Gen Z Isn’t Stupid. They’re Painfully Aware

I keep reading articles about Gen Z being “disengaged”, “hard to reach”, or “mysteriously uninterested” in politics and society.

And every time, I think: Are we sure they’re the ones not paying attention?

For context, pretend I’m Gen Z. Or not. TBH at this point, the lines are blurry. I know how to use TikTok, I can’t afford a house, and I’ve been tired since 2018. That feels qualifying enough.

What I do know is this: Gen Z grew up watching youth clubs disappear, public spaces shut down, rent turn into a fantasy genre, and the future become something everyone promises to fix “soon”.

Then, instead of fixing any of that, adults panicked and said:

“Right. Let’s do TikTok.”

Suddenly politicians were dancing. Lip-syncing. Pointing aggressively at floating captions like divorced dads trying to reconnect. And when Gen Z didn’t clap, we called them disengaged. Personally, if my community spaces vanished and were replaced with a social media strategy, I’d disengage too.

Here’s the thing people miss: Gen Z isn’t stupid. They’re painfully aware.

They grew up watching institutions unravel in real time, in HD, with comment sections. They learned early that optimism without action is just branding. So instead of pretending everything’s fine, they did something far more honest: they clocked the absurdity.

That’s when it hit me: Gen Z didn’t opt out of society. They just quietly joined Absurd Society without realising there was a name for it. If you can look at the world and think, “None of this makes sense, but okay,” congratulations. You’re already in.

Absurd Society started as a way to write about these moments. The nonsense we’re all meant to accept. The contradictions. The quiet disbelief. And yes, eventually it turned into merch too, because domains cost money, bills exist, and apparently satire isn’t a recognised currency yet.

The designs aren’t there to fix anything. They’re there to keep the absurdity going. To say, “I see this too,” and maybe laugh so it doesn’t all feel quite so heavy.

So when people ask how to “re-engage” Gen Z, I think they’re asking the wrong question. Gen Z isn’t disengaged. They’re just allergic to nonsense. And to be honest, to me that feels less like apathy and more like clarity.

More info: absurdsociety.fun

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