A Guide to Children’s Culture for Out-of-Touch Adults: What Is “locktober”?

When I hear children talking now, it’s like a foreign language! Damn it, is this “locktober”? Why do they talk about “mind goblins”? What happened to speaking American like we used to say in the good old days? I’m telling you the world is going to hell: all the kids wear their pants hanging off their butts and no one goes to church anymore.

As a public service to old and old neighbors, I’m going to clear up some language confusion this week. I’ll also note that ’90s nostalgia is back (for the third time?) and look at a controversial creator whose videos are going viral.

What is “locktober”?

(Disclaimer: This is a young adult item, not a children’s item.)

Locktober is a holiday month for the opposite of incels. Unlike those who are forced to remain celibate, Vo-cels deliberately go without food. A growing trend in locktober, a BDSM practice, involves men locking their junk in a cage and handing the keys over to a willing partner for the entire month of October. I thought it was pumpkin holiday season!

Locktober seems to be more widely practiced (or more widely discussed) among gay men , but there are also straight fans of Locktober . What people get from the practice varies from person to person, with some saying they want to feel more submissive. Some want to ” reboot their sexual appetite .” And some, I’m sure, are simply looking forward to an eventful November 1st.

What does “intelligent goblin” mean?

What is a “sentient goblin”? The best way to illustrate this is with an imaginary conversation:

Me : So, I have a problem with the mind goblin.

You : What is a mental goblin?

Me : Do you fucking mind?

(At this moment you will belong.)

That’s all that comes to the goblin’s mind – it’s just a new version of up-dog or ligma . But try it on a young person for the next eight minutes and maybe you’ll understand.

AI-generated ’90s yearbook photos take over social media

The big trend on social media this week is the use of artificial intelligence to create images of yourself as you might appear in a 1990s yearbook . The images are mostly taken from Epik, a photo editing app that is currently top of the download list on Apple’s app store .

It works like this: you upload 8 to 12 photos, pay $5.99, and within a few hours you have 60 photos of you posing and enhancing yourself so you look like a 1990s version of an athlete or a fashion victim , cheerleader or nerd. etc. In short: a stupid trend that makes someone rich.

Note. If your 1990s yearbook has actual photos of you, this trend probably isn’t for you and the photos will just upset you.

Viral Video of the Week: John Romano’s TikTok Page – School Shooter Says

John Romano’s videos have been gaining popularity lately. He has hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram and TikTok , and his videos receive millions of views. Under the pseudonym “Jonseekingpeace”, Romano mainly discusses the school shooting he committed in 2004 when he was 16 years old (with visits around the time he was attacked with a sword at a homeless shelter a few months earlier ). Here’s a video of him telling the story if you’re interested .

This has predictably sparked controversy, with some saying he’s brave and others calling him out for monetizing attempted murder, pointing out that he’s a racist and telling him to just shut the hell up.

The teacher he shot survived, and Romano served 17 years of a well-earned 20-year prison sentence. He says he is now a changed man and has dedicated his life to raising awareness about mental health and preventing future school shootings. I’m not sold.

I find his videos entertaining and I’m glad he posts them, but I don’t know if I want my child to become a fan. I listen to Romano with my arms crossed and the pent-up skepticism of a middle-aged man. I believe that at least some of the thousands of idealistic children who follow him trust what he says. Whether it’s bad for kids to listen to a convicted school shooter talk about shame or tell them ” it’s never too late ” depends on how you feel about the possibility of redemption, I think it depends on how you feel about the possibility of redemption. Maybe he’s an attention-seeking weirdo cashing in on past atrocities, or maybe he’s a truly changed man trying to become a force for good in the world – anything is possible – but I wouldn’t put my money on it.