News

How The NYT Is Like Your Awkward Uncle

by Krystie Lee Yandoli

If 2013 has taught us anything, it's that the New York Times continues to be baffled by millennials. The Times might just be the most respected news organization in the world, but when it comes to trend pieces about 20-somethings .... well, they tend to sound like our very awkward uncle. In fact, the Times can be so behind the curve when it comes to trend pieces that there's even a parody Twitter account dedicated to the phenomenon: The Times is On It.

Here's our list of the funniest behind-the-curve New York Times trend pieces from 2013. We'll let the Times' real headlines and pull-quotes (mostly) speak for themselves. After all, you really can't make this stuff up.

1. “In Hookups, Inequality Still Reigns”

"Mediocre sex was a small price to pay “for the freedom to be able to enjoy it all.”

2. “My Selfie, Myself”

"Selfies often veer into scandalous or shameless territory — think of Miley Cyrus or Geraldo Rivera — and at their most egregious raise all sorts of questions about vanity, narcissism and our obsession with beauty and body image."

3. “Sex On Campus: She Can Play That Game, Too”

"It is by now pretty well understood that traditional dating in college has mostly gone the way of the landline, replaced by “hooking up” — an ambiguous term that can signify anything from making out to oral sex to intercourse — without the emotional entanglement of a relationship."

4. “No Tie-Dye Required: Bay Area Millennials are Flocking to Communes”

"There seem to be more adult relationships at intentional communities than “Real World”-style hot tub hookups."

5. “Do Millennials Stand a Chance in the Real World?”

"The millennials’ relationship with money seems quite simple. They do not have a lot of it, and what they do have, they seem reluctant to spend."

6. “Millennials, in Their Parents' Basements”

"Despite the frequent stories of recent college graduates stuck on their parents’ couches (or in their basements or above their garages), it is actually young people without bachelor’s degrees who are most likely to be living at home."

7. “On Campus, Costly Target of Brazen Thefts: Nutella”

"The problem was that the Columbia students went through jars and jars of Nutella — at least 100 pounds a day... Apparently they were not just eating it in the dining hall. They were spiriting it away in soup containers and other receptacles, to be eaten later."

8. "For Millennial Voters, a Tide of Cynicism Toward Politics"

"The idealism of youth is slipping away, replaced by mistrust and a growing partisan divide among voters under 30. These so-called millennials, who turned out in droves to elect Mr. Obama in 2008, are increasingly turned off by politics. Experts fear their cynicism may become permanent."

9. “The End of Courtship”

"Blame the much-documented rise of the “hookup culture” among young people, characterized by spontaneous, commitment-free (and often, alcohol-fueled) romantic flings...Hookups may be fine for college students, but what about after, when they start to build an adult life?"

Images: survivingcollege.com, meedly.tumblr.com, todayisreal.tumblr.com, miralamb.tumblr.com, thisissingle.tumblr.com, myworried-mind.tumblr.com, whattalking.com, cinematrixs.tumblr.com, complex.com.)