And I wouldn’t expect an emotionally stunted person stuck in high school or earlier to understand why people look down on them. So I guess we both think we understand each other.

Cheers!

I don’t think those skills necessarily translate. I wouldn’t expect someone who reads children’s books to understand why.

And why exactly would I be concerned with getting along with a salty child?

Nah, you’re definitely wrong. But if you want to think your appeal to authority means anything, go right ahead and have a nice day.

I suppose we’ll just have to agree to disagree on that.

I freely admit that I lack tack, but that’s another discussion.

I don’t claim to have any clinical experience but when a person consumes media with plot points and conflict designed to have a teen identify with it, I find that very off-putting (without mitigating circumstances), and assume their inner world is that of a child’s.

If I’m catching up with someone and I ask them “whatcha reading” and they respond with a children’s book without any qualifier like “to my kid” or “with my kid so we can talk about it”, I’m going to question if this is someone I want to spend time with.

I don’t know about “natural default”, that might be too generous. But if someone never makes it past their teens, I’m going to think certain things about them.

Fair

I think “hate” is a bit strong, simple disagreement I hope. But I’ve been pretty clear. The responses are probably mostly from two kinds of people: people that don’t like being called children and people who get offended on others behalf and like to argue for the sake of arguing.

As far as you enjoying books with a target audience of 5th graders; I honestly don’t know what to say to that that I haven’t already. I can’t imagine what a healthy adult could possibly get out of that. I remember those books fondly, but reading them now?

Surrounding yourself with the trappings of childhood into adulthood is refusing to grow up to some extent. Peter Pan syndrome isn’t an actual clinical diagnosis, but it seems like an awful way to live, and awful people to be around. I wouldn’t choose to hang out with a bunch of 15 year olds, why would I spend time with anyone that acted as if they were? Why someone would want to deny themselves the richness of a full life is just as puzzeling as why they wouldn’t expect people to judge them for it and avoid them.

Lol, says the person who just can’t stop digging and keeps responding.

Well, I suppose it’s a good thing for you that you seem impervious to growth and admitting you’re wrong. Straw manning, moving the goal posts, and attacking the source is a good start for a tool box of skills used to resist any self reflection, I’m sure you’ve got a lot more in there.

How much time do you think this takes? What you’re saying isn’t exactly deep and thought provoking. 30 seconds to bang out a response when a little notification interrupts me catching up on the news isn’t much. I couldn’t have spent more than five minutes on this thread altogether, and 90 seconds on you tops.

There’s a big difference between unchallenging and childish. Don’t conflate the two.

Top chef is unchallenging, Sesame Street (R.I.P) is for children. An adult watching Top Chef can turn their brain off and chill, a non-mentally disabled adult watching Sesame Street (for themselves, not with kids) is childish.

It’s not about reading level. If someone has a low reading level due to disability, they should enjoy what they can, and if it’s not disability just reading anything will eventually fix that. It’s about the content. If someone is capable of understanding adult content and chooses to surround themselves with childish themes they are pathetic man/woman/person-babies.

It’s not about easy or unchallenging. I’m not sitting here only reading great literature or things filled with purple prose using sat vocab words. Around 70% of what I read is sci-fi/fantasy and I read A LOT, so my quality bar has to drop pretty low to keep me occupied in between the really good stuff. Again, it’s about adult vs. childish themes.

I’m sorry, but I feel like you’re being a little disingenuous here. I don’t think you need me to write an essay differentiating between various types of media. I think you know exactly what I mean when I mention people that refuse to grow up and continue to consume childish media well into adulthood.

Not my intention. I used those extreme examples to make the point that shaming is not necessarily bad. Obviously, an adult that has a child’s mind, not due to a disability but because they refuse to grow, is more of a grey area where people can disagree if shaming is warranted. I find it pathetic and repellant, some others apparently disagree. Some of those may be well adjusted adults, but some of them may benefit from looking in the mirror I’m holding up

Yes, and? Shame is useful. When I feel ashamed of something it leads to reflection and hopefully personal growth. Fear those incapable of shame.

Shaming isn’t necessarily bad. Shame fascists, abusers, bigots, the ultra wealthy, etc. I would guess that you agree with doing that. We just disagree if adults refusing to grow is shame worthy.

With all that stretching and leaping you must be limber as fuck.

I would never stop anyone from doing anything that didn’t harm someone else. But I will judge the fuck out of them. Disney adults, children’s book readers, broneys, etc. are children’s minds in adults bodies. If it’s because of a disability, good for them, they should enjoy life in whichever way suits them. If not, it’s pathetic and they should seek help with their personal growth.

That’s not really gatekeeping. Maybe gatekeeping a fully emotionally developed adult? But that’s a bit of a stretch too. You can’t just throw around buzzwords and expect it to mean anything. And you definitely can’t be expected to be taken seriously.

Maybe if you put down the YA and read something age appropriate you’d get a better feel for adult interactions.

Removed by mod

Corey Feldman is the reason I don’t believe the accusations against MJ. What that kid went through is horrific and predators can smell prey a mile away. If Michael was abusing kids there is no way he would have missed that one, Corey would have been an easy target after what they did to him. But Corey comes out and tries to shine a light on the things that are happening and specifically says that Michael never did anything inappropriate.