Is Infantilisation on the Increase?

Note to Attendees: Please consider making a $5 donation to contribute to the running costs of this Meetup.

From adult colouring books and Disney-themed crockery to Funkopop collections lining office desks, signs of cultural infantilisation seem to be everywhere. The social critic Christopher Lasch once observed that “modern man is infantilized—not in the sense that he is innocent, pure, or creative, but in that he is emotionally dependent, passive, and anxious.” Are we seeing a cultural shift that’s blurring the line between childhood and adulthood? This is the topic we will discuss at our next Gold Coast library meetup.

The questions we will address at this meetup are as follows:

1. Is adulthood being delayed or avoided altogether?
2. Are media, marketing, and politics encouraging emotional regression?
3. Can we embrace playfulness without losing maturity?

For those who want to keep chatting after the meetup, we will head to lunch at a local venue in Southport.

PLEASE NOTE:
– This is intended to be a good-natured but robust discussion. Please be respectful and prepared to have your ideas challenged. If you are easily offended, this event may not be for you.