#gen zs are not as stupid as you think they are

[blorboazula]

The Hunger Games 2023 Renaissance and Gen Z's "Bad Media Literacy"

So, not sure how it's going on other social media, but The Hunger Games – that will be referred to as THG in this little "essay" – is having a massive "renaissance" all over TikTok. And I've seen, more than once, unfortunately, people saying that Gen Z people have bad media literacy.

My issue with that is one specific argument. One about the people who have been genuinely surprised with nuances and details they didn't notice in the first they read it.

Which's such a stupid argument. Even more when, as I've seen, made by people who read the books as they came out and watched the movies as they came out. They tend to be in the younger side of the Millennials.

Do you know when Gen Zs were born? Here:

So, let's say the specific years are from 1995 up to 2013.

Here's when the trilogy was originally published;

As you see: a significant part of this generation couldn't read or wasn't even born when these books came out. That's how young this generation is.

But also, the oldest ones were between 13 and 16 as the books came out. It's unfair to expect that a 13-year-old will read THG and see the same subtext and nuances and have the same interpretation as people 18-and-above.

It's not bad media literacy that someone in their mid-to-late 20s is seeing things in a trilogy they've read ten or more years ago.

I, for example, read these books in 2013. They came out in 2010/1/2 in Brazil. I borrowed them from a classmate who had the money to buy them as they came out here. I was 15. Then got my hands on PDFs and read them in English later in the same year, I was 16. I never noticed a lot of subtext and nuances and shit when I read them ten years ago.

Both because of course I wouldn't, I was a teenager. And I read it as an escapism for some stuff. They were fun. I read the trilogy in a week – which's fast when you have school, schoolwork, almost all the home chores and the responsibility of taking care of an adult – and I wasn't looking for anything but a distraction. For a little bit of fun.

People roughly my age are seeing these videos and talks and are learning details and nuances they didn't before. It's fun, it's nice. I'm having a blast to re-read those books aware that they're more than what I thought they were back in the day.

Don't belittle people for not understand deeper and more mature topics when they didn't have the age and maturity to understand those topics.

[imladybbq]

Too Hot to Handle Relationships??? 

I am so excited to talk about this week’s topic because I am going to talk about one of my favourite reality TV shows called Too Hot to Handle. In a gist, this show is a dating show where a group of super attractive single people stayed together on a tropical island isolated from the outside world. The goal is to help the contestants form proper and meaningful relationships, which then they could win $100,000.  

These people are chosen through their Instagram profiles based on their good looks and lifestyle. In the first episode, some of them were bragging about their love for hook-up culture, parties, mingling with attractive people and hoping to find “love” on the island (Walker 2020).

Upon watching this, I genuinely thought this show was stupid and filled with people who mistook love for lust and that everyone was only in need for the money. But I was wrong because this show exceeded my expectations!  

Yes to Self-Improvement and Building Positive Relationships  

The show stands out among other typical dating shows because the host is an artificial intelligence bot called Lana, responsible for observing and guiding the contestants in building spiritual and emotional journeys to improve their personal and romantic relationships through various workshops (Walker 2020). So, it is almost like a social experiment on a person’s growth overcoming their temptation between lust, money, and self-growth. Although there is a factor of the ultimate cash prize, I could definitely see each contestant's improvement towards the end. Some of them managed to be vulnerable with their partner and talked about their past, some have learnt of their self-worth, and some have become more considerate of others.   

I think this show is excellent at capturing and educating the audience on the importance of building positive relationships with ourselves and others. The key point is that relationship is more than just physical attraction, and love is more than just a feeling but a continuous effort of improving ourselves. In each episode, you can uncover the various attachment style we possess, the values we carry, and what we look for in others, including the power of vulnerability.   

A psychotherapist, Sana Powell, did an interesting review of this reality show from a therapist’s perspective. She said these people might have an avoidant attachment style because they run away from genuine relationships (Powell 2020), which may explain their love for the hook-up culture that revolves around temporary meaningless connections.

In support of this, many Gen Zs are becoming more aware of their attachment style, which they discuss with their potential life partners. This shows that current generations care more about being with someone who blends with them well rather than how attractive they look (Klein 2022). However, the downside of this reality show is that it might show unrealistic expectations of relationships.   

Didn’t I say that this show teaches our attachment style and the importance of vulnerability, and now I am saying it’s unrealistic? Okay, hear me out.   

Sure, those are awesome things we should apply in every type of relationship, but this show was filmed around a month. You can’t possibly fit everything in just 8 to 10 episodes. People don’t improve over a short period, and there must be consistent effort. That is a lot of work, and it can be exhausting!   

Julia Arbit, the senior vice president of Insights, researched that only 1 in 10 Gen Zs are willing to commit to being committed (Klein 2022). Most of us don’t want to be in a relationship because some are still finding their identity. Some don’t look for one person but think different people fulfil different needs, be it sexual or romantic or whatever else (Klein 2022). I have no say that hook-up culture is wrong or good, but it no doubt create confusion and heartbreak.   

Nowadays, dates don’t necessarily mean you are interested in the person. There are people in a situationship with no need for labelling because they don’t want any responsibilities or expectations. Plus, sex is not as sacred as it used to be because people can jump onto it despite knowing each other for only 3 hours (Iris 2023). On top of that, reality TV in the 21st century normalizes superficiality and disloyalty, and those with these traits are rewarded. The combination format of selected fly-on-the-wall scenes and 1-to-1 interviews with the producers boost the “real” effect of reality TV, despite it being strategically coordinated to create a cohesive narrative (Berman 2022).   

So, reality TV isn’t really the reality. The end goal of reality TV is our attention, and they are conquering it. I believe it is up to us what we want to take away from the shows. Most importantly, we are responsible to differentiate the good and the bad that comes with them. Nevertheless, if you are wondering what show to watch next, do give Too Hot To Handle a chance and maybe you can let me know what you think of it.   

References

Berman, J 2022, Reality TV Has Reshaped Our World, Whether We Like It or Not, Time, Time, viewed 21 April 2023, <https://time.com/collection/reality-tv-most-influential-seasons/6199108/reality-tv-influence-on-world/>. 

Iris, A 2023, The Most WTF Things About Today’s Hookup Culture, Hype MY, Hype MY, viewed 21 April 2023, <https://hype.my/2023/312855/the-most-wtf-things-about-todays-hookup-culture/>. 

Klein, J 2022, Are Gen Z more pragmatic about love and sex?, Bbc.com, BBC, viewed 21 April 2023, <https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220104-are-gen-z-more-pragmatic-about-love-and-sex>. 

Powell, S. I 2020, ‘Too Hot to Handle’: A Therapist’s Netflix Review, Curly Therapist, Curly Therapist, viewed 21 April 2023, <https://sanapowell.com/2020/04/30/too-hot-to-handle-a-therapists-netflix-review/>. 

Walker, M. M 2020, Why I Love Netflix’s ‘Too Hot To Handle’ - VOX ATL, VOX ATL, viewed 21 April 2023, <https://voxatl.org/why-i-love-netflixs-too-hot-to-handle/>. 

[rupkathawashere]

Random rant before math exam.

What is wrong with this generation? Why are we all such stupids with rotten brains programmed by AI? Well, most of us are.

Firstly, flexing your achievements is wrong, but continuously crying over being a failure and not actually doing anything about it is fair? What?

Someone sharing their happy moments is "faking it" for the sake of social media. Excuse me? Who do you think you are? All you do is judge sitting behind your screen like a banana-shaped jerk and talk about people not enjoying their lives but portray it as enjoyable for the sake of validation of others who have nothing good to do with their own existence. To be fair, some people aren't what they show in the virtual world. But let's be honest, are any of us real with everyone we meet? Are we our own self always?

Secondly, you can be in 'love' but accepting it or 'putting a label on it' makes you uncool, cringe and dumb. 'I love you' is disappearing gradually, people either don't wanna say it or make it short-formed to not feel it. This generation just kisses and tells. You can care about someone but don't you dare admit it. If you do, you lose in the game. WHAT GAME? Who's the mastermind behind it?

Apparently, not wanting meaningless sex makes you back-dated and craving for genuine connection is overrated. I don't think I can ever fit in with this horrifying mindset of my fellow Gen-Zs. I'm just an ancient soul stuck inside this 19-year-old body.

[about-faces]

The director Joel Schumacher has passed away, and everyone's reactions have boiled down to two topics: 1.) "He was the guy who made the bad Batman films," and 2.) "Hey, he did lots of great films besides the bad Batman films!"

Thing is... I get it. I remember being a teenage comic fan in the 90's. Not just any comics: especially Batman! But ESPECIALLY Bart especially Two-Face. I remember how "Joel Schumacher" was a name that could invoke white-hot rage in myself and everyone in the fandom. He was our modern equivalent of Dr. Fredrick Wertham, the boogyman who had (far as we were concerned) single-handedly destroyed the mainstream credibility of superheroes.

Look at that picture, and try to imagine that this was the face so loathed and mocked by Batman fanboys in the 90′s.

Never mind that Schumacher didn't WRITE the Batman films. The main credit for that goes to Akiva Goldsman, who has gone on to win an Oscar and continues to find A-list success despite ruining other geek properties like Jonah Hex and Dark Tower. Never mind that Schumacher was at the mercy of producers who wanted the movies to be nothing more than merchandise machines and toy commercials. No, Schumacher was the only name associated with the films, and he was cast at the villain.

The fact that he was openly gay played no small part in making him an easy target.

One year after the disastrous release of the infamous Batman & Robin, the beloved fan-favorite cartoon Batman: The Animated Series (then rebranded as The New Batman Adventures on the WB network) produced an episode that featured a pointed jab at Schumacher. The episode was titled "Legends of the Dark Knight," a reworking of a classic 70's Batman tale where a group of kids share their own ideas of what the mysterious Batman is really like.

Halfway through the episode, the kids are overheard by another kid, who shares his own ideas about Batman. The kid, whose name is Joel, has long dirty-blond hair, and works in front of a store which bear the sign "Shoemaker," despite clearly being a department store. He waxes dreamily about the reasons he loves Batman: "All those muscles, the tight rubber armor and that flashy car. I heard it can drive up walls!"

This last line--a reference to a silly bit in Batman Forever--he says as he flamboyantly tosses a pink fur stole around his neck. To drive home the joke, one of the kids dismisses, "Yeah, sure, Joel."

At the time, it seemed like a cathartic joke for us REAL Batman fans. Now, it's clearly just cheap and gross. Instead of any actual criticism about the films, Joel Schumacher was just seen--even if just subconsciously--as the fruit who ruined Batman.

Over time, the hatred for Schumacher lessened. Starting with Blade, X-Men, and Spider-Man, on through to Batman Begins, Iron Man, and onward, superhero movies became huge mainstream successes, with greater fidelity to the source material than most adaptations we saw up to the time that Schumacher "killed" the superhero movie. There was no point in hating him anymore, if there ever was (again, Goldsman more deserves that ire, if you're gonna be angry about anyone. Why does he still get work?! WHY IS HE NOW WRITING FOR STAR TREK?!?!).

But even still, especially among Millennial and Gen-X fans, Schumacher is still--at best--considered a low point for fandom. Even though the same generations have come to appreciate and love some of his other films, such as The Lost Boys, Phone Booth, and the chillingly-prescient Falling Down, there's still this need for people to dismiss the Batman films as embarrassments that are best forgotten in favor of Schumacher's better films. And if they're to be remembered at all, it's to trash them all over again in a tone suggesting that the films are objectively, irredeemably bad.

Except they're not. Oh sure, if you go in looking for a grim and gritty capital-M "Mature" take on Batman, of course you'll hate them, just like you probably also hate the Adam West Batman show. Remember, that show also used to be hated by decades of Batman fans because of how it didn't take the comics seriously.

... except it did. The show was VERY faithful to the Batman comics of the 50's, which often out-weirded and out-sillied its TV counterpart. If anything, the show made some of those stories even more entertaining with camp value and jokes that added different levels of enjoyment to the adults watching. Comic fans resented how Batman became a pop culture joke, and increasingly fought against anything that was colorful and campy (which makes me wonder if this might also be related to latent homophobia). Whether or not they admitted/realized it, the Batman fans of the 70's and 80's carried a chip on their shoulder about a show that DARED to make Batman FUN.

And really... how is that any different than Schumacher's two films?

You don't have to agree, but I think Schumacher's films are fun. I think Batman Forever is highly entertaining, that Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey are bringing their hammy A-games as much respected actors like Burgess Meredith and Caesar Romero brought to their roles. Same goes for Arnold and especially Uma in Batman and Robin. They KNOW what movies they're in, and they're all having a blast.

(How many of us remember the exact line Eddie says at this moment? I bet you probably do too, which should tell you something about how memorable this movie is)

Now, BF and particularly B&A are by no means GOOD movies, but you can't tell me that you couldn't have a blast putting the latter on at a party and riffing it with friends. It's not a pretentious, ponderous, self-serious slog like, say, the shit Zack Snyder cranked out (apologies to the one or two cool Snyder fans here, I just find his films interminable). Even besides the many things I could say to defend Schumacher's Batman films (that's a whole other essay), you can't say they were boring. They were entertaining, even if on a level of making fun of the film, and that is NOT as easy as it looks.

Let me put it to you this way: Batman Forever has, objectively, one of the worst takes on Two-Face I've ever seen. He's one-note, he's kind of a rehash of Nicholson's Joker, he gets completely overshadowed by the Riddler, he gets killed by Batman in a way that completely betrays the whole “DON’T KILL HARVEY” arc with Robin, and worst of all, he CHEATS on the coin toss. That alone would be enough for me to condemn this depiction in any other Two-Face story.

And yet, even I--the most passionate, opinionated, and picky Two-Face fan you will EVER know--still have a soft spot for Tommy Lee Jones' take on ol' Harv. He’s just too fun, too flamboyant, too damn extra not to love. If only all bad takes on Two-Face could be this fun!

But that’s the thing: it’s not because the script was good. Oh god no. I've read the script, and if it were put on the page like a comic, I would have hated it just like any other bad Two-Face comic. I have to imagine that, as director, Joel Schumacher deserves the bulk of the credit for pushing the restrained and laconic Tommy Lee Jones into that oversized performance, and making it a delight to watch despite everything it does wrong.

I'm rare for my generation to have learned how to stop worrying and love Schumacher's Batman. But the younger generation, the up-and-coming Gen-Zs getting into Batman, don't share the same grudges we did. There's a genuine, shame-free enjoyment of those films among The Kids, many of whom are LGBTQA+, who love the jokes, the silliness, the camp, the Freeze puns, the swag of Uma Thurman, and the homoerotic subtext between Two-Face and the Riddler. Maybe it's just a reaction to so much GRIM, SERIOUS shit that DC and their fanboys are trying desperately to push even today.

But comics--especially Batman--have a long history of colorful, stupid, fun shit. Schumacher's films carried on in that tradition, and they should be appreciated on their own merits by those of us who aren't limited by narrow ideas of what Batman "should" be, and who still remember how to have fun.

Schumacher's Batman films should no longer be seen as embarrassments. They didn't ruin superheroes. They didn't ruin Batman. They didn't even ruin Two-Face. Nor should they be disregarded in favor of Falling Down, like losers in a respectability competition. They're fun. They're entertaining. And they didn't pretend to be anything else.

And if you still think they're bad... I mean, objectively, you're not wrong! But be mindful of the reasons WHY you think they're bad, because on another subjective level, you may not be right either. And it's certainly not worth holding a geek-grudge over after twenty-five years.

[bisluthq]

I am a few years older than Taylor and your convo about “joking” about being gay reminded me of how c. 2006 girls would put their relationship status on fb as “married” or “in a relationship with” their girl BFF. Like, in my high school with 600 people in a class, there were 2 out lesbians by senior year (who got shit for it) and hundreds of girls making “lol I’m so gay for my bestie but not really” jokes.

Thanks god that’s not a thing anymore but yeah, Gen Z really has some blind spots about how quickly things changed over the last 20 years.

Oh yeah and then remember when in college people started actually having to fix that and lol’ing about how many still had it? My school had 0 out lesbians at graduation. There was a girl who was obviously butch like we all knew and she got shit for it but she dated/maybe fake dated because he also came out later a boy, and after school dated a guy and almost married him before realizing this was stupid and coming out. Two very hot popular girls used to make out for boys at parties while being super homophobic. Another popular girl also tried doing that but like eventually she’s come out sorta bi so I think she liked it and it was confusing. I was SO DEEP IN THE CLOSET I changed my desktop background because a friend made a joke about me liking Olivia Wilde. I would never have kissed girls at parties just in case people thought I was for real into girls because I knew I was. Neither would the girl who eventually came out as a lesbian.

But most girls did, especially straight girls and girls who prefer men, and you can’t read into girls’ comments on MySpace to truther sexuality because if she was gay she’d unfortunately have been bullied not inspiring the c*m shots song and walking with film crews around her school.

She was a VERY popular girl and if she’s some kind of bi was probably fucking closeted to herself in high school because a closeted to herself girl says “I’d love to tour with Rihanna and Brandi Carlilse together! That would be interesting, wouldn’t it???”

I’m very glad a lot of Gen Zs live in a world where 1) there is representation and easily accessible info 2) it’s safe to come out and societal views have changed for the better. A lot of Gen Zs still live in places or situations where that’s not the case, but it is slowly getting better.

[thetiredstuff]

How many Gen-Zs ship win*est? It's always been Kelios and co looking down on "stupid teenage DestieHelLErs!" It's Tumblr, not Livejournal. The movie Crush is supposed to be representative of queer Gen-Zs. And it's PG. How is lines about siblings "sixty-nining" rated PG? How does in*est fit into a movie about LGBTQIA+ culture? As if ppl don't literally call queer ppl degenerate already? One of them tweeted a gif being annoyed on Nov5 2020. So I just think they ship in*est. It's not gay rep

hi anon

that's not true tho. the ones you're talking about are the most well-known because they've been around for so long and are the loudest but there are a bunch of Gen Z's who ship them on here as well (which I know cuz I've been blocking all of them) as much as we all like to believe it's just this small group of older fans and no new fans, that isn't actually true.

Also, I watched the movie, there's a ton of dialogue about sex (straight as well as queer) that one line is honestly one of the lesser "graphic" lines/scenes in the movie.

Again, that character was written as a side character who was weird/creepy and was talking about their tumblr. Seems pretty in line with the narrative they wanted to put out for that character.

There's a ton of queer rep in the movie. i never said that that side-character is the epitome of perfect queer rep. but there's also a conversation to be had about the fact that all queer people are not the same. like people are diverse. even when a gender identity or sexuality overlaps that doesn't mean they agree on every other single thing.

+ what you're saying about those gifs: the arguably most important US election was happening at the exact same time. I remember it because I was constantly flipping back between getting ready for the destiel episode and watching the election results. When the ep aired, the election results weren't in yet but when the ep was done airing, the election results started to come in and biden won.

So i'm pretty sure that that gif was actually about the fact that nevada was taking 52 years to count their votes. especially because that writer you're talking about *only* tweeted about the elections and didn't even make any other tweet about destiel.

also both of the writers are queer. if you wanna talk about queer rep, the writers themselves being queer, writing queer stories, with queer characters makes all of that queer rep

[polarisdelphi]

From Lawyer to Artist: 5 Red Flags of Toxic Workplaces

Well, hello there again!

(I’m trying to find Obi-Wan’s “hello there” meme, but tumblr isn’t helping me)

So, I did a little *huge* post ranting about my last job that caused one hell of a burnout on me and it’s taking me forever to get better + now I have a huge existencial crisis that I want to transition from being a lawyer to an artist.

As I was thinking about it, I also noticed that I didn’t know back then how to identify red flags of possible toxic workplaces. Also, I didn’t want to admit I was in a toxic workplace/I thought it was normal to the profession.

Therefore, I’m here to list a few red flags I picked up on this horrible experience  :D

(I should add that this list is NOT exhaustive, nor it’s absolute: some red flags listed might be “fake red flags” - and I’ll get into that as I write)

1 - The company markets itself as “out of the box”, “welcoming”, “inclusive”, “worried about diversity and representation”, “eco-friendly”, “worried about indigenous endangered societies” and the list goes on

This is a red flag, but it can be a fake one too. There might be companies that are genuinely worried about those things and are really out of the box and couldn’t care less about how you dress or identify yourself.

BUT. There are many studies out there that identify that newer generations (such as Millenials or Gen Zs) care a lot about social impact and expression of their individuality. Companies pay heavy money for studies and insights on how to attract new talents - and this is the catch for newer generations. The youngest the work force, the more they’ll mind about this (at least for now). So, companies need to reinvent themselves and market themselves correctly to attract new talents.

It sounds like conspiracy theory talk, but it’s true (unfortunately). I was caught on something like this. I saw this company that was based on being trustworthy and forward thinking - dealing with news and technology - and I thought “hey, this might be my thing!”. I was so wrong. First day they were already forcing me to fit the grey box of corporate life I despised so much and had to endure for 2 years.

So don’t be scared of this, but heads up. If they are marketing themselves so much to look good, something might be wrong.

2 - You can’t voice your own opinions

This one is kinda tricky, because it isn’t always obvious.

On my case, for instance, I could voice my opinions, but I knew I shouldn’t. Politics in Brazil is a very sensitive subject. People are cutting out relationships because of Politics. So, let’s say my whole department had a rather extreme view on it and I knew if I talked about my points of view - usually a lot more flexible and considering all sides - I’d be bashed for it.

So I had to keep quiet - and people criticized me for being “opinionless”. Keep an eye for this sort of behaviour.

Oh, and not only on Politics. There are many subjects, like...

3 - They don’t respect you (additional points if it’s because you’re young or a woman)

I was fresh out of college - 22 years old, my first job as a Labour Counsel. I’d get to meetings and people would ask “Where’s the lawyer? Did they send their intern?” and I’d be like “Darling, I’m the lawyer.”

Once they mistaked me for the underage apprentice.

It’s fine as long as they start respecting you after they know who you are. But I had people in my own team who didn’t respect me - both for looking to young AND being a woman.

I was on a meeting with my Manager and Director one day, we needed to solve a problem. Both were men, both over 40. I gave them an idea on how to solve it, the Director goes “That won’t work, it’s too much trouble and it doesn’t solve the problem. We need a better idea” so I just stood there. Thinking. Then, my Manager says the same idea I said before, with different words, and the Director goes “That’s it, we could go that way. It’s not ideal, but fine”. And I couldn’t stop thinking...

“Maybe if I was a man, he would’ve listened to me the first time.”

And that wasn’t the ONLY time I thought that - it was a constant “I wish I was a man so people would respect me more” kind of thought. If that EVER happens to you, red flag.

4 - Someone is humiliating you through e-mails

Oh, boy, this was one of my MAIN issues.

There was this woman at my job that simply hated me. She wanted to see me suffer. But I didn’t know that at the start - she was always so kind and friendly, but when I started doing things on my own and not following the rules... I was doomed.

It all started with e-mails. She would copy the Director to point out everything I was doing wrong - even though I had just started and I had a Manager she should talk first. Sometimes, I kid you not, it was something like “I told her to write in Times New Roman 12 and she delivered 14. I can’t work like this. Tell her to do it ALL OVER AGAIN and know that MY WORK will be delayed because SHE couldn’t follow a simple rule even a child would understand”.

(I’m not joking, this is real)

Once she copied the freaking CEO to bash me on e-mails. The guy didn’t even know who I was.

Keep an eye on it. If someone is showing their power and doing their best to make you feel bad, dumb and plain humiliating you on e-mails with copies to a lot of poeple: this is a HUGE RED FLAG. This IS abuse and you shouldn’t take it.

5 - There’s nothing you can do against abuse

When you know you’re being abused but you know you can’t talk about it without suffering retaliation - you’re in a toxic workplace.

I knew I was going through a stupid situation, but there was nothing I could do. Because if I filed a complaint at the Reporting Channel, it would be sent over to the local compliance team for investigation and solving the matter.

The only problem is that the “compliance team” on my office was my Director - the same one I had complained so much about being bullied and verbally abused constantly and he did nothing because “that’s life, though up”.

That’s not life and you don’t have to though up. It’s your employer’s duty to protect you as an employee. And if they refuse to do so, that is the hugest red flag.

Goes hand in hand with not being able to voice your opinions, but this is a whole new level.

For now, I’ll finish this one here. I’ll keep thinking about other red flags or other things I can talk about, so other people won’t fall into the same trap I did.

Honestly, I don’t want people to go through what I did. You have the right to be treated like a human being.

Hope it helped someone!

See you in the next post,

~ Maverick

[radfem-moira]

"Karen this, Becky that" I get it, you hate women, you hate seeing us have even a modicum of power in this male supremacist world, and you think purportedly-wealthy older White women make an acceptable target for your misogyny. I'll remember that the next time I see a clerk be racist against a young Black man at my local groceries store. And I'll still use my Karen superpowers to throw a shit fit about it and ask for the manager. Even though I know that guy would never do the same to defend me from sexism in public. And the next time some spineless younger gen-Zs come to me because they need help fighting against an injustice, I'll be the one placing the calls to our representatives. Even though I know they're already making fun of women like me behind my back (and no, being 24 doesn't make a difference, I look way older than that anyway). Stupid White bitch amirite.

[killmewitharainbowknife]

Warning: multiple swear words is used by the freaking angry minor who owns this account cuz damn. The earth should be nuked

To the articles made by millenials, boomers and gen x that have titles in the lines of

“How Gen Z’s feel about Lockdown” or

“In thd mind of a gen z kid during covid” or

“Why your gen z kid is depressed= phones” or

“Gen Z will ruin the economy!” or

“Gen Zs arent gay, they are just really confused”or

“Gen Zs are suicidal”

Full heartedly from me, a representative of Gen Zs.

please. I beg you.

Sit ya motherfucking asses down.

Atleast with millenials, you guys walked so we could run. Some of your articles are true- ish. And I fully respect your opinions but

Boomers!? Thinking that they know things?! Fricking sit down sir or I’ll yeet yo ass straight outta space. You lived yo life anyways, and we need less population on this shitty earth right now. Yeeting yalls to space aint that bad of an idea.

Yes, we are depressed. 100%. Aint arguin with that. But it’s not because of the phones, okay? you old fucking fuckers. It’s because of the world that you old geezers have helped create. This old dying world filled with

Such lies

Useless homophobia

Corrupt and stupid administrations

Stupidest presidents

Arrogant misogyny 

Putrid putrid racism

Inequality because of sexism

Irreversible pollution

Multiple deaths of even the most innocent people

Despicable slavery

False fabricated history

Unfair law

Capitalism

Police men killing innocent

False ominous-like dictatorship

Countless people suffering from poverty

Lack of education

Massacres, murders, school shooters

Women fearing to go out at night because of creatures lurking at night

I can still go on but I fear that your little snow flake hearts can’t take it. I want you to suffer before you die. Bit by bit.

“gEn Z wIlL RuIn ThE EcOnOmY” umm... how can we ruin something that has already been ruined? Boomers started to kaboom the economy to nothing but a burning pile of trash.

“Gen Zs ArE jUsT CoNfUsSeD” muhahHAHAHA. Have you seen us. Do we look confused?! Do we look like we are joking?! You spawned gay babies. Stop blaming us when it’s obviously yalls fault. Oh, you think we were mistakes? Well, then you shouldn’t have had us in the first FUCKING PLACE! Yalls wanted us aborted, why’d you not continue? We would’ve honestly approve in “yeetus the fetus” if it was a darn policy.

“wE KnOw HoW GeN Zs FeEl DuRiNg CoViD” Haha. Maybe but naw.

Some of us are happy because of all the chill me time but our little to nil communication skills are poofed to non existence.

You guys keep talking about how it’s hard times, we shouldn’t feel stressed, and that it’s our safety and health first over anything else but!

The homework and video conferences you old ppl keep setting... motherfuckah! I’d rather die. ‘dOnT bE sTrEsSeD”. Bich. All we do now is stress because of all this shit you’ve given us.

But yeah. The article that was about Gen Zs being suicidal.

YES YES YES YES YES

Couldnt agree more.

[mythsofmodern]

       Because I’m in lockdown and basically have nothing to do all day... I have a lot of time to think about stupid shit... And like... Hear me out! I know The Walking Dead is still running and has several spin offs and movies and shit coming... But in a couple of years I’m gonna need a new zombie franchise, with the millennials and gen Zs making the decisions when shit hits the fan. Because in current shows they are still the kiddies and no one listens to them and blah blah blah. BUT like I’m pretty sure things would look VERY different. If you know... those generations make the decisions. So give it to me!

[i-think-2-much]

Boomer: says something arrogant me internally:

(I was going to make something short so I could make a tik tok audio but this came out being five minutes so whatever. I missed poetry anyway.)

Hey, it’s me

According to many, I put the “Gen Z” in “generally lazy”

Yeah, okay We didn’t walk uphill both ways

I stare at my phone for hours and while away the days

I look at memes and watch tik tok and read fanfics of varying themes. I read stupid posts so I can laugh and cry or maybe something in between. “Yeet” and “y’all” are ingrained into my vocabulary, but there’s something you don’t know about me

About US

More than half of our parents are separated. When one parent is working, we can’t go anywhere and we get frustrated

We can’t “go out with friends” without checking with mom or dad, and too many rejections would make anyone feel bad.

Going outside... it makes us alone. When we’re sitting on the grass, without our phone, we stare up at the light-polluted sky in the dark. Our minds drift to how the world is ending, and this time there might not be Noah’s ark. The ocean will soon have more trash than fish, and the fish are toxic, not delish. The heat is going up, making the weather messed up and no one will fess up no matter what scheme we come up with.

So in a few decades, we won’t have a planet. What do we have Then?

We have our stories to learn from accidents we didn’t make. We saw how Watson discovered that sometimes, the hardest thing you’ll experience in your life is that, eventually, the ones you love won’t wake. From Tony Stark we learned about how an event can change you, about PTSD and what arrogance can do. 

Because of them, we have the most selfless generation. We don’t know what we want to eat because we want the other to choose. We come up with awards because we saw how others feel when they lose. Quiet kids are potential superheroes. Popular kids are nerds obsessed with various TV shows. We’re all losers, we’re all winners. We’re all smart in some ways, and in others, we’re a little dimmer. We make memes to make each other laugh or cry when we need it. We come up with fun dance routines and then show others how to lead it.

We have the internet, to answer any question we have. “What is the meaning of pansexual” and “why am I so sad?” We have better technology to help diagnose our problems. There’s been a rise in autism? That’s because we actually know how to find it: there’s isn’t some big schism. Our technology makes our lives easier, and they make the older folks’ lives easier too. Still, they’re making fun of us for things they should’ve shown us how to do. 

But, most importantly, we have each other. Every Gen Z knows that if they pull up an app and type a few words, someone will be there and make sure their friend is reassured. Gen Z is the most selfless generation, and we care about others more than ourselves. We’ll cheer up our friends even if it means we’re going to hell.

     So if you think Gen Zs are lazy, maybe you’re right. We’re too busy fighting for each other and for a glimpse of the light. We look and we search to find the light the only light we can find is the one from our phone. Maybe it’s because the stars are all fading from that great blue dome. The stars are fading due to the generations before us. Maybe you can argue it’s not your fault and blame some sort of cult. Whatever. I’m done. You claim you “didn’t start the fire” but you didn’t put it out, and then call us lazy.

      Just... whatever. You may not have made the things that are destroying the world but you were still a consumer

       No, I’m sorry. I don’t want to start an argument.

What I actually say: Ok boomer

[loudlytransparenttrash]

Calling the current culture out is good, but I wish older generations would stop using millennials as a scapegoat although I know it was this generation that got attention. According to pew research, "Anyone born between 1981 and 1996 (ages 23 to 38 in 2019) is considered a Millennial" the freshman you see doing sjw shit is gen z now, but for some reason millennials still get blamed

Yeah, I don’t think some people realize how old Gen Zs are, it’s people up to 23 years old now so you’re right, it’s not really millennials responsible for today’s stupidity on campus but to be fair, the trigger warnings and micro-aggressions etc did begin with millennial students. That’s the weird thing about college though, feel-good activism and social justice, wanting to fit in and be part of some fashionable, noble cause is all part of the experience for students who are just there to “find themselves.” It’s nothing new. It’s absolutely getting more insane but college was already turning into a joke long before millennials - but which generation do we blame without them blaming the generation before? Every generation does it. They blame the generation before and mock the generation after. I think generations view each other as competitors, resulting in defensiveness and distrust since any gains for one comes at the expense of the others. The technological lifestyles of millennials and especially Gen Z threatens the relevance and experience of older generations while the attempted guidance and valuable knowledge from older generations experiences are undermined and shrugged off. Each generation deserves to be criticized and even mocked but each have also all made invaluable contributions. While we can easily prove many negative generalizations about each generation are in fact correct, we’re still all individuals, we’re not defined by what other people do just because we’re born within 15 years of each other. As long as we remember we all eventually become that generation kids roll their eyes at, we should all be more open to learning a thing or two from each other along the way xx

[joli--coeur]

Hi! I have a dumb question: On the topic of generations, as someone who was also born in 93, one of the last years of the Millennials, do you ever feel stuck between generations? I’m 26 but the oldest Millennials are 40 or pushing 40, so I have more in common with older Gen Zs. I want to participate in the banter or whatever but I feel like I’m in this weird middle area. This is stupid but is it just me? I’ve just been bored scrolling through tags thinking about this lol

hey! not weird at all — i think how you feel is totally relatable! i don’t really relate to many of the things millennials go through/like/feel/etc so i kiiinda find myself relating more to gen z. but most of the time i don’t relate to either, and i’m, like you said, in an awkward middle ground. it’s such a weird feeling, but i’m glad i’m not alone in feeling this way! 💌

[allkl-inkonpaper]

Entry II: 4am

Allkl

                                                                                                      March 21, 2020

                                                        Entry (II)

                                                           ‘4am’

      It’s been almost a week since most of the planet been quarantined from COVID-19. Honestly, it’s not as serious as it sounds. It’s not like we can’t go outside for a walk, or a run. More like, don’t do groups. No major socializing. No aggressive human contact. Wash your hands, don’t cough into the air, and if you’re elderly, we highly recommended you stay inside. And we are only saying that because this seems like a ‘boomer deleter’, ‘boomer vanisher’, boomer begone virus. At least that is what we are jokingly calling it. To deal with the fear of it in general. Like a coping mechanism, although none of us Gen-Zs’ would admit.

     I’ve been doing a lot since it started. Since we were told school was cancelled due to this epidemic. Although, it wasn’t entirely cancelled. Online assignments are still being given out. Not that I’m the super student my teachers are wanting me to be. I haven’t even started on my first week of assignments, they all seem boring and I have better things to do than Earth Systems homework. Literally.

     I mean, I’ve added a whole new hippie layer to my blue skater skirt, I’ve fixed the hem of the top my sister cut out of a black leather tight dress, I’ve started a new TV show, and I have decided to start the journey of self-love. By that I mean, accepting that I am who I am, and that there is no one out there like me. I mean, I really hope not. That’d be horrible.

     My journey to self-love also means reconnecting with the things I once used to love, and now hate with every fiber of my soul. Like, anime and it’s whole concept. ‘Western Culture’ is not much of a culture, more like taking parts of other countries’ culture and making fetishes out of it. Anime characters for example. And how exactly did this affect the love I had for myself? Unrealistic expectations. Anime girls were created to be perfect. I mean, society exceptionally proportions and personalities. There is a category for each different type of anime girl. None that I would fit into.

     Would I submit myself to a guy and devote my entire life to him? Fuck no. Can I be quiet and ‘proper’ just to attract a man? Pass. Can I be unrealistically attractive to make a guy cum in matter of second? To quote Melanie Martinez: “I’m bursting out laughing at idiocy.” Am I hot, brave, and badass enough to beat a multitude of bad guys? No. I’m as threatening as a bumble bee.

     But anime solely is not the base of my anime comparison insecurity. It’s knowing my boyfriend probably has an anime girl fetish, or that something else that is not me gets him turned on. That’s what started it. My insecurity of not being able to live up to those unrealistic standards.

     I’m literally, five feet tall, with big breasts *sometimes I think this is the only reason he is with me* and a small torso, but no good genetics for my ass or legs. I’m not overweight or under. It’s just I have no shape. Some may argue I have an hourglass body, but I’m just a creature waiting to be exposed to reveal my real form. Or at least I could if I stopped all the depressive eating.

     I have started exercising. And by that, I mean, dancing to literally anything and making up dances to songs out of thin air. None that I ever record as my official personal choreography to any song.

     In the moment of dancing, I connect with myself. I feel all of me, and I look deeply into the mirror. Into me. I stare back at myself and I find more than just me, I find a best friend. Her and me against the world. She gives me strength and love, power to fight against the insecurities inside me.

     And then, a look at social media and just like that, she vanishes. I’m once again left alone in my self-loathing. Because anime girls, as stupid as it might sound envying and hating on cartoons, are not the only thing that makes me insecure. It’s female video game characters, models on any social platform, and even my ‘frenemy’.

     I hate my body. I hate my face. I hate everything about me. My skin, my eyes, my hair, my nails, my legs, stomach, back, arms, neck, the scars on my thighs and inner forearms. And I love it all at once. Because I am unique, I am the only one like me. And I might not be as perfect as an anime girl, or a video game character, or a model but I am me or like her, I just must learn to accept me.

     I also must learn to not care what others think of me, including the people I date. Because if I do, I’ll just be stuck in this void of self-hatred. If no one loves me for all of me, the whole me, then I will. Fuck what everyone else thinks or doesn’t. It’s just me against all.

 With much embarrassment, Cadia

 P.S: Fuck insecurities and fuck the darkness that lives in there. There’s always a way out, be determined, but don’t lose yourself, for that is all you own. Your body, mind, and soul.

[emma-d-klutz]

TW: this post is about school shootings. Please scroll past if need be.

Sorry to use fandom to convey this feeling on such a serious topic, but I gotta.

Being a millennial cryptid so-close-but-not-quite-on-the-Gen-Z-boarder type (born '96), I've come to realize... I'm the class that graduated during Harry Potter's 4th year. I mean that so much that it feels almost eerie that I can draw such parallels when those books were written way before we reached this point. Humor me, I'm going to explain.

When I was in school, things were stupid and dangerous and shitty, and it only got worse as the years went on.

When I was in school, we would get bomb threats and dummy packages and would just ignore it. School thought they were hoaxes. They were. Thank god. But some parents would keep their kids home every day there were threats, just in case. The thing that felt messed up about any of it was that the students were the ones penalized with late homework and an unexcused absence for their parents trying to keep them safe. When I think about it, maybe it was more messed up that someone was getting away with making those threats with no consequences... but Idk it just feels worse that the students were the ones facing trouble for this stupidity.

Anyways, that reminds me of The Chamber of Secrets. Because at the end of the day, no one fully died, but Hogwarts did not exactly feel like the safest place on Earth while it stubbornly continued with classes, and (unserstandably) wary parents were causing students to miss school.

When I was in school, there was a rash of despair. Everyone felt so stressed all the time. We saw articles being published about how kids today are falling asleep in class and somehow have both more work given and less work given in the history of American education. (This pseudo-concept didn't make sense back then, either, don't worry.) Shootings were picking up speed, but they were nothing compared to what they are now. A dozen in half a year was considered Really Bad. We did not live nervous that our friends or siblings may be killed; that happened elsewhere. Our main source of fear in that vein was that a friend would kill themself. We all know someone who did. It was a spreading wildfire. Antibullying capaign and cyber bullying awareness and suicide prevention all were topics in half-day assemblies. Needless to say, these all did more harm than good.

What I'm getting at here is that we had fucking Dementors from book three. We heard about a murderer or two who were going after students, but they were going after Someone Else. The immediate danger was how we could or could not handle emotional distress.

The reason I say my graduating class was in book four specifically is twofold:

First, it was the book shit officially hit the fan. Voldemort is back and has a body made from Harry's blood and bones, and he is now directly causing students to die. Students you know, no less. That was not the start of my academic career, but it seemed to be the tail end of it.

Second, the 5th book is The Order of the Pheonix. That's the book when the kids square the fuck up. Dumbledore's Army. Practical DADA taught to each other when the school wouldnt teach it. Getting ready to fight the war to come. I was never there for that.

And yet, I look behind me, and it's been happening. Gen Z has been fighting back, and that is something I never would have even thought to do, outside of maybe a daydream. They're holding their schools accountable, they're holding the government accountable, and they don't care if they have to get suspended to do it! You guys are amazing - truly! Truly! I can't believe my eyes. I cannot IMAGINE the state of terror you guys have been raised in, just as much as I cannot IMAGINE having the guts to organize walk-outs, lock-outs, and showing up to courts and staring politicians in the eyes. I thought you weren't allowed to count until you were an adult.

Because students being able to fight a war against the ultimate bad guys? That sounds like a fantasy. Kids fighting back? That's the sort of thing that only happens in books.

Gen Zs of this country, you are the most badass generation there is, and even though you should not have to be, you have my reverence for it. I'll never fully understand what you've been through or what you're going through. I'm just a late millennial that shuffled off to see pureblood Death Eaters take up an even bigger majority of the ruling positions in the world than they already had and who still crumbles down at the slightest signal of disapproval from an authority figure. I will never grow a spine. It's not going to happen. But I can be a decent follower. So I have one request: when book 7 rolls around, lead me in how I can be of service to you, you fuckign superb little protagonists

[bisluthq]

Yeah no same I'm 21 too and I don't really do the Mummy thirst lmao like I just fantasize about Taylor or Normani being my gf sometimes but not ever in a "MUMMY" way. I do however think lower Gen Zs (2005 onwards) tend to do that a bit more. In the specific case of my 17 year old cousin though it's merely a case of mummy issues.

For context (tw mummy issues I guess) she was only 5 when her parents got divorced. It was VERY nasty, like the most horrible messy divorce. Custody battles, legal battles over property, domestic violence towards the end, a whole tragedy. Her mum (my aunt) had gotten married to this asshole when she was only 20 bc she got pregnant by accident and she'd already had an oopsie baby at 18. After 14 years of being in that shit marriage, my aunt sorta felt like she hadn't lived and had a bit of a midlife crisis that led her to partying and fucking around yk, lots of hookups and flings. Her siblings were 16, 14, and 9 but she was 5 and at that age you still cling to your mum and need to be cuddled, bathed, tucked in etc. But my aunt was in her Chaos Era and ignored her existence, prioritizing her bfs and leaving the house for days. There was a maid that my auntie hired around that time and my cousin got very attached to her bc she'd take care of her. But her other 3 siblings absolutely hated the lady and channeled their frustration ab the divorce by being little shits to her. Then like 2 months after the divorce my cousins' asshole dad got a gf and the lady was very sweet to the kids. Her older sister HATED the gf bc she felt she was trying to replace their mum, but she adored her and started calling her "mami" (Spanish) and saying she loved having 2 mamis. Her sister was fuming and yelled at her for it like "SHUT UP SHE IS NOT OUR MUM YOU'RE SO STUPID, DON'T REPLACE OUR MUM I HATE YOU". Very confusing and hurtful, she was a little kid searching for a stable mother figure that would just love her yk and put her first.

So the Doja fantasy works for her not bc of age but bc Doja is very evidently single and mingling so the scenario consists of Doja coming back home to her after fucking around and she has food ready for her, they smoke weed together and then she sucks Doja's titties and Doja fingers her and cuddles her afterwards and tells her she's her favorite and most important, that all the other boys and girls don't really matter to her 💀 it doesn't work for Tay now bc Tay's very much in her wifey era but has sometimes gone that path with late Red Taylor when she was single and mingling, bc she can imagine that same fantasy of Tay fucking around but coming home to her and bringing her presents, baking with her, singing to her with the guitar, having sex, and cuddling her after saying she's the one she cares most about 💀🤷🏻‍♀️ poor thing

Therapy for your cousin.