Defining rites of passage

[jay]

Given a debate in the hallways at work today with hopeforyou, over someone's celebration this evening ... I just don't see how celebrating the onset of an icky, unpleasant bodily function that causes half the population to be cranky and require chocolate and paper products one out of every four weeks is a rite of passage, other than as an affliction. Might as well design a ritual to celebrate, say, acne as the door to adolescence.

In this culture, IMO the things which most clearly delineate children from adults are gaining independent mobility and finances. So I think that a first paid outside job and gaining a driver's license are the true rites of passage in the US, both usually happening around age 15-16.

Comments

[elissaann.livejournal.com]

I didn't intend to offend, and I apologize to anyone that I offended.

I was using the word woman to refer to people with specific body parts, who currently (or at some point in their lives) have menstrual cycles. Is there a prefered word for that?

[tenacious-snail.livejournal.com]

I'm not offended, but I was trying to point out that there was an intention towards a big tent definition of "woman".