I am so fucking sick and tired of people complaining that modern society doesn't provide anything of leisure other than hyper-consumerism.
Bro, everywhere I go, whether it is a rural, suburban, or urban area there are festivals and other locally-held events taking place or are scheduled and many (if not most) of them are hosted on weekends so there is no excuse. Those are the perfect places to meet new people and bring culture to your life. Not everything has to be soulless. You're just way too afraid to get out of your comfort zone.
@xianc78 Been thinking about that too, a lot of people I know my age are now just settled in to doing nothing and sitting in front of the computer and getting high. They seem like they're really in a terrible place but that's what they want to do. And for some reason the suggestion to something fun outside of their home is abhorrent to them and elicits a bitter response. Like "I don't want to meet anyone, everyone's a scumbag, everyone sucks" whatever. And money definitely isn't an issue for them. When these people hit middle age it will hit them hard, because they'll realize they spent 20 adult years of freedom not doing anything interesting. And it sucks, lately I feel like I have to cut them out of my life or else I'll be sucked into that too.
@arc I don't think they really mean that they think everyone is a scumbag, but public gatherings do bring in at least a couple of people that could ruin it.
I think young people choose not to go because local festivals tend to attract older people and they might get looks from them if they attend, unless the young people in question are the types who grew up in a more rural environment.
There is also the issue that unless an event is explicitly adults-only, there are going to be people who will bring their children, and that could ruin the moment for some people, and the events that are adults-only probably have alcohol, recreational drug-use, strippers, and/or gambling which might turn some people off.
everyone's a scumbag, everyone sucks
People who just want to sit around and get high all the time are scumbags who suck.
cut them out of my life
Without a second thought. They're going nowhere. You have limited time on this earth, and even more limited time while young and able. Getting high often as a young person is incredibly unwise.