#darry tag

bigger than that though... our parents were/are boomers. we've had way more interactions with boomers and silent gen; darry is silent gen and the rest of the cast are boomers. their version and outlook of childhood and adulthood are vastly different which is why, i think, a lot of older fans are a lot less forgiving and tolerant of darry's flaws and a lot less accepting of some of the headcanons around him particularly his treatment of ponyboy and how he's failing to be a parental figure.

being twenty years old in 1965 is not being twenty in 1975 or 85 or 95 or 05 or 15 or 25. twenty years old? you're an adult. but in 1965, there was a much different standard of adulthood and what that meant. if darry were a real person and reading some of these headcanons he'd explode because he'd be angry at the way he's being talked about or perceived to be a child (someone referring to him in all seriousness as a twenty year old minor is insane to me in the first place; if he read that line he might have lost it.) when he's a man who is two to three years out of high school, is holding down not one but two jobs and likely is paying a mortgage and is most certainly paying taxes and providing for two others.

i think what i'm getting at here is you can't wholly apply your current status with his — darry curtis was born in 1945, he would not in any way, shape or form agree to the way fandom infantilizes him or things of him akin to like, a fresh eighteen year old. it would be insulting and it's totally decoupled from historical context. i'm not saying that the way society was back then should be now but i am saying that in universe, darry curtis is a full grown Adult and i wish fandom would remember that.

Dally: No

Darry: What is it?

Dally: I,, ITS DIGIORNO