The Rise of the "Child Man"

In a lengthy article (caution: the article has a few references that are off color) in City Journal, Kay Hymnowitz discusses the full flowering of the post-adolescent SYM (single young male). It isn't pretty. Whether calling it the "Peter Pan syndrome," delayed adulthood, extended adolescence, or the "odyssey years," all trends point to young men wishing to remain boys when it comes to responsibility even while they have the freedoms of adulthood.

Consider the following tidbits.

• According to Nielsen Media, over 48% of males 18-34 year olds regularly play console video games, with the average time spent on them being 2 hours and 43 minutes a day. That is more time than 12-17 year olds spend. This age group is the number one consumer for video games.
• Only 33% of 25 year olds are married, and only 58% of 30 year olds are married--both the lowest reported percentages ever in America. The median age of marriage for men rose from 26.8 to 27.5 in less than six years--a statistically large societal movement in such a short time. This is most significant when it is also reported that the largest single factor in boys becoming men is marriage and family.
• Data also indicates that the majority in this demographic do not consider cohabitation as a step toward marriage, but rather a chance to receive the benefits of a wife without assuming the responsibilities of a husband (no real news there).
• The average SYM is 26, single, lives either with parents or buddies in an apartment, and spend large amounts of money on themselves that would have, in the previous generation, been spent on a mortgage and on family concerns. This makes them a prime target for advertisers. They love Spike TV, Comedy Central, and Maxim magazine. Favorite actors are "Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey, and the 'Frat Pack,' as USA Today dubbed the group of young male comedians that includes Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Owen and Luke Wilson, Jack Black, and Steve Carell."
• Cartoon Network boasts a significant SYM audience for its "Adult Swim," featuring such shows as Family Guy and Futurama. Advertisers know this, which is why Saab, Apple Computer, and Taco Bell are major advertisers.

At an age when their parents were building homes and families, and their grandfathers had saved the world from Hitler, these guys are mastering Halo 3.

Women of the world--be careful! Fathers of daughters, beware! And followers of Jesus, let's make sure we address the fact that God offers a radically different view of masculinity and manhood that in infinitely more rewarding, significant, and joy filled.