The whole age gap debate purports to be about power dynamics, but relationships never have equal power dynamics. One person is always going to be wealthier or smarter or more talented or more attractive or more sexually experienced or more mentally stable. Yet online society is obsessed with age gaps, which reveals its utmost coveting of youth.... See more

Is it optimism that’s the distinguishing factor between Millennials and Zoomers? The mindset I associate most with my generation is “do what you love.” When I was an adolescent, many of us truly had it ingrained into us that we deserved to make a living—no, a lucrative living—by fulfilling our passion. Anything else made you a failure, or worse, an... See more

There is practically infinite knowledge to be learned to hone all sorts of skills, often for free. But social media culture has only deepened our need to be seen and paid attention to for our most superficial qualities.

You can get away with being insufferable and delusional if you’re spry and beautiful, and you can get away with being judgy and stubborn if you’ve got a cool home and a grand life purpose that saves you from having to constantly scrounge for relevance in the latest discourse. But what happens if you’re just withering and going just as much as... See more

My friend Trevor has a thing he often says, about how in today’s society, there are no elders, only olders. By that, he means there’s decreasing social worth placed on acquired skills and knowledge that comes with life experience—distinct from lived experience, which is something more of a status boost granted upon birth based on one’s identity.... See more