(Guest Post by Matthew Ladner)
Related to this previous conversation, George Will weighs in on the modern “living in Mom’s basement” Peter Man American male.
Oi vey
George Will on Perpetual Adolesence
March 4, 2010
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politics | Tagged: George Will, Up in the Air | 
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Posted by matthewladner
Pass the Popcorn: Up in the Air
January 22, 2010
(Guest Post by Matthew Ladner)
Up in the Air is a must see flick.
Clooney plays a man purposely devoid of attachments, a middle-aged guy with a Peter Pan syndrome. He travels 300+ days a year for his job, rarely speaks to his siblings, and has no interest in owning a home or having a serious romantic relationship. Not only has Clooney’s character made these choices for himself, he evangelizes this lifestyle in public speaking. His spiel involves using a backpack as a prop. Wives, mortgages, kids, pets- these are all heavy burdens in your backpack, he essentially argues, and you want to travel light.
His job? Flying around the country firing people in corporate down-sizings.
Clooney’s character reminds me of an older, grizzled manifestation of the flawed young men of Kay Hymowitz’s brilliant and biting social commentary. Hymowitz, a colleague of Jay’s at the Manhattan Institute, has written a series of articles lamenting the young men of today. While once it was expected that a man would actually make something of himself before seeking a wife, today sex is widely available outside of marriage. So, thinks today’s bachelor, why get married? Although I can’t find a link, I recall seeing Hymowitz describe the young men of today as “addicted to video games and masturbation.”
I remember it because I spit my “tea, Earl Grey, hot” onto my computer screen when I read it. Anyhoo, Clooney’s character, a bit more mature, is addicted to the accumulation frequent flyer miles, staying in five-star hotels, hanging out at the Admiral’s Club at the airport and one night stands. It’s all going swell, or is it (?), until a young whippersnapper figures out that it is cheaper to fire people by text message and he hooks up with a female version of himself out on the road…
Up in the Air is a great movie that deserves the buzz it is receiving. Drop what you are doing and go see it.
6 Comments | Pass the Popcorn | Tagged: George Clooney, Kay Hymowitz, Pass the Popcorn, Up in the Air | Permalink
Posted by matthewladner
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