Going Steady?

Urban dictionary says the expression "Going Steady" means "what white kids in the '50s called 'dating'." In other words, "Johnny gave me his pin at the dance ... now I know we're going steady!".  Fast forward to the 21st century and no one, I mean no one, uses this expression anymore. In fact it as if dating is extinct as well. How many times do you see a young couple out to dinner on a Friday night? If you do a little experiment and sit at a popular restaurant next to a college campus, count how many couples you see on a romantic date. You'll look around and see a lot of groups of boys and girls, maybe a few parents out on date night, a few tables of boys hanging out drinking beers checking out the next table full of girls on a girls' night. So is dating extinct because of our society or do we just not have time for it anymore?

Our society preaches all about casual sex and having a fun, carefree lifestyle being single. Shows like "The Real World" and "Jersey Shore" are the best examples of this lifestyle. Not to mention, these are possibly the trashiest shows on television. Wonder why? Because they just show a bunch of hormone filled early twenty-something year olds all over each other, drunk, and making mistakes... in front of thousands of viewers. Including their parents. Ew.

Playing devil's advocate, as well, maybe our society really wants to date but just does not have time for it. If you're not in college, put yourself in the shoes of a college kid these days. You go to class during the day, have a part time job at night, spend your nights either going out to bars or doing homework, and also just add in time to...well, live. Time to relax, hang out with your roommates, and feel connected to the world. Not to mention a lot of Friday and Saturday nights, popular date nights, are filled with frat parties and group activities. So do we even have time to dedicate ourselves to another person? While some people may say this is easy to do, I am on the opposing side. It is hard to balance time for yourself and time for someone else. Especially in a society where women are influenced to be independent beings and this 1950's version of a woman, and a relationship, are cast aside. Maybe it's being selfish or maybe it's being smart. But in my opinion, how can one find themselves if they're with another all the time?