Cancel Culture & Sleepovers: Americans Need to Fear Each Other Less

Almost any Millennial internet user will have been targeted by a meme that roughly says, “It’s Friday night. Mom just put Totino’s Pizza Rolls in the oven. Your best friends are sleeping over, and you will all play GoldenEye on Nintendo 64. Life will never be better than this.”

It’s not true, of course. The hedonic pleasures of staying up too late, mainlining Pizza Rolls with Mountain Dew, and passing out on the living-room floor are nothing compared to what most adults regularly arrange for themselves. And yet, nostalgia started to sneak up on me when the Washington Post informed me that sleepovers are now controversial among parents.

About the Author

Michael Brendan Dougherty

Michael Brendan Dougherty is a senior writer at National Review Online.

Almost any Millennial internet user will have been targeted by a meme that roughly says, “It’s Friday night. Mom just put Totino’s Pizza Rolls in the oven. Your best friends are sleeping over, and you will all play GoldenEye on Nintendo 64. Life will never be better than this.”

It’s not true, of course. The hedonic pleasures of staying up too late, mainlining Pizza Rolls with Mountain Dew, and passing out on the living-room floor are nothing compared to what most adults regularly arrange for themselves. And yet, nostalgia started to sneak up on me when the Washington Post informed me that sleepovers are now controversial among parents.