USA culture is very youth oriented, advice on how to navigate through it as we enter our 40s, 50s

[Anonymous]

I was born in another country but moved to the USA as a young child.
My parents never really assimilated.
I kind of assimilated when I was younger but as I got older I felt that I had more in common with my parent's culture than the youth obsessed USA culture.

It seems to get more and more youth oriented with each passing year.
How do you deal with it?
Do you just ignore it and move on with your life?

[Anonymous]

There are a ton of ‘adult’ activities here, including adult communities, etc. Are you feeling distanced due to culture or due to age or both?

[Anonymous]

Yes. It’s not youth obsessed unless you’re superficial or an entertainer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a ton of ‘adult’ activities here, including adult communities, etc. Are you feeling distanced due to culture or due to age or both?

Kind of both. Sometimes I wonder how people who are much older than me deal with it. People who are in their 40s. 50s. 60s etc...

[Anonymous]

I’m too busy working and trying to create a little bit of time here and there for myself to worry about fitting in.

[Anonymous]

Take up shuffleboard, OP. Oh and constantly talk about how music was sooooo much better when you were younger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Take up shuffleboard, OP. Oh and constantly talk about how music was sooooo much better when you were younger.

Older music acts are discriminated against in the USA. In other countries older music artists are recognized but in the USA they are largely forgotten.

[Anonymous]

I think you're exactly right that you ignore it and get on with your life. There just comes a point where responsibilities crowd out less urgent concerns.

[Anonymous]

Dcum is youth obsessed.

40s and up is considered too old and the critics come out.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s the area. Im from NYC and we didn’t feel it as much there. People are more interesting outside of DMV.

[Anonymous]

I just turned 50 and I’ve always had more in common with my grandparents generation than my own. You can find anything around here, it’s just a question of figuring out what to look for. Right now, COVID has disrupted everything, but hopefully things will be able to reopen soon, and in the meantime most groups have things online.

If you gave more details about what you’re looking for, people could offer more specific ideas, but just generally, you might look at:

Museums and gallery events
Library events - Library Bulletin boards also tend to be great resources to discover local groups/events
County and/or city recreation departments
Bookstores (Politics and Prose has great speakers that you can watch online, other bookstores sometimes host authors as well)
Strathmore
Wolf Trap
Glen Echo
AFI Silver Theater and Cultural Center
Folger Theater
Community Theaters (F. Scott Fitzgerald, Black Rock, etc.)
Kennedy Center events (they have offerings besides their major productions)
Washington Rebels usually offers singalongs, I think these have been suspended for COVID, but I think some subgroups still meet virtually. If you connect to the community, I think there are localized groups ranging from 50s Do-Wop to Sea Chanties.
Church/religious groups
Civic organizations
Volunteer/Service organizations
I don’t know where your parents are from, but I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a cultural group in the area where you could find others who also identify with that culture

[Anonymous]

Do you have friends your own age and a social circle / community of peers?

And do you have kids?

I don't really care about the broader culture, just busy with work and my smaller world of family and friends and the activities we do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It’s not youth obsessed unless you’re superficial or an entertainer.

I believe they are going by the agenda media. They are showing an abundance of mixed race couples, gays, and other lifestyles. Whereas it's actually a very small number in comparison to the overall population.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take up shuffleboard, OP. Oh and constantly talk about how music was sooooo much better when you were younger.

Older music acts are discriminated against in the USA. In other countries older music artists are recognized but in the USA they are largely forgotten.

What an utterly stupid generalization.

Bruce Springsteen would be surprised to hear you say that. As would the many, many bands from the 1980s that are still touring, and even recording. Jon Bon Jovi sang for the inauguration celebration. Heck, I think the Beach Boys are still touring. My elementary aged kid loves the Beatles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Take up shuffleboard, OP. Oh and constantly talk about how music was sooooo much better when you were younger.

Older music acts are discriminated against in the USA. In other countries older music artists are recognized but in the USA they are largely forgotten.

Hahhah you don't follow music I guess. The older acts usually charge _more_ per ticket than younger acts, because the older fanbase can afford it.

New Order and Pet Shop Boys at Merriweather next year. All seats (not lawn) start at $110:

https://www.ticketmaster.com/pet-shop-boys-new-order-the-columbia-maryland-09-28-2021/event/1500585495952587

New Kids on the Block, $135: https://www.ticketmaster.com/new-kids-on-the-block-columbia-maryland-08-04-2021/event/15005AC3D52C48A8