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the 'adults fixated on YA lit' phenomenon is not all that different from otaku culture that first arose in Japan in the 80s and spread elsewhere afterwards. you create a society that is increasingly intimidating & hard to find your way in = increased regression becomes inevitable
see it all the time in many of my teenaged students (often boys) who are unwilling or unable to face the challenges/responsibilities of a new phase of life - ones they didn't invite. instead of being an overwhelmed, insecure 16 year old they regress to being a familiar, secure 12
at some core level this denial reality is an attempted denial of decay and death. who wouldn't want to stop time? who wants to face responsibilities you haven't willingly decided to take on? I don't think we should be so cocky and aloof to not see these desires in ourselves too.
and this is further compounded by the reality that *even if* you meet all the proscribed challenges, accept your burden of responsibilities, that are suddenly flung at you - and even do so well - there is certainly no promise that 'it all works out for you', that stability ensues
many otaku - who generated the sneers and self-superiority of not only fellow Japanese but also people around the world - finished school, did try to get careers, did try to find a partner, 'a normal life' etc. and instead were met with more rejection than they could handle
of course reality is as such that personal responsibility does interact w/ structural reality. maybe some jump into regression far too willingly, maybe some eventually come to it after having faced too much of a hostile society and world. but you need historical materialism here
it's not coincidental that these dynamics first become highly visible in a Japan facing economic crisis in the 90s. it's not coincidental that there are far more millennials and zoomers who live similarly compared to gen x or boomers. it speaks to underlying structural factors.
that said, it is reflective of a real crisis at the heart of our society that popular adult entertainment is increasingly dominated by childish themes, that video games garner an unhealthy amount of attention, that drug & alcohol use is getting out of hand. escapism really big rn
