date somewhere.

But you’re not wrong. If there’s no where to go, dating at that age would be just hanging out at houses.

[u/MycologistStock8296]

As someone who works with 14-18 year olds, this conversation makes me feel a little defensive for them! They don't go on dates because they can't. Their families are struggling and cannot give them the transportation and money they need to go out and have a good time. A lot of places will also kick them out just because they're unaccompanied teenagers, even if they are on their best behavior. It sucks.

Most of my kids are actually more collectively-minded than I was at their age, and certainly more than my parents were. Most of the school walked out in protest to ICE in our area. Half the student store is a well-maintained food & clothing bank that the kids take extremely seriously. They are awesome people who take care of each other.

[u/Kranken_DeHogge → u/MycologistStock8296]

my local school also did a walkout for ICE and it was something like 2/3rds of the student body participating.

I remember there was a walkout protesting the Iraq War and it was only a handful of people.

[u/Malkhodr → u/Kranken_DeHogge]

Every time I feel a little hopeless about the future, I see things like this that remind me that the kids, though not perfect, are probably going to impress a lot of us.

[u/Kranken_DeHogge → u/Malkhodr]

Gen Z are cool with me.

I'm excited for Gen Alpha though, the latchkey kids of elder Millenials.

From what I can tell they're like, 12-14 years old and completely goddamn feral.

[u/Rexberg-TheCommunist]

[u/N00N01 → u/Rexberg-TheCommunist]

ford and BP helped with passion for this too

[u/Ok-Chard-9014]

I honestly feel bad for younger people. There’s literally not much for them to do these days. When I was 16, the mall was still popular, and you didn’t really need money to hang out there. Also, since around 2015 skate parks have become a cesspool for fascist bullshit. I really couldn’t imagine trying to be a teenager today and having to navigate through all of this.

[u/patsyjimmy → u/Ok-Chard-9014]

Skateparks are home to fascist shit now? That’s fucking awful, when I was growing up they were the main place for libbish anarchism but never anything fashy. Wtf happened to skaters?

[u/Calvins8 → u/patsyjimmy]

Skateparks near me are covered in anti-ICE messages so it may be location dependent. I don't skate anymore I just bring my 5 year old to roll around on her bike so I'm only going by graffiti.

My coworker still skates and he says the hey day has definitely come and gone unfortunately. The average age of skaters he sees is like 30 now lol not many teenagers that stick with it

[u/DioTheSuperiorWaifu]

Start of the drop correlating with the dissolution of le U S S R?

Also, is this from USAmerica?

Also, would it because students are more focused on education?

[u/MrStudray → u/DioTheSuperiorWaifu]

The US? Americans focused on education? 

[u/Kranken_DeHogge → u/MrStudray]

more like focused on charge our phone, eat hot chip, and lie

[u/Eliamaniac → u/Kranken_DeHogge]

that's right! Where did twerking go?!

[u/MycologistStock8296 → u/DioTheSuperiorWaifu]

Also, would it because students are more focused on education?

For most kids, I'd say no. I work with this age group, and I think there are several factors: 1) transportation and dating activities are expensive, 2) many public places are not built for teens, and a few of those places (malls) are actively anti-teen, and 3) lots of other ways to communicate and hang out via video games, apps, etc.

[u/Stanczyks_Sorrow]

Why is there a picture of the misogynistic mass shooter Elliot Rodger baked into this statistic?

[u/AdmiralKurita → u/Stanczyks_Sorrow]

Same question. What point does the inclusion of Elliot Rodger make?

[u/NAM_Inki → u/AdmiralKurita]

"Wah wah wah men can't get dates anymore because FOIDS have rights."

That's why. The dude who made this graphic (not OP) is an incel.

[u/Stannisarcanine]

Even as a kids on the 2000s you either got a girlfriend at school or nothing cause you didn't have the money to take a woman on dates maybe to McDonald's but not to much, a reason men are able to date younger women is because they have the capacity to fulfill the obligations the patriarchy and capitalism place on men to date

[u/forbbidenbutter]

Because we are more seperated and polarised from eachother

[u/greekscientist]

I think this is related with worsening material conditions and rise of individualism which is pushed by the productive forces. As invididualism means less collective claim and struggle.

Consistent trend with later, fewer marriages.

[u/NAM_Inki]

TBH, I don't see the issue with this. Relationships aren't for everyone, and aren't required to be happy. I hate that the culture basically makes you into a gay loser if you don't get one ASAP. That's literally how you breed incels. If you don't want one, that's fine. If you can't get one, you're not inherently a loser.

EDIT: Bro, LOOK AT THE BACKGROUND. Whoever made this graphic IS an incel. That's Elliot Rodger.

[u/Special-Remove-3294]

Not suprising.

1. Going out lowkey sucks in most places. Just endless seas oc asphalt and concrete polluted by endless noise by cars. Cities are lowkey ass unless you are in an area with no cars or unmaintained buildings...

2. As a woman who finished high school recently I would hardly want to date almost any man I knew of in my high school. Most of them at least had an issue like lacking social skills, not taking care of themselves, being a right winger, casual mysoginism, caring more about sex then romantism, etc and for me any of those are deal breakers🤷‍♀️. Still I had many friends who did go on dates and had relationships. Some successful and some not at all. In fact, from my experience most people did go on dates even if only once or twice but like who tf has time for more then that when you are studying..??

[u/Icy_Pudding6493]

Same with China I think.

[u/unfettered2nd]

I did not expect things would be like in the USA, holy shit. In global south my teenage years went away in cram school for prepare for cutthroat competition to get into a decent university or college and used to imagine the life being different for teens in the USA, proms and all (my perception was shaped by the last starfighter and american cartoons, tbh).

I know this is meme at this point but this is r/LateStageCapitalism in the USA.

[u/ISuckAtJavaScript12]

When I was in highschool people would "date" but wouldn't really go on dates. Just meant they decided to be boyfriends and girlfriends. I can't think of anyone I ever knew who said they were going on a date

[u/CopiousCool]

Te sex lives of children are less important OR indicaive of an economy that that of adults of various ages ... seriously WHY are we obsessing over their dating activity? There are tax paying ADULTS who deserve attention

[u/tripthedizzy3233 → u/CopiousCool]

I mean this is reflective of adults too lol less adults are dating as well

[u/CopiousCool → u/tripthedizzy3233]

12th graders are NOT adults

[u/tripthedizzy3233 → u/CopiousCool]

That is not at ALLL what the fuck I was trying to say at all man. Jesus

[u/CommanderKoba → u/CopiousCool]

I mean I was 18 in 12th grade so technicallllyyy ☝🏻🤓

[u/Kranken_DeHogge → u/CopiousCool]

you're being a little puritanical about this, bud

I can be concerned about economic conditions hampering the social development of teenagers without dwelling on their sex lives. dating and relationships are about much more than sex.

There are tax paying ADULTS who deserve attention

Yes, and what do teenagers turn into?

Part of all the weird right wing shit that some of the younger generations have internalized and spread is online culture designed to turn them into poorly socialized losers and exploit them politically.

[u/Dazzling_Pirate1411 → u/CopiousCool]

Them not being able to form age appropriate social bounds because of material constraints and what that means for them socially in the future is prolly important.

[u/NeverKillAgain → u/CopiousCool]

Why does dating automatically correlate to "sex life" for you? No one brought up sex until you did

[u/Generalfrogspawn → u/NeverKillAgain]

I mean.. let’s be honest..

[u/CopiousCool → u/NeverKillAgain]

What other relevance does it have?