“Planes, Trains,” and Technology
It must seem odd to our children that this movie presents certain problems as insuperable, but then most Americans under the age of thirty have never known a time like the one portrayed.
Arts & Letters
The Frankenstein We Deserve
If there is a Frankenstein that best serves our time, it would be “The Frankenstein Chronicles,” a BBC series that barely made it to the US market via Netflix three years after its original airing in the UK. It is not loyal to Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” by a stretch.
Pinky Promise: The Adult’s Guide to Keeping and Telling Secrets
Growing up, there were few secrets to keep from my parents. When they asked how my day had been, the answer was simple and honest. After all, my days were consistently uneventful: school from 8 to 2:30, the occasional after-school hangout in a park or a neighborhood Starbucks, and then…
After
The most dreaded question a college senior could be asked: What are you doing after graduation? College graduation sneaks up on a person. At first it seems far away, as if it will never come, and then in the blink of an eye there are caps and gowns and diplomas…
The Adolescent Paradox
There is something called the adolescent paradox, a term referring to the ironic situation in which young adults are at once both at the peak of their physical health and energy while also being most at risk for mental illness. So while our bodies are equipped to do all we…
The Struggle to Know
When I applied to colleges as a linguistics major in 2013, I had done virtually no research. A friend of mine had told me linguistics was about language. I was taking AP Spanish at the time and I loved speaking and listening to music in Korean, and that seemed like…
The Highlight Reel
Of all the things millennials are known for, social media has to be the most predominant. A typical portrayal of a millennial might have his face glued to the phone, refusing to connect with the world around him and instead obsessed with the world inside of his screen. Though the…
Millennial Election Complacency
For almost all of my friends, this election was the first they could vote in. It was something special to see my friends cast their votes, urge others to do the same, and contribute to the making of America’s future. To finally be old enough to participate in the election,…
Then and Now
In just the past couple of decades there has been a change in the sequence of events that are generally understood to lead up to adulthood. These events included getting employed, meeting and marrying someone, and having children. Nowadays these milestones are no longer requirements for growing up, and even…
Almost, Not Quite
All my friends are confused. We keep changing our majors. We do not know what to do with those majors. We are looking for jobs, not so much for saving or for growth, but because we need the money, and we need it now. We oversleep and we never sleep.