Ian Ybarra was the first of many to point me to a new book called Rejuvenile, written by Christopher Noxon. Noxon has written for the New York Times Magazine and worked as a costumed character at Universal Studios. He defines rejuvenile as “People who cultivate tastes and mindsets traditionally associated with those younger than themselves.”
Christopher has done quite a bit of research on this burgeoning phenomenon of grown-ups who refuse to “grow-up.” I am anxious to get my hands on the book for a closer look. It appears that his writing paints a wide brush of the entire movement, including the extreme fringe of people in need of psychological help — think of people who, as a Wall Street Journal columnist states, “use costumes and stuffed animals in circumstances of startling intimacy.”
From what I can tell, Noxon advocates a more moderate incarnation of this type of lifestyle, and holds up role models such as Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, and Albert Einstein — all individuals I have hailed on this blog. I got a chance to see an interview of the author by Bill Maher on Amazon.com. It was fairly adversarial (Bill was actually pretty rough on the guy), and somehow, I found myself agreeing with both of them at different points. Basically, here’s how I come down: I am against the stupid Adultitis-stricken PC patrol who insist on ruining childhood as we know it. And I think every. single. person. could benefit from injecting a little more childlikeness in their life. However, I have continually drawn the line between being “childlike” versus being “childish.”
Sasha Cagen, author of Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics, reviewed Noxon’s book and called it a “a new, liberating redefinition of adulthood, where you can be a responsible grown-up and still maintain a sense of wonder.” Now that’s what I’m talking about. If this statement accurately sums up the thrust of Rejuvenile, I think I’ll be in for a real treat.
[tags]Christopher Noxon, rejuvenile, adultitis, childhood[/tags]