Americans have become children — demanding, dependent and needy

As a population, it’s exotic to the point of extinction, vanishing in plain sight: the American adult.

As a trend, this has been gestating for at least the past decade, from Judd Apatow’s glorified man-babies to Lena Dunham’s ostensibly grown “Girls” to the acceptance of “adulting” into the lexicon. But it truly, alarmingly calcified this summer.

Take prime-time TV. This summer was awash in game shows, major stars — including Justin Timberlake, Jimmy Kimmel, Rob Lowe, Ellen DeGeneres, Alec Baldwin, Tiffany Haddish, Elizabeth Banks, Duane “The Rock” Johnson, Melissa McCarthy (recent Oscar nominee) and Jamie Foxx (Oscar winner) — producing and/or emceeing.

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