"...but for people to treat a 20-year-old as part of the indistinguishable mass labeled "people who can carry on interesting conversations."" This. (Or a sixteen-year-old, or whatever age.)
"I never felt a shortage of people my own age...the idea that I would need some time to just be around people my own age never computed for me." This is likely the difference between us. I had a very small group of people-my-age who were available to me when I was homeschooled, didn't have anything in common with any of the girls and detested most of the boys. But since I have an enduring faith in people, I believed that there were some people my age, somewhere, who I would want to hang out with. (Turns out I was right, too.) Definitely I enjoy having friends of all ages, but I also love having friends who are my own physical age.
Your point about different markers for generations is a good one. aliseadae's college has something called the Mindset List which it compiles every year.
And your point about teen programming maybe not being for me is a good one, and one of my blind spots, I think. Still, I am not anti-anime, and I would rather have some teen programming than no teen programming, even if the panels turned out to mostly be about anime and Twilight, because I know that teens read and watch other things, too, and if we have teen programming then those other panels will happen eventually, too. (See: my enduring faith in people.)
no subject
This. (Or a sixteen-year-old, or whatever age.)
"I never felt a shortage of people my own age...the idea that I would need some time to just be around people my own age never computed for me."
This is likely the difference between us. I had a very small group of people-my-age who were available to me when I was homeschooled, didn't have anything in common with any of the girls and detested most of the boys. But since I have an enduring faith in people, I believed that there were some people my age, somewhere, who I would want to hang out with. (Turns out I was right, too.) Definitely I enjoy having friends of all ages, but I also love having friends who are my own physical age.
Your point about different markers for generations is a good one.
And your point about teen programming maybe not being for me is a good one, and one of my blind spots, I think. Still, I am not anti-anime, and I would rather have some teen programming than no teen programming, even if the panels turned out to mostly be about anime and Twilight, because I know that teens read and watch other things, too, and if we have teen programming then those other panels will happen eventually, too. (See: my enduring faith in people.)