Main Street Magazine Spring '23

III
In search of a why, some reasoning behind the dirtbag lifestyle, I tried to consider a more scientific explanation. For instance, studies have shown
that the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision-making and impulse control, doesn’t finish developing until the age of 25 and affects a
person’s ability to reason and think through consequences. However, when talking with my friends, consequences were a consideration, but not a
deterrent. As one friend put it: “If you say things with confidence, you can get away with a lot.” She would trick her teachers into letting her leave class
early or skip out on school completely because, apparently, a lie with intent was all you needed to be successful. The benefits these activities posed to
my friends outweighed the potential consequences. From egging houses to stealing stop signs to sneaking onto strangers’ roofs, the thrill of adventure
and the social bonds that these experiences provided offered immediate gratification.
When I asked my friends why they engaged in these kinds of activities, one friend had a more heterodoxic view of the lifestyle. Tagging structures with
his brightly colored spray paints wasn’t about vandalism, it was about art and freedom of expression. Breaking into the abandoned buildings around
his town wasn’t about trespassing, it was about wonder and exploration. To him, life was about saying fuck obedience and holding onto curiosity and
love. For the most part, however, the answer was almost always about fun. There wasn’t some deep meaning or significance to their why: they were
just bored and wanted something fun to do.
IV
The more I listened to these stories, I realized there was a common thread running throughout all of them: friends. Rarely were these daring and
devious endeavors taking place in solitude. When detailing his memory of bridge jumping, Morgan attributed the entire experience to mob mentality.
One of his friends wanted to jump off the Seabrook-Hampton bridge. So, while they tested the depth and safety of ocean below, Morgan and his group
huddled on the bridge above. Just as his buddy was preparing to jump, another group of strangers realized what was about to happen and decided to
join in the fun. Once the first of them disappeared beneath the water, the crowd shifts from curious to competitive. All eager to outdo each other, one
by one, they dropped into the salty brine.
When a parent asks the age-old question, “If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?” the answer is a confident and emphatic yes. I may not
have been a teenage dirtbag, spending my prime years doing wild or unspeakable things, but all my most dumb, spontaneous, exciting memories
have been spent with my friends when I’m bored. I think there is something inexplicable about the power of a bored teenager. My friend Joe described
teenage dirtbaggery as “Living life the way you want to, keeping a love for the people and things around you, but knowing that we’re so miniscule in
the grand scheme of things.” The people we describe as “dirtbags” merely attempt to live life in the moment and to the fullest, however that looks for
them. And while those moments may not always be the smartest or the safest idea, if friends are there, life is fun.
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