A diatribe against Generation Z
WARNING: Not for the faint of heart... or faint of logic. Remember: this is just my perspective.
This is as real as it gets.
So why a prose about what we call Gen Z? Why not on the "millennials", the "baby boomers" or even the "silent" generation of the 1930s-1940s? Because the problems, in my opinion, are more apparent today, especially in the current context of hypercapitalism.
First of all, the greatest scourge that invades today's youth is the overconsumption of social media. There's nothing inherently wrong with that. Social media has allowed us to develop our creativity, our communication, our ability to make connections that previously could not be thought of and to create important networks in everyday life. That's a fact. Without wishing to appear hypocritical, I also consume them, in particular YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram for professional, artistic, cultural and personal purposes... without however publishing ten million selfies and endless "reels". By using this technology for purposes of selfishness and personal vanity, these young people become somewhat trapped by the illusion of this "reality" offered by social media. Since the arrival of TikTok, it is even more worrying than before. There is a real superficiality that emerges from this in believing oneself to be the master or mistress of an image. A bogus, soulless image that offers no substance to get things done. Once again, let's put things into perspective here: it's not bad... it can become bad if our quality of life is affected and we depend on it too much. Unfortunately, the observation is that the majority of people belonging to Generation Z fall into this social trap, namely the modification, even the transmutation of their social relations into purely synthetic and artificial relations. Why? Because I have more "followers" than anyone. Because I have 10,000 photos on my Instagram account. Because I chat about everything and nothing on YouTube and Twitch… In short, it never ends.
Secondly, a certain cultural narcissism arises from all this. Or on the contrary… could we say that it is an absence of culture? A veritable cultural maelström that continues to degenerate? In short, the death of our culture? Personally, I believe that one of the biggest problems of the current generation is precisely the lack of culture, the lack of identity markers, which is ironic, because we have been living under multiculturalism since the 1960s and 1970s. There should be more openness to cultural diversity within this generation… But, everyone tries to look alike, to copy a popular model and to model it in the most punctilious way possible. Everyone goes with the flow, like sheep following a shepherd, a new messiah proclaiming paradise-like happiness. That was the case before, of course. Today, it is magnified to a scale of 100. For example, if we rely on current trends in clothing fashion among young people (without generalizing again), there is a lack of originality somewhere. There is almost no difference here. Now, what used to be the antithesis has become an excuse for hypercapitalism and consumerism pushed to the extreme to seduce this youth. Everyone is on the same aesthetic level and it is aberrant. What happened to individualism? Authenticity? To the integrity of being? There is also a kind of hypersexualization of both men and women, which is a harmful influence on young people whether we want to admit it or not. Several examples come to mind when I walk around town, or even on the university campus today. Today, it has become fashionable to wear a bra or a sports bra in public under an open shirt, without any repercussions. A young man who decides to get a tan and go to the gym 24/7 just to flirt and have sex with someone else. Or even worse, a young woman who decides to wear a mesh or nylon sweater with nothing underneath. Imagine what that looks like!!! This is proof that we have regressed as a society and don't tell me it's social progress, please. It's far from being the case!
Finally, there is a real lack of sociability within this generation. There is no public place to discuss without the slightest controversy. In short, the Athenian agora is a concept that has probably disappeared from our history. All opinions are dependent. People seem more preoccupied with their cell phones and their iPads, even their egos, rather than starting a conversation or a debate on a captivating subject. Yes, I come back to my starting point. Social media helps build social connections, that’s for sure. Yes, it's important to express yourself out loud or on social media, that's clear... Freedom of expression, I believe in it and I will believe in it until I die. But, when we sit down with someone and spend more time on our cellphones… there is a problem. Or even the opposite… when his opinion does not join the status quo and then gets murdered on the spot. “Trolling” for “trolling” as we say in English. I don't want to get unnecessarily over the top, but it's behavior that I think is questionable. Without forgetting the exaggerated feeling of competitiveness that exists between each of us, as much for Generation Z as mine, i.e. millennials, and vice versa.
• Ex.: If I have a 2022 Honda Civic with the beautiful body, the beautiful "mags" and the rear spoiler, that makes me a "winner" and you a "loser".
• Ex.: I wear "catliner" because I want to please others, and not to express my originality as a person. Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj do. Why not me?
• Ex.: It's fashionable to be on TikTok. Hey! I'm going to scream like crazy on my iPhone while my parents cook dinner.
• Ex.: I'm chatting with you… while looking at my cell phone.
• Ex.: I wear a gold piercing on my nose and I have blonde hair because it helps me look better in our society, when in fact… I try to look like a Barbie doll because I have no credibility by displaying my real personality.
I can add more, but I believe that the essential is said on this point. Moreover, I'm observing that respect is often replaced by apathy. Most people of this generation seem to don't give a damn and take this value for granted. Student initiations on the university campus grounds, happy hours and the aftermath in city buses, bar outings that often end in riots and violence, etc., etc.
All in all, I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed with the direction this new generation is taking, without necessarily reprimanding it entirely. Maybe this is a temporary phase of our society? Perhaps it is the overly flexible and laxist education that these young people received from the beginning of their lives? Or is it the lack of a benchmark for each of them? No one knows and it is not my purpose to answer that. I can just watch, but with discomfort, worry and confusion. Once again, this is proof that navel gazing – or rather social narcissism will get the better of us, especially in America. On the other hand, I can reassure myself by telling myself that it can help one or two people to question themselves, to change their fate... to evolve in the right way, and not in the bad. Diatribe over.
© Marcel Nault Jr, 2022