The Decline of Adulthood

Warning --this article contains adult themes and may not be suitable for all family members. Does this not suggest that I'm going to corrupt your eyes and brains with something pornographic, or perhaps lurid descriptions of violent deaths? The fact is, the word "adult," and everything it implies, has acquired a questionable reputation during the last couple of decades. It is tempting to dismiss this as a question of mere semantics, or perhaps etymology. Word usage does change over time, and we could look at the evolution of the meaning of "adult" as an example of such change. I think, however, that more is at issue in this case (not that semantics and etymology are not important in themselves). In this case, there is ample evidence that what has changed is not simply the word "adult," but widespread attitudes about many of the ideas, behaviors and beliefs that have traditionally been associated with adulthood. In other words, it isn't simply the word "adult" that is in decline, but the very notion.