Family expectations

Amanda at Pandagon has an interesting post about how the expected traditional life-course -- marriage young, kids soon after, the house in the 'burbs -- has been left in the dust by individual choices over the past two generations, and the changes that that has made in everything from family gatherings to the sense of cultural disruption experienced by some (most notably those who feel that "traditional values" are under attack).

So, in a sense, it's a depressing thought because the culture war is really just one long temper tantrum thrown by people who are frustrated that the world is changing without obtaining their permission. On the other hand, it's a good thing that it might be nothing more than a temper tantrum, something that will pass quickly enough as it becomes clear that there's no putting the genie back in the bottle, no turning back the hands of time.

Very insightful, and many parts of it, from the personal to the political, will likely strike a chord with my own friends and relatives. Go read the whole thing. [For reference, Atrios provides this chart of average age at marriage over the last century or so.]

(via Eschaton)