Party culture isn’t dying because Gen-Z is anti-fun, party culture is dying because people go to therapy now instead of partying their problems away/acting like they don’t have any.

According to the Financial Times, the number of dance clubs that are open beyond 3 a.m. have plummeted in 12 of the planet's 15 biggest party capitals over the last decade. Among the culprits is the post-coronavirus tightening of licensing laws. However, I feel this trend has its origins and causes in things greater... in societal changes, in attitudes, in generational shifts. These shifts and changes expose deeper societal issues: the tension between hedonism and accountability, and the commodification of subcultures.

My theory is that, many partiers and big drinkers, the kind who like to “lose themselves” to the music, have always inherently damaged people, people who are repulsed at the very prospect of grabbing reality by the balls and saying: “I don’t give a shit what ya throw at me, I’m gonna handle it.” And in the ‘70s, when hookup culture was at an all time high, when having sex was like shaking hands (a boomer’s words, not mine), there also happened to be absolutely no consciousness amongst the general public about mental health and illness apart from what they saw in films/read in books. So, they drank (and fucked) their problems away.

Now, however, with an increased consciousness around mental health, Gen Z prefers to go to therapy instead of the clubs. It’s way cheaper, actually beneficial, and you come off of it happy, healthy, and without a clapped liver.

There. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.