 |
| Typical thirty-somethings. Source: Google Images |
Thirty-somethings love to be around other thirty-somethings. They love to remind twenty-somethings that they are younger and better off in a condescending way that does not make them feel better off. Most of all, they love to commiserate (because, of course, they are old and gray and have no good years left).
From the perspective of a naïve twenty-two-year-old whippersnapper, this is understandable (and yet ridiculous). One gray does not an elderly person make. Also, I suspect if they really thought, really thought back to their twenties, they would remember the turmoil and uncertainty of these years. They are great in their own way, but sometimes a girl would kill for a little stability. Fresh off yet another failed dating venture (no complaints, no complaints, no complaints…), I’m posing the question: who really has it better?
First of all, let me point out that my thirty-something friends go out more than I do. (And no, I’m not a cat lady who sits at home and knits, so stop picturing me that way. STOP.) They stay out later drinking, they drink more intently and they are always throwing and attending parties. Granted, this may be a fervent effort to make up for lost time, but it is so.
Let me add to this that Sex and the City kicked off with the women in their 30s. The 20s didn’t even exist for these women, who were supposed to represent the savviest and most successful of their day. Of course, this is a double-edged sword. I love that show as much as the next girl, but there is NO WAY I want to be like those women in my 30s. They really had no idea what was going on. And let’s be real, they were whores. (The definition of ‘whore’ says usually for money, so yes, it applies.)
Okay, okay. The benefits of being in one’s 20s are numerous and oft-quoted. The world is at your feet, you’re not tied down, you have no real responsibilities, you don’t have to ask your hubby (ugh, that word) if you can stay out later at happy hour (this, I’ve learned, is something the thirty-somethings dread).
First of all, I don’t agree that these are all positive. Who decided that it’s better to go through the monotony of meeting and greeting new people every night, talking once again about yourselves and your work and your dreams (I’m getting bored already), instead of going home to someone you actually like and can spend more than a drunken hour with?
And in the current economic recession, double dip looming over our heads, is the world really at our feet? No. No, it’s not. Better to have a steady job and stable money for which to use on nights out. Downside: twenty-somethings can’t afford bottle service. As Ke$ha put it, “we don’t buy bottles, we bring ‘em, we take the drinks from the table when you get up and leave ‘em”. Ah, just another twenty-something living the good life.
Lastly, call me a freak, call me old-fashioned, call me a radiant sunbeam of light that touched down on this earth just for you (just an idea), but I like responsibility. Drifting aimlessly with no money, no job and no prospects sounds like a hernia and a half. I prefer not to stress about where my next meal/roof is coming from. And I really don’t want to end up like those homeless guys on the side of the road with a dog slung over their shoulders for warmth.
So sue me, thirty-somethings, I do think you have it better. You won’t get anything because I’m broke. Ha.
