Every now and again I punish myself by trying to watch television. My normal tv watching is usually restricted to Noggin during the day and catching the headlines in the evening before bed. I don’t watch that much tv, not because I’m one of those pansy-assed intellectuals, it’s just that with the pervasiveness of reality television, and the lack of creativity in Hollywood, there’s nothing worth watching. As a woman in her early 30s, I also end up feeling bad about myself after watching tv, like I’m over the hill despite having at least another 40-50 years of life left.
We are currently living in a culture that so craves youth that the moment you hit 30, your life is reduced to nothing more than clothing from Chico’s, wrinkle cream, and extreme plastic surgery makeovers. I believe much of this started when the powers that be decided to make Las Vegas more family-friendly. Even as a teenager witnessing this, I thought it was a real dumb shit move. If you want to stay up all night, drink, gamble, and possibly end up passed out naked next to someone you may have met only a few hours prior, then there’s no room for family in that equation. I also think this weird push for a “family friendly” society led to the premature aging of a very vital segment of American society, which I am now a part of.
On a given Friday or Saturday night, Jeff and I decide to hire a babysitter then head out for some fun. Unfortunately, despite living in Seattle, we are often at a loss for something to do. We usually end up doing dinner and a movie, or dinner and a play, or dinner and something else very typical. Three years ago, before Rachael, we went out one evening with a group of other young couples and wound up in a club. The moment we entered I knew we were going to hate it. It wasn’t the ultra-loud techno music glaring from the speakers or the pithy looks from the single club patrons in their early 20s making it clear that we didn’t belong, it was the fact that Jeff and I were never into clubbing in the first place. Even in my wild single days I was more comfortable opting for a punk or hardcore live show rather than a meat-market dance club with shitty music. In my whole life, I think I have been to less than a dozen dance clubs.
The option of a concert is growing a bit thin as well. Last week I was on the phone with an old friend who also spent some time working for a concert promoter, and we both found ourselves in the conundrum of wanting to see music, but not wanting to be the creepy old lady hanging out at the show. Besides, I’m married to Jeff; a man that believes that the musical sun rises and sets to Billy Joel. Okay, you can stop laughing now!
As someone who is more vital than ever and now has an income to back it up, I’m amazed that there aren’t more entertainment options available to those in my age group. We may not go out as often as single people, but when we do, we spend more money. This whole attitude of “the best time of your life is when you are a teenager” is such a dominant force in our society that I see women older than me trying to dress like their daughters. I guess from a marketing standpoint, the worship of all things teenager is a cash cow. If you can make women believe that the perfect age is 16, then they will spend bank on any crap anti-aging remedy on the market while feeding the diet and gym membership industries. Men will have their mid-life crises early and opt to spend the extra thousand on a hot car rather than making a deposit into their kid’s college account. They will end up spending way too much money on hair dye and gym memberships. In the end, the adults will wind up being as unsatisfied with life as the teenagers they so envy. So why deal with this bullshit in the first place?
Just give us an adult culture we can enjoy and be comfortable with. It should include some decent, age appropriate clothing, media, and activities. We have the money, and are willing to spend it. Restore Vegas to the den of sin it once was without the catchy advertising, over-priced buffets, and shitty gambling odds. Not every adult-oriented activity has to be family-friendly, and not every adult has to be “cool” and “youthful” in order to be relevant.
It would be great if the next time Jeff and I hired a babysitter, we could hit Downtown Seattle, and find a place to chill out and have a drink with another couple that opted to join us for a childfree evening. We could socialize, talk about adult issues, and maybe share a sophisticated slow dance, while dressed in tasteful and stylish clothing. Everyone in the gathering place could return to their lives in Suburbia feeling hip and fulfilled after a night of real fun that celebrates their adult culture, and of course, the dinner would be fabulous.
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