There are a handful of hallmarks of growing up: losing your virginity; getting your first apartment; realizing that America's two-party political system is a grotesque mockery of democracy. The "millennial" generation is doing all of those things right now.

Because Annie had seven drinks at the Lykke Li show, and mom agreed to be a guarantor on the lease for the Jefftown place, and new polling shows the scales slipping from a generation's collective eyes. From the Wall Street Journal:

It would be a stretch to say millennials are warming to the GOP. Just a quarter of those under 35 said they had positive feelings toward the Republican Party in the last Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, which came out two weeks ago.

At the same time, millennials aren't exactly in love with the Democratic Party. Soon after Mr. Obama took office in 2009, nearly half looked favorably on the Democrats. That number has since slipped to 36%.

A full half of millennials call themselves "Independents," which is twentysomething-speak for "I thought Obama was gonna close Guantanamo and not spy on us? What happened?" This is a very important phase in the political awakening of a United States citizen. It will be followed in short order by the "Giving Up" phase, in which these activist millennials either become Democrats because at least they're not Republicans, or become Republicans because they made some money.

This is how young people change the world.

[Photo: AP]