> "There's no pressure to grow up here," she says. "The way I act now is pretty much the same way I acted when I was 24. It's culturally reinforced here. Nobody cares that you're in your late 30s and have roommates."
Isn't the idea that being 'grown up' means "owning a house in the suburbs" part of what fueled the recent real estate bubble? Shouldn't we disenfranchise ourselves of the notion that you're not a 'grown up' until you have the responsibility of paying a mortgage?
That's applicable to cars too - when I bring up the fact that I am without car, people immediately take me less seriously. When I talk about the benefits of being car-free I get the whole "uh... suuuuure... if you insist" reaction.
Comments
> "There's no pressure to grow up here," she says. "The way I act now is pretty much the same way I acted when I was 24. It's culturally reinforced here. Nobody cares that you're in your late 30s and have roommates."
Isn't the idea that being 'grown up' means "owning a house in the suburbs" part of what fueled the recent real estate bubble? Shouldn't we disenfranchise ourselves of the notion that you're not a 'grown up' until you have the responsibility of paying a mortgage?
That's applicable to cars too - when I bring up the fact that I am without car, people immediately take me less seriously. When I talk about the benefits of being car-free I get the whole "uh... suuuuure... if you insist" reaction.
shrug
You can have your own place without roommates without moving to the suburbs, can't you? Say, by getting your own apartment?
San Francisco has insane prices. IIRC, when I was in the bay area, for $1000/mo, you could only get a room at an SRO in SF.