- Joined
- Jun 26, 2008
- Messages
- 9,413
- Location
- Νεφελοκοκκυγία
- Gil
- 3,746
- FFXIV
- Polyphemos Bromios
- FFXIV Server
- Moogle
- Free Company
- KupoCon
What is it that makes certain things to be considered childish? By this it could include historical things, nature, space, etc, etc.
Yes it is natural that there will be childhood versions of all topics, so to market toys / shows / etc of various themes, and it is important to stimulate a child’s imagination and creativity in a broad way, etc, etc. But I often get the impression (which I’m open to being mistaken) that the priority for these topics is often to the children, to the extent that to be interested in some topics might immediately be considered childish by some people.
If a man or woman of a grown age are interested in certain topics then they are sometimes considered odd, geeky, or childish. Why?
I guess this thread spawned (of all silly things which does not help my case!) from a moment the other night when my Mom said she was making gingerbread reindeer, and that she had green icing that she wasn’t using. I’d suggested that she do a gingerbread dinosaur, and she then claimed that would only be appropriate for children, and immediately assumed I was not being serious. Now this isn’t to blame for this thread, it only determined that I should have it in mind to put up here sometime soon. This is something that often springs to mind, for a split second, whenever I come across people’s attitudes towards certain topics (before I ignore them and continue to like what I like privately ).
This isn't at all really about dinosaurs particularly, but since it was the example above, I'll go with it. So what actually makes dinosaurs childish? A dinosaur is the last thing I’d want to introduce a child to. Either carnivorous or large herbivorous dinosaurs would be quite dangerous. And thinking from a child’s perspective, I think a child would also be rather frightened in the presence of a real life T-Rex who is nothing like the child’s precious Barney. And yet dinosaurs in particular fall victim to being viewed upon as something which children are allowed to be interested in unquestionably, stomping about in their living-rooms screaming ‘raaaagh!’, and yet any ‘serious’ adult who brings up this topic of conversation might receive odd looks or a laugh. Not always, granted, but I often get the impression that a lot of people have to play down their interest in certain topics (or just about anything, sometimes!) to avoid embarrassment. Or perhaps adults struggle to find the opportune moment to bring this up, providing there ever would be one? What a waste of what could be decent conversations! The fact that this might sound silly is itself quite silly.
I don't know if the 'you don't have as much time when you are older' argument covers it entirely either, though it undoubtedly plays its role. Having interest in something doesn't need to take a long time.
I noticed that for many topics which you may search for on Google (be it a historical period, or a specific topic within a historical period, or other things) the Google searches start to fill in predictive searches ending with ‘for kids’. As if you would only be searching this for kids. Why should history and nature, etc, be for kids only? Or is it that most people statistically are mainly searching for stuff for their kids to help with homework, etc? If so, is that a sad thing, or in the eyes of The People should I abandon myself and strip myself of what seems like everything I care to enjoy?
Why should only children be interested in them? There is much more for an interested adult to gain from thinking about or investigating these things, so why should they feel as if they are denied this?
People tend to (or have to) dumb down these topics for children, or make generalisations that aren’t factually complete. Sometimes rather than just including children in interesting topics, it has gone in the opposite direction, and adults can be excluded.
It just seems quite bizarre, and I wondered what the root of it was. What is it today with the fascination of leaving everything to childhood, and behind at childhood, and deriding people who keep up with it?
Childhood is very important, I’d agree, but there is more beyond that. I know a lot more about certain topics now than I ever could have done as a child.
I’m damned if to be 'respectable' the only things I can be interested in are women, beer, and modern-day tribal displays of aggression! There is nothing wrong with the former two if sensible, but I need another element too to keep my (in)sanity.
Don’t get me wrong though. Contrary to the very existence of this thread, I don’t care if people call people childish for liking certain topics. That doesn’t change what I’m interested in during my free time / moments when my mind is my own, and from my individualised point of view it is their loss. I’m just curious, and wondered if other people had been curious, or have any insightful comments or think I'm very silly, etc.
Thoughts?
Yes it is natural that there will be childhood versions of all topics, so to market toys / shows / etc of various themes, and it is important to stimulate a child’s imagination and creativity in a broad way, etc, etc. But I often get the impression (which I’m open to being mistaken) that the priority for these topics is often to the children, to the extent that to be interested in some topics might immediately be considered childish by some people.
If a man or woman of a grown age are interested in certain topics then they are sometimes considered odd, geeky, or childish. Why?
I guess this thread spawned (of all silly things which does not help my case!) from a moment the other night when my Mom said she was making gingerbread reindeer, and that she had green icing that she wasn’t using. I’d suggested that she do a gingerbread dinosaur, and she then claimed that would only be appropriate for children, and immediately assumed I was not being serious. Now this isn’t to blame for this thread, it only determined that I should have it in mind to put up here sometime soon. This is something that often springs to mind, for a split second, whenever I come across people’s attitudes towards certain topics (before I ignore them and continue to like what I like privately ).
This isn't at all really about dinosaurs particularly, but since it was the example above, I'll go with it. So what actually makes dinosaurs childish? A dinosaur is the last thing I’d want to introduce a child to. Either carnivorous or large herbivorous dinosaurs would be quite dangerous. And thinking from a child’s perspective, I think a child would also be rather frightened in the presence of a real life T-Rex who is nothing like the child’s precious Barney. And yet dinosaurs in particular fall victim to being viewed upon as something which children are allowed to be interested in unquestionably, stomping about in their living-rooms screaming ‘raaaagh!’, and yet any ‘serious’ adult who brings up this topic of conversation might receive odd looks or a laugh. Not always, granted, but I often get the impression that a lot of people have to play down their interest in certain topics (or just about anything, sometimes!) to avoid embarrassment. Or perhaps adults struggle to find the opportune moment to bring this up, providing there ever would be one? What a waste of what could be decent conversations! The fact that this might sound silly is itself quite silly.
I don't know if the 'you don't have as much time when you are older' argument covers it entirely either, though it undoubtedly plays its role. Having interest in something doesn't need to take a long time.
I noticed that for many topics which you may search for on Google (be it a historical period, or a specific topic within a historical period, or other things) the Google searches start to fill in predictive searches ending with ‘for kids’. As if you would only be searching this for kids. Why should history and nature, etc, be for kids only? Or is it that most people statistically are mainly searching for stuff for their kids to help with homework, etc? If so, is that a sad thing, or in the eyes of The People should I abandon myself and strip myself of what seems like everything I care to enjoy?
Why should only children be interested in them? There is much more for an interested adult to gain from thinking about or investigating these things, so why should they feel as if they are denied this?
People tend to (or have to) dumb down these topics for children, or make generalisations that aren’t factually complete. Sometimes rather than just including children in interesting topics, it has gone in the opposite direction, and adults can be excluded.
It just seems quite bizarre, and I wondered what the root of it was. What is it today with the fascination of leaving everything to childhood, and behind at childhood, and deriding people who keep up with it?
Childhood is very important, I’d agree, but there is more beyond that. I know a lot more about certain topics now than I ever could have done as a child.
I’m damned if to be 'respectable' the only things I can be interested in are women, beer, and modern-day tribal displays of aggression! There is nothing wrong with the former two if sensible, but I need another element too to keep my (in)sanity.
Don’t get me wrong though. Contrary to the very existence of this thread, I don’t care if people call people childish for liking certain topics. That doesn’t change what I’m interested in during my free time / moments when my mind is my own, and from my individualised point of view it is their loss. I’m just curious, and wondered if other people had been curious, or have any insightful comments or think I'm very silly, etc.
Thoughts?