Current Events > For Generation Z, Hope Was Never There

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https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryancbrooks/gen-z-young-millennials-coronavirus-pandemic-recession

The future of our country rests with young people, he said. The future of the country is with our ideas.

The widespread support for Sanders also intermingles the humor and nihilism of a generation of Americans who want to push the government to do more but have no hope in their politicians to push society forward.

There are times where Im like, well, no matter what we do things are never going to get better, Franco, the college senior in South Carolina, told me. I was kind of feeling that way a couple weeks ago when Bernie Sanders started losing a bunch of the primary elections and it was clear that Joe Biden was going to be the nominee. That was a point where I was like, Well, we can vote, we can go out and canvass and make phone calls and protest, and nothing will really change.

My mind goes there sometimes, she added. But then I look back at past revolutions and how long they took and how many people had to get together and agree on something over and over and over again and how resilient and persistent they had to be to get there.

Look around the internet and youll find signs of a generation fed up with the circumstances of their lives. Youll find viral tweets about 90s babies whose teenage years were defined by economic recession and whose young adulthoods are being defined by reactionary global fascism and then ultimately cut short by a global pandemic.

Youll come across bits and pieces of videos of Greta Thunberg, a 17-year-old international climate activist, objectively dragging adults for their inaction on climate change; or a clip of Paul Rudd emphatically saying Hey! Look at us! Who woulda thought? Not me! under a caption about experiencing two once in a generation economic collapses.

You might stumble on a clip of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Instagram Live telling people to message their elected officials' offices while casually giving out tips for making margaritas. They want to continue to get away with doing far too little, and in this moment there is no such thing as doing too much, she says as she casually pours triple sec and lime juice into a NutriBullet blender. I mean, honestly, have you ever had a point in your life when the federal government did too much for you? Where they gave you too much? Never happened to me! Ive never seen that in my life.

The generation of Americans who have come of age in the shadow of 9/11 and spent their formative years watching their parents, relatives, and friends parents suffer during the economic crisis have long felt that the government isnt doing enough to help citizens. In a recent Pew research study, 70% of Gen Zers and 64% of millennials surveyed in 2018 said they felt that the government should do more to solve problems.

It feels like something honestly happens every five years or so that negatively affects this generation and millennials who remember 9/11 a lot better, Gia W. told me. School shootings, financial meltdowns, crises all of those things have impacted the way I think about [how] life is going to work out for me.

I think its affected the way that most of our generation thinks about their lives, she said. Gen Z is not very future-oriented, and I think a lot of it has to do with going through these detrimental situations like the environment and the last election. Our generation feels like were not being taken care of and that nobody really cares about what happens to us, and weve kind of just come to terms with the fact that we probably wont have a good outlook for the future.

Modi also believes that younger Americans, like Generation Z, have grown up in a society that always feels like it's in some form of crisis. Its pushed them further left as they try to find solutions to make society equitable.

Ive noticed that in slightly older generations like millennials that there was some hope, but that was taken away through 9/11 and throughout the 2008 recession, Modi said. For Gen Z, that hope was never there.

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Gibberish.

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Verdekal posted...

Gibberish.

OK boomer.

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Doe posted...

OK boomer.

I'm a 30 year old Boomer.

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When are you zoomers gonna finish Eva 4.44?

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Oh for FUCKS sake at least these kids didn't have to fight on Normandy when they were 18. The men of the greatest generation fought the literal nazis as teenagers and the women worked in factories keeping the economy alive. I'm not saying this generation doesn't have legitimate problems that need to be addressed but this is over dramatic shit.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avr-Iu5vWsM
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Gen Z is weird man.
Instead of just joking about killing themselves like Millennials, they eat Tide pods and lick toilet seats.

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Politics posted...

Oh for FUCKS sake at least these kids didn't have to fight on Normandy when they were 18. The men of the greatest generation fought the literal nazis as teenagers and the women worked in factories keeping the economy alive. I'm not saying this generation doesn't have legitimate problems that need to be addressed but this is over dramatic shit.

Lmao. Indirect application of Godwin's Law. Well in case you didn't notice, Nazism IS on the rise again. You know for the past weeks Trump has dog whistled about "the invisible enemy?" Or that he referred to a white nationalist tiki torch-carrying mob as good people?

But oh, Gen Z isn't literally under a draft right now so they have no right to be worried. There is no such thing as economic pressure or violence, only bullets and the lack thereof. Don't they know people lived without electricity in 1000 BC? Funny you mention this though, since a common rebuttal to crushing student loan debt is the fucking GI Bill!

Tl;Dr OK Boomer.

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maybe these kids ought to spend less time on social media

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Doe posted...

Lmao. Indirect application of Godwin's Law. Well in case you didn't notice, Nazism IS on the rise again. You know for the past weeks Trump has dog whistled about "the invisible enemy?" Or that he referred to a white nationalist tiki torch-carrying mob as good people?

But oh, Gen Z isn't literally under a draft right now so they have no right to be worried. There is no such thing as economic pressure or violence, only bullets and the lack thereof. Don't they know people lived without electricity in 1000 BC? Funny you mention this though, since a common rebuttal to crushing student loan debt is the fucking GI Bill!

Tl;Dr OK Boomer.

Haha stfu

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Turbam posted...

Gen Z is weird man.
Instead of just joking about killing themselves like Millennials, they eat Tide pods and lick toilet seats.

You don't get us, old man.

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Doe posted...

Lmao. Indirect application of Godwin's Law. Well in case you didn't notice, Nazism IS on the rise again. You know for the past weeks Trump has dog whistled about "the invisible enemy?" Or that he referred to a white nationalist tiki torch-carrying mob as good people?

But oh, Gen Z isn't literally under a draft right now so they have no right to be worried. There is no such thing as economic pressure or violence, only bullets and the lack thereof. Don't they know people lived without electricity in 1000 BC? Funny you mention this though, since a common rebuttal to crushing student loan debt is the fucking GI Bill!

Tl;Dr OK Boomer.

I think there are legitimate issues that generation Z faces that need to be addressed. I am currently writing the capstone for my Masters Degree program on the minimum wage issue. The reality of the situation is that the minimum wage in 1968 would be worth over $11 in today's dollars. College is also wayy more expensive than it used to be and that is an issue that should be addressed. That being said these, while they are legitimate problems, are problems that can be fixed. It would be a lot easier to fix these problems if the younger generation actually started voting. The idea that "a 17 year old girl is dragging old people into addressing climate change" is pretty laughable when most of her generation has in inclination to vote in the first place.

Like I said, there are real problems to be addressed, and unlike anyone in CE, I have actually worked to address those problems. I interned on Hilary Clinton's campaign in 2016, and I was actually the campaign manager for a State Representative candidate in the 2018 midterms. I also have a long history of activism and have helped organize fairly large protests on the west coast. It would be fucking fantastic if these kids, who have been more sheltered from conflict than any other generation before them, would get on board and actually participate in democracy. But I'm the boomer, okay, sure.

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I hate Gen Z a lot but at the same time I can't blame them for being the way they are. Gens X/Y respectively failed these kids.
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I mean, yeah. Positive change is always getting crushed by politicians who just do the bidding of their corporate overlords, and the older generations just don't seem to give a damn.

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Politics posted...

are problems that can be fixed

The whole point of this article is that Gen Z has lost faith and hope in the government in its current form to fix these problems.

Kids literally aren't taught how to participate in our democracy in school, nobody I've talked to ever received a lesson on how and where to vote, or what our voter ID and registration laws are. Much less a discussion on primaries. We're not just fucking lazy (which yes, is your main "Boomer" hot take here), we are intentionally starved information, to say nothing of economic pressures like voting occurring on a literal school/work day, or difficulty accessing transportation, or mainstream politicians like Joe Biden having no interest in engaging our issues. Or the fact that Gen Z is our most diverse generation, and thus most adversely affected by the closing of polls that for SOME REASON disproportionately impact Latino communities, HHMMMMMMMMM...


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Doe posted...

The whole point of this article is that Gen Z has lost faith and hope in the government in its current form to fix these problems.

Kids literally aren't taught how to participate in our democracy in school, nobody I've talked to ever received a lesson on how and where to vote, or what our voter ID and registration laws are. Much less a discussion on primaries. We're not just fucking lazy (which yes, is your main "Boomer" hot take here), we are intentionally starved information, to say nothing of economic pressures like voting occurring on a literal school/work day, or difficulty accessing transportation, or mainstream politicians like Joe Biden having no interest in engaging our issues. Or the fact that Gen Z is our most diverse generation, and thus most adversely affected by the closing of polls that for SOME REASON disproportionately impact Latino communities, HHMMMMMMMMM...

And there are legitimate issues to be made here and for the record I've always liked you as a user. But for the record previous generations also weren't taught how to participate in democracy at school and further than generation X were, and there wasn't as much of a problem there. I mean honestly I learned a lot from AP US Government and at most schools you are required to take a government class. How many classes do we need to explain to people "lol go vote at this polling place it will be lit" I feel like the reality of the situation is that most of these kids don't care. I think the greater overall problem is that culture is in a serious decline. Do I blame all of that on generation Z? Honestly no, I think some of it is just the effect of late stage capitalism. But the reality of the situation is that while we do need better access to voting booths (honestly I think it should ALL just be mail in like it was when I lived in WA state) this is kinda a James Carville argument where he goes "well uh if we could just get some more dang old votin' machines down in Louisiana, Clinton could carry the south herr" when that ultimately isn't the issue. There is a huge disconnect between young voters and democracy that needs to be bridged if we are going to get any further. Look, you can call me a boomer all you want, but it is pretty obvious that most young people don't care. The ones that do care need to be more realistic and accept that compromise is a practical function of democracy. This doesn't mean we need to kiss GOP ass, but the reality of the situation is you don't ever get everything you want, all at once. Not participating in the 2020 election because not 100% of what Bernie wanted is going to be passed, or at least attempted to be pass, is impractical and immature.

The reality of the situation is that there are still a lot of Mexican kids who have been separated from their families, and if Trump gets reelected there is a reasonable chance Roe v. Wade gets repealed. This is more important than several "pet causes" in the long term.

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Politics posted...

The ones that do care need to be more realistic and accept that compromise is a practical function of democracy.

We don't have room to compromise if we don't want climate change to kill and displace hundreds of millions of people. Obamacare was a compromise and 45,000 people still die every year because they don't have access to health insurance. "Compromise" in America is the Democrats doing what the GOP wants, and it's killing both American citizens and the planet. I can't blame people for losing faith in democracy when the US doesn't act like a democracy.

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Garioshi posted...

We don't have room to compromise if we don't want climate change to kill and displace hundreds of millions of people.

So what's the plan? We overthrow the government? I mean I'm not saying direct action can't be a valuable tool for a protest to be successful but the reality of the situation is we'd still be much better off with Biden as president than Trump if we are going to make any progress on the issue overall. We have a winner takes all system in a democracy that was created with the intention of preventing any political party from getting too powerful. Actually vote Democrat and then work within the Democratic Party in order to push it further to the left. At least Biden will actually listen to us, Trump might send us all to reeducation camps lmao.

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Politics posted...

Actually vote Democrat and then work within the Democratic Party in order to push it further to the left.

When was the last time the Democratic Party had to listen to the left? They have their right-wing agenda and and they yell at left-wingers to get in line because "we have to defeat Trump!!!!!!!" and it doesn't matter if the person who replaces him agrees with him on 90% of issues.

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Garioshi posted...

When was the last time the Democratic Party had to listen to the left? They have their right-wing agenda and and they yell at left-wingers to get in line because "we have to defeat Trump!!!!!!!" and it doesn't matter if the person who replaces him agrees with him on 90% of issues.

This literally isn't true at all. The Democratic Party has moved considerably to the left over the last few decades. There are so many issues you can run on now that would have been viewed as fringe issues only several years ago. The current platform of the DNC is more progressive than ever. Yes, work needs to be done, but you have to admit that voting Green Party and potentially letting Trump have a second term simply isn't constructive

Let's take the issue of Abortion for instance. If Trump wins, there is a HUGE chance he could flip the Supreme Court. If that happens, there is almost a 110% chance Roe v. Wade gets repealed. Do you really want to live in a world where women can't get safe access to abortions? Is it really better if Trump beats Biden in that regard?

Politics is frustrating. I've been involved in activism since high school, I have a BA in Political Science, and I will be receiving my MS also in Political Science in a few months. I get it. This country is dumb and our democracy is deeply flawed. Having said that, you HAVE to play the long game and look at the big picture rather than throwing a fit that you didn't get everything you wanted, all at one time.

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Politics posted...

At least Biden will actually listen to us

Yeah, moderate corporatist status-quo-is-god Joe is the champion of change!

Lmao.
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The Democratic Party is significantly to the right economically of where they used to be. So much so that they've ceded the electorally relevant working class vote to a billionaire of all people. Dems are in their 3rd decade of the project to expel lefties and labor in favor of suburbanites.

I'll be voting Biden but realize that war's already been lost. There is no long game to be won. The planet doesn't have enough time left for that. The idea that there's been compromise and that it's a product of some legitimate democracy is hilarious. The rich have gotten everything they wanted done on a global scale no matter who's been in power.

The Catgirl Fondler posted...

Yeah, moderate corporatist status-quo-is-god Joe is the champion of change!

Lmao.

mmhmm that was another laugher.

It's not boomers fault young people can't be bothered to get off their ass and vote.
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voldothegr8 posted...

It's not boomers fault young people can't be bothered to get off their ass and vote.

How is it not the ruling generation's fault that youth voting is discouraged and even suppressed?

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Doe posted...

How is it not the ruling generation's fault that youth voting is discouraged and even suppressed?

Discouraged and suppressed lol, more like can't be slightly inconvenienced.
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There was never hope in the real world. In the real world you eat, you shit, you sleep, you get screwed over, you get depressed, and you die.

This is how society runs on. This is how humanity is. There is no sense fighting or denying this anymore. Hope is just an illusion made by optimists who haven't seen how the real world is.

WipWinkle posted...

There was never hope in the real world. In the real world you eat, you shit, you sleep, you get screwed over, you get depressed, and you die.

This is how society runs on. This is how humanity is. There is no sense fighting or denying this anymore. Hope is just an illusion made by optimists who haven't seen how the real world is.

Well one of the first things ancient Chinese philosophers said was "life is suffering." So basically this statement has always been a constant truth since the earliest civilizations.

Look guys I get it, Biden sucks. I totally agree, I am not the enemy here. But we have to do SOMETHING that at least gives us some breathing room, something to work with. I have been frustrated with the DNC since I was a teenager. Your complains are completely legitimate and I respect them. That being said, there are really only two teams in the USA, you have to be on one of them. I think it's bullshit and I wish American democracy was more like European Democracy, as in not winner take all. But we have made a lot of progress in the DNC. We have people like Sanders, Warren, AOC, etc that are pushing the party to the left. We have seen the establishment accept positions that were considered fringe issues not so long ago. My point is that I feel like we have made a lot of progress over the last decade, and we shouldn't throw that all away over one defeat. It sucks, but we have to play the long game if we want to win in the future.

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Politics posted...

That being said, there are really only two teams in the USA, you have to be on one of them.

Nah, fuck that, I'll just abstain like I've done in every other election up to now.

Not like it matters anyway, I was born and raised lower class and I'm currently homeless, so it's not like I've ever been part of a demographic that any party cares about. Apathy begets apathy.
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Politics posted...

This literally isn't true at all. The Democratic Party has moved considerably to the left over the last few decades. There are so many issues you can run on now that would have been viewed as fringe issues only several years ago. The current platform of the DNC is more progressive than ever. Yes, work needs to be done, but you have to admit that voting Green Party and potentially letting Trump have a second term simply isn't constructive

Obamacare was a policy the Nixon administration came up with in the 70's to oppose the single-payer policy the Democrats were pushing for. Bill Clinton repealed Glass-Steagall and Dodd-Frank is a shadow of it. When was the last time the Democrats even proposed something similar to the Great Society? How many elected Democrats are calling for an end to the 19 year-old war in Afghanistan or the 17 year-old war in Iraq? How many are calling to ban PACs and super PACs, along with lobbying? The Democratic party is only moderately left-wing on social issues, but that aside, they overwhelmingly agree with Republicans. No change will come from voting for the party that continue to cave to the opposition at every opportunity.

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Garioshi posted...

Obamacare was a policy the Nixon administration came up with in the 70's to oppose the single-payer policy the Democrats were pushing for. Bill Clinton repealed Glass-Steagall and Dodd-Frank is a shadow of it. When was the last time the Democrats even proposed something similar to the Great Society? How many elected Democrats are calling for an end to the 19 year-old war in Afghanistan or the 17 year-old war in Iraq? How many are calling to ban PACs and super PACs, along with lobbying? The Democratic party is only moderately left-wing on social issues, but that aside, they overwhelmingly agree with Republicans. No change will come from voting for the party that continue to cave to the opposition at every opportunity.

Yeah, broadly speaking, the Democrats have been right-of-center on economic issues since 1976. Both Clinton and Obama were deeply concerned with the deficit and national debt. Clinton oversaw the bi-partisan gutting of welfare, and Obama tried his darnedest to cut Social Security and Medicare in exchange for tax increases, all in the name of deficit reduction. Both of them abandoned what pretenses they had of doing anything economically left-of-center practically at the first sign of push-back. And Biden was in the thick of all of that, championing essentially all the worst bills and foreign adventures.

Really, I was born in 1987, and I feel like we've been going in the wrong direction that entire time. I thought Obama would fix that, or at least get the ball rolling in a serious way, but he essentially punted on a huge raft of issues ranging from climate change to immigration, and what he did was limited and inadequate by design. Essentially, since 2000, the United States has lurched from crisis to crisis, whether economic or political or a moronic foreign war, and yeah, I am starting to think it's just not going to get better.

ElatedVenusaur posted...

I thought Obama would fix that, or at least get the ball rolling in a serious way, but he essentially punted on a huge raft of issues ranging from climate change to immigration, and what he did was limited and inadequate by design

Yep. But because Trump is so terrible, a not-insignificant portion of people think he was one of the best Presidents ever.

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You guys do understand the reason why we didn't get the public option is because the GOP wouldn't let us, right? Like Obama clearly wanted single payer he just didn't have the votes in the senate. I don't think Obama is the best president ever (although they each suck in their own way) but I mean he CLEARLY wanted to pass something more progressive. I'm bi polar and my medication would cost around $400 a month without the Affordable Care Act. If John McCain won in 2008 I literally wouldn't be able to afford medication.

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Politics posted...

You guys do understand the reason why we didn't get the public option is because the GOP wouldn't let us, right? Like Obama clearly wanted single payer he just didn't have the votes in the senate. I don't think Obama is the best president ever (although they each suck in their own way) but I mean he CLEARLY wanted to pass something more progressive. I'm bi polar and my medication would cost around $400 a month without the Affordable Care Act. If John McCain won in 2008 I literally wouldn't be able to afford medication.

Exactly zero Republicans voted for the ACA and it still passed. This is not on the Republicans.

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Garioshi posted...

Exactly zero Republicans voted for the ACA and it still passed. This is not on the Republicans.

Okay but do like 2-3 conservative democrats = the whole democratic party?

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Politics posted...

Okay but do like 2-3 conservative democrats = the whole democratic party?

Obama was the President and easily more popular than said Democrats, 34 of which voted against the ACA, which is a watered-down version of what Obama proposed. He easily could have twisted their arms to get them to go along with him, but he didn't, because he, and the larger Democratic Party, don't believe in single-payer healthcare. The Democratic Party is a right-wing party.

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kid, shut the fuck up

Garioshi posted...

Obama was the President and easily more popular than said Democrats, 34 of which voted against the ACA, which is a watered-down version of what Obama proposed. He easily could have twisted their arms to get them to go along with him, but he didn't, because he, and the larger Democratic Party, don't believe in single-payer healthcare. The Democratic Party is a right-wing party.

Oh yeah he could have easily twisted their arms. What does that even mean? Like why do you assume Obama could have magically made people vote differently? If Sanders had been elected president you people would have been REALLY shocked with the result lmao.

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Politics posted...

Oh yeah he could have easily twisted their arms. What does that even mean? Like why do you assume Obama could have magically made people vote differently? If Sanders had been elected president you people would have been REALLY shocked with the result lmao.

Ever heard of what FDR and LBJ did to get their legislation passed? Look into what LBJ did to get the Civil and Voting Rights acts passed. If he just rolled over and gave up, they would not have passed, but he desperately wanted them to pass, so he made it happen. Obama didn't because he simply doesn't believe in single-payer, and neither does the party at large.


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Politics posted...

Oh yeah he could have easily twisted their arms. What does that even mean? Like why do you assume Obama could have magically made people vote differently? If Sanders had been elected president you people would have been REALLY shocked with the result lmao.

Google "bully pulpit"

But this was a pivot from your incorrect point that it was the GOP that stopped him.
Also Obama never wanted single payer outside of some sketchy 2003 video.
Also the supreme court is already lost.

Look I'll be honest, I voted third party in 2016, a socialist candidate. I just can't accept that letting Trump win again is the most constructive thing we can do. We could at least reunite a lot of these immigrant kids with their parents. I'd probably agree with some of what you're saying if Jeb Bush was president, but Trump is a different animal.

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Something doesn't smell right.

TC shut the fuck up

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Politics posted...

Look I'll be honest, I voted third party in 2016, a socialist candidate. I just can't accept that letting Trump win again is the most constructive thing we can do. We could at least reunite a lot of these immigrant kids with their parents. I'd probably agree with some of what you're saying if Jeb Bush was president, but Trump is a different animal.

Obama had kids in cages, it didn't start under Trump. Deportations were up greatly under Obama. Drone strikes on civilians were common under Obama. None of this shit changes with Biden.

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Baby boomers could have wrote that exact same article by substituting in the Vietnam war, political assassinations, Watergate, racial violence, stagflation, the nuclear arms race, etc.

Young people don't really think about the past or the future.

Broseph_Stalin posted...

Baby boomers could have wrote that exact same article by substituting in the Vietnam war, political assassinations, Watergate, racial violence, stagflation, the nuclear arms race, etc.

Young people don't really think about the past or the future.

The Iraq war is still going on. Vietnam was swift by comparison. Our Watergate was worse and the president wasn't even punished for it. Racial violence still exists. The economy is worse now than then for the average person. The nuclear arms race didn't put everything on hold like covid-19. Political assassinations are crude, there are much more effective ways of quashing political movements that don't involve physical violence.

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1337toothbrush posted...

The Iraq war is still going on

• Date: 20 March 2003 18 December 2011

1337toothbrush posted...

Vietnam was swift by comparison

• Date: 1 November 1955 30 April 1975

If we're just counting the US involvement then it's from roughly 1961 to 1972

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Doe posted...

But oh, Gen Z isn't literally under a draft right now so they have no right to be worried

I mean, I buy the article, but it's making a comparison between generations. Is bringing up the draft not fair? It's not just ww2 either...

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Doom_Art posted...

* Date: 20 March 2003 18 December 2011

* Date: 1 November 1955 30 April 1975
If we're just counting the US involvement then it's from roughly 1961 to 1972

Are you not aware that we're back in Iraq?

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