Haley Haskin
- Nov 23, 2017
- 6 min read

Netflix, Wine, and Bed: Laziness Appraisal in Young Adult Culture

Updated: May 2, 2023

“Man, I should probably be productive after I get home from work. I have so much I need to get done … but let's face it, I'm probably gonna order a pizza, watch Netflix with wine all night, then sleep all day tomorrow. Haha, I'm terrible.”

Why has this excuse become the go to, and almost expectation in today's young adult culture? Why has the “Netflix, wine, junk food, and bed, I deserve a break” attitude become almost a fad? It seems that these pass times meant for occasional enjoyment have been so glorified as the only way to catch a break, that they have evolved into an indulgent staple in life, and the only way today's young adults know how to get through the day. Let me explain.

We all know that junk food and alcohol are not healthy things to put into your body. That is why we are supposed to consume those things in moderation. We all know that while TV can be fun, doing something more mentally productive than binge watching an entire show in a couple of days is going to be much more beneficial to your personal well-being, motivation, and work ethic. And of course, though a nap can be nice, it is definitely healthier for your body to be active than laying around in bed all day. So why has our culture taken these values and flipped them around? Why have we replaced healthy values with actual junk?

If our culture cannot find the willpower to break poor habits, then we will do the next thing we know to do that won't bruise our delicate consciences. And that is, to lift up this addiction to laziness as a hopeless and almost comical condition that no one has the power to overcome. Which yields then to the mentality that we should all therefore succumb, and might as well enjoy ourselves while doing it. This indulgent mindset, in my opinion, is a bogus excuse.

I think our culture has highly overlooked the sin of gluttony. Because what could possibly be wrong with pleasing your tastes buds, and appeasing your body's desire to relax? There is a verse that says: “Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things” (Philippians 3:19).

I think the whole reason for this new cult appraisal of relaxation and “treating yourself” is because everyone is in denial that we are letting our laziness live our lives. So instead, we glorify our shameful habits like being addicted to wine, and sugary coffee drinks, and burritos, and our beds. We glorify in hopes that no one will detect our lack of will power, and that these addictions will seem like a good idea.

Why else do people create memes that uplift an unhealthy lifestyle in a humorous light, with the tone that our addiction to binge watching Netflix in bed just simply can't be helped? Why are there articles all over the internet trying to justify an unhealthy lifestyle by proclaiming pride over unhealthy body weight, saying “love yourself, don't change, you don't need to do anything you don't want to do?” Why are there videos that try to explain the health benefits of wine equalling a trip to the gym? Why is the new fad to send a bouquet of candy and donuts instead of flowers? Is it kind of strange that what used to be a proper, thoughtful, and delicate date night is now being rivaled with the easiness of staying in with pizza or chicken nuggets?

Why do we think we are deserving? I see it frequently. The, “I don't wanna,” “I'm pathetic but I'm too far gone,” “My life is lame compared to everyone else's, but oh well, I love myself, you only live once,” attitude. I know the social media memes that say these things are often created as a way to make people laugh, and poke fun at our insecurities. But these jokes making light of bad habits, quickly reinforce. As this glorification grows in popularity, it begins to make what we over-dramatize and laugh about, become our reality.

2 Timothy 4:3 says, “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

In this same way, our culture will come up with explanations as to why we don't need to change our self-destructive ways. This verse may seem like it is directed toward higher moral issues than an obsession with “treating ourselves.” But my point is exactly that. We have dressed up the sin of gluttony so much that we don't even consider it a bad thing anymore. We have constructed a mentality that suits what our itching ears want to hear.

In sharing and delighting in this media, we are only ingraining these habits further into our minds. We are lifting this lifestyle up higher and higher as something to be praised and not criticized. Because it makes us happy. It makes us feel good. But we are ultimately only hurting ourselves. If “treating yourself” becomes a daily ritual, it is no longer treating yourself. It is just a habit you no longer have the power to turn around.

There are a lot of things in life that we have to do but don't want to do. There are a lot of things that don't feel good. Life isn't exactly a picnic. We can't pick and choose when we want to do things based on whether or not we feel like it. We must go to work to make a living. We must maintain a healthy diet and body if we do not wish to die when we are 40. And we can't spend our lives in bed, avoiding tasks that need to be done. These things are inevitably necessary. So, we have to “adult,” or the generations before us will never stop treating us like whiny products of generation Z.

Also, the more we share media dramatizing our negative feelings towards responsibilities, the more we ingrain into our heads how deserving we are of ease and comfort. The more we we pat our friends on the back for “treating themselves,” the more we brag about our nights of relaxation and zero productivity, the more we will think we deserve this cushy lifestyle, and the more dreadful our responsibilities ultimately seem.

Proverbs 23:20-21 says, “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.” This means that it is a downhill slope once you start these poor habits.

You know those days, when you are bored out of your mind? You haven't done anything productive all day, and you don't want to start now because it is too late. That mentality can creep into your whole life if you aren't careful. I think the reason half of us are so tired all the time is because we sleep too much, and become addicted to it. Remember that sugar, alcohol, and the dopamine release from gorging ourselves on social media are all addictive.

So why are we doing this to ourselves? We are setting up our own demise. Why make necessary work sound more evil? Why are we lowering our own capabilities to such incapable standards? We can do more than that. Why not have a positive mindset about work worth doing? We may actually find our lives improving if we have a good attitude about our lives and our health, and stop giving into temporary gratification, just because we feel tired, can't deal with life, and think we deserve to “treat ourselves.”

I'm not trying to condemn anyone who puts a cupcake in their mouth, watches a movie, or has a nice glass of wine. I enjoy doing all of those things. And God knows I have a powerful sweet tooth. But I think what our culture has forgotten to put in place is the willpower to do things in moderation, and not as a replacement for "doing life."

It is important to gain the perspective that glorifying and embracing a lazy lifestyle will only snowball the lack of success and gluttonous habits. I don't want seemingly harmless laziness to overcome our generation to a point, where we bring no accomplishments to the table. I don't want us to be the whiny generation. So why are we degrading ourselves to this level? Why can't we be the strong generation? We can be the one that sets the example for being fit, healthy, creative, and successful. We just need to realize there are better ways of dealing with life than physical self comfort and mindless distractions.

“People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive … without self-control … lovers of pleasure.” 2 Timothy 3:2-4

“The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.” Proverbs 21:25

“All hard work brings profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” Proverbs 14: 23

#netflixandchill #laziness #youngadult #generationz #lazinessappraisal #youngadultculture #lazyyoungadult #millennials #healthylife #lifemotivation