I’m inclined to say that humor conquers all, even the best thought out philosophies. I’m sure Jesus and Buddha would have chuckled at a good dick joke.

Plus, there is something to be said for anything that draws us away from pain and suffering…even if it is a dick joke. Why should pain and suffering take precedence over a existence that begs to be made fun of?

I’m assuming that you think South Park is a sign of our cultural demise?

*Names and phrases used for dramatic effect and not to be taken personally.

Andrew…what!?… subjective?, yes; back to therapy.

… and the search of the Rite of Passage continues…

Very true about religion. After the wedding I will have gone through 5 of the 7 holy sacramental rites of passage in Catholicism. The only 2 I’m missing are Priesthood & Death.

But against what you said is the fact that the major organized religions transcend societies and historical periods – or rather you find them in multiple and totally diverse cultures.

The post specifically refers to American culture. I honestly can’t think of any rites of passage that are mandatory for all Americans to participate in. Even graduating high school and getting a drivers license aren’t necessarily mandatory rites, even if most people have participated in them.

I guess the road trip is the unofficial rite of passage nowadays – ala On The Road.

I agree that in our social structure, alcohol is unfortunately abused in our celebrations marking events. But not all celebrations require “gettin f*cked up”, like baptism, confirmations, bar/bat mitzvahs. These are all religious events, but they do celebrate a major rite of passage for people.