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Like the millennials before them, Gen Z is now the subject of every well-meaning and not-so-well-meaning thinkpiece about what they are doing wrong. But the fact is that it's still smart to listen to one’s elders and learn from their mistakes, experiences and stories.
Someone asked “What’s something Gen Z isn’t ready to hear?” and people shared their thoughts.
So get comfortable as you read through, if you are in the right category, perhaps take notes, upvote your favorites, and share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
If you're "triggered" by some harmless, normal, everyday thing, to the point you can't function, then it's your job to get therapy. It's not society's job to reshape itself so **you** never experience stress.
Peter Bear 6 months ago
It is, however, society's job to provide a structure in which therapy can be given without shame or bias, and to provide health care both mental and physical. So this works both ways.
The Darkest Timeline 6 months ago
Conservatives would disagree. They’d say, “that’s a you problem,” and that you need to take “personal responsibility” for taking care of that. Many of them wholeheartedly believe Maggie Thatcher’s (satan torment her dark soul) dictate that “there is no such thing as society.”
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Katchen 6 months ago
The people I have encountered who are triggered by various topics are triggered by specific things like discussions of a$$ault, r@pe, e@ting disorders, or su!c!de. Those are not “harmless, normal, everyday things” and it’s good to warn people before going into discussion on those sorts of topics. I think assuming that young people need trigger warnings for normal things are arguing against a straw man.
iseefractals 6 months ago
Yes, uncomfortable things exist, and uncomfortable conversations occur as a result. This notion of a "trigger warning" serves only to ensure that either specific people never have to deal with the underlying cause that's distressing them so much about a given topic, or that that conversation simply never takes place. Up until very recently, college campuses were the best venues for comedians to play....today most of them flat our refuse because they're told they can't joke about "race, s*x, gender, sexuality, relationships, s*****e, disability, mental health issues, violence, or politics" What's left? Society has devolved to the point where more and more people think they're entitled to never be confronted with anything that makes them uncomfortable....except to be able to think, and to be free to express yourself means to risk both offending, and being offended.
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John Dilligaf 6 months ago
this is because the word "triggered" has been diminished to the point where, to the layman, now it pretty much means "upset at any minor inconvenience" . ....... What it actually mean in the field of psychology is an intense physiological and/or emotional reaction to something that reminds you of a past traumatic event. Like fireworks triggering a PTSD event in a combat vet.
LauraDragonWench 6 months ago
💯💯💯 I am so dåmn tired of "trigger warnings." I thought the "politically correct" movement of the 90s was over-the-top, but today's trigger warning junkies have surpassed the PC crew by a thousand leagues. The fact that we have to use euphemisms to describe things such as âssault, råpe, and súicide is both sad and disheartening. (Along with the absurdity of me having to use special characters in order to get those words past an increasingly overzealous censor bot.) Avoidance and minimization doesn't aid us as a society, it diminishes us by sidelining important subjects. Art cannot flourish under such censorship. Art is meant to reflect and educate, but if we're not allowed to explore uncomfortable subjects, then what's the point? Comics, authors, artists, et al might as well produce their respective versions of Thomas Kincaid's banality.
BeKind&Rewind 6 months ago
I work in an alternative high school. Do you know how many times a day I hear "triggered"?
nuberiffic 6 months ago
No one's triggered by this stuff. They're triggered by a*****t, trauma etc. Meanwhile - boomers are just getting triggered by things like trans folk existing.
Kevin Hickey 6 months ago
The people who whine about other people being offended are worse than the people who whine about being offended. "WAAAHHHHHH!!!! We're not allowed to do this (stoopud thing) anymore because people might get offended!!! WAAAAHHHH!!!!"
keyboardtek 6 months ago
Except that employers overworking people for low pay has become the norm. An "everyday thing". No one should stand for that. Society does need to reshape in some cases.
RELATED:
#2
Not every bad thing that happens to you is "trauma.".
The Darkest Timeline 6 months ago
Trauma is a sliding scale from “minor” to “life-changing and severe”. The problem is that many people think all trauma is equal and deserves the same amount of attention.
Kat Alison 6 months ago
Your definition of trauma changes over time. As you get older, the stuff that used to be a big deal isn’t anymore.
Tom De Paul 6 months ago (edited)
Trauma, like Depression (the diagnosis with a capital "D", ADHD, Autism, Bipolar, OCD, PTSD, and the rest of things affecting the human condition need to be diagnosed by a licensed mental health professional. Self-diagnosis is not just another form of self-awareness. Stop patting yourself on the back and demanding understanding and accommodation. It will harm you, your relationships, and your functioning in society.
Namea 6 months ago
Nobody is saying that a papercut is trauma. If you were abused by your parents yes, that's trauma. Just because older generations taught us to suck it up and push it down doesn't mean it's healthy. The new generations know they need help and to actually work through and heal instead of rotting from the inside out.
Michael Largey 6 months ago
Trauma came when my father died suddenly when I was a kid, leaving my mom with me and four younger siblings. Nothing since has measured up to that word.
#3
Other people aren't responsible for your safety or emotional comfort.
Lost Panda 6 months ago
I had to hit the up button 5 times, but I still don't think it was enough
keyboardtek 6 months ago
Your parents are responsible for your mental health when you are a child. I really could have used some therapy to learn coping skills when I was getting bullied in elementary and middle school.
Tom De Paul 6 months ago
Or how about teachers who were effective in managing their classrooms?
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Becky Samuel 6 months ago
Someone who doesn't agree with you isn't a 'violator'. Someone who talks about a subject that makes you uncomfortable isn't a 'violator'. It's not other people's job to make everyone else feel cosy and safe. This way of thinking is driving whole groups of society into this weird self-censoring and puritanical space where nothing with any depth or meaning can be discussed and any aberrance is punished by ostracism.
Load More Replies... #4
You don't know nearly as much as you think you do.
When you look back at yourself 10 years from now, you'll realize this too.
It happens to everyone.
Taibhse Sealgair 6 months ago
This is basically every generation. But you only realize it when you're old.
XenoMurph 6 months ago
I'm 52, I'm only just getting a handle on life. You can be competent at 20, but unlikely to truly know who you are, you are simply a product of your upbringing at that point. Whether we realise it or not
Load More Replies... Tabitha 6 months ago
Mark Twain once said, “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.“
Tom De Paul 6 months ago
Not everyone's parents are smarter than they are. I have a Stanford degree and am a lawyer and retired therapist. Both my parents were functionally illiterate (they could just sign their names.) This is a trope.
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Jim Robertson 1 month ago
We had a sign at work that said; Always employ a teenager while they still know everything.
Jim Robertson 1 month ago
We had a sign at work that said, Employ a teenager while they still know ever thing.
#5
It's actually not ethical, in most cases, to film and post random strangers. Your friends, with their permission? Sure. Someone on the street, clearly experiencing mental illness issues? Not ok. Goofy children you don't know in a park? Nope. People you're sitting with in the ER? Violation of privacy.
A good rule of thumb would be that if you're not willing to approach the person for permission to film or post (because they would be embarrassed, because they would be mad, or because they would deny permission) then you probably shouldn't be filming them. You aren't entitled to use other people's images for fifteen minutes of tiktok fame.
Earonn - 6 months ago
Like the disgusting terf who filmed a woman at a train station, claiming it was a man or a trans woman. The highlight was "I didn't confront him out of fear he might react with violence". Luckily, all you see is a photo of the back of a woman wearing a dress in a size bigger than 10; her face is hidden. F*** terfs.
Tom De Paul 5 months ago
TERF is a thing Gen Z is not ready to hear. Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, etc.
Richienotsorich 6 months ago
Unfortunately, the law disagrees. If it happens in public you can film it. Wânkers are making a very good living out of doing it on YouTube. Morals are outweighed by money.
#6
I'm a part of Gen Z but I have something to add: the amount of disrespect some of us have is just shameful. I was sitting in class yesterday and the teacher was telling some kids to get off their phones RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM and they just continued to ignore her and keep staring at their phones. You can last 1 hour of your life without your phone, put it down and do some work.
Roland Nijveld 6 months ago
It's also that teachers can't act on it. 20 years ago that would mean you're phone is gone for at least the day, you probably have detention and probably are in trouble with your parents as well
April Pickett 6 months ago
Oh boy, you would be in trouble with the folks. I would rather have detention and public service work than have my parents find out. They always found out.
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Becky Samuel 6 months ago (edited)
I think it is going to become more recognised that the current patterns of phone use are a behavioral addíctionn. It's not as easy as "just put down the phone" when your brain is screaming at you just like in any other addíction. We absolutely need to find a way out of this situation, but we shouldn't trivialise the difficulty.
BarfyCat 6 months ago
A student taught me that this is a literal add iction. He was driving me nuts with the phone usage, so I needed peer pressure to help me out, so I said for every time I see someone's phone and comment on it, you all have to stay after class one minute. Finally, his peers got through to him, and he replaced his phone habit with a candy habit, just like a smoker might when they're trying to quit! That image of him eating candy after candy really stuck with me!
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keyboardtek 6 months ago
The technologist who invented the smart phone have admitted their goal was to invent the most addictive device ever made. They certainly succeeded.
Pamela Blue 1 month ago
Easy peasy. I'd have a basket on my desk and ALL cellphones would be turned off and placed in the basket for the duration of the class. Easy choice. You refuse to do it, you leave and fail the class.
Pamela Blue 1 month ago
No problem at all. If they pass their exams easily while using the phone in class, then they pass with my blessing. If they don't do well on the exams (which would be more likely), then they learn quickly, and painfully, that there are consequences for ignoring an instructor.
#7
Sometimes in life, you gotta do something you really dont want to do. Just buckle up and do it. No one in your life will do it for you.
Geoffrey Scott 6 months ago
And you'll be amazed, once you do it, that it really wasn't THAT bad in the scheme of things.
The Darkest Timeline 6 months ago
It isn’t about “want to,” it’s about “need to”. Very few things in life are things we really want to do.
Michael Largey 6 months ago
Much of philosophy is examining when that "sometimes" is. And when it isn't.
amy lee 6 months ago
I suppose they're saying that the anxiety is worse than doing the thing that's triggering you. I don't know what the answer is because if it was easy we'd all be doing it. But you've got this.
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Tom De Paul 6 months ago
I think everyone will agree WWII was hell. But for all but a miniscule number of Americans, it was a job that had to be done so they got up and did it.
#8
Dealing with confrontation and discomfort is a necessary life skill. Not everyone who challenges you and makes you “uncomfortable” through mere argument or disagreement is a bully. If you want to succeed in business or life in general you will need to handle difficult situations. Nobody owes you a “safe space” for your feelings.
XenoMurph 6 months ago (edited)
No Kat, sometimes the bully is stronger, smarter and more cruel than you. Sometimes there is no way to "win" you simply have to endure.
Katiekat 6 months ago
I dunno, I somewhat agree with Kat Alison. Sometimes the only language a bully understands is power. And you don't have to have a physical confrontation. There are many ways to problem-solve, limited only by imagination, funds, and tolerance for consequences. Plus your ability to long-term plan and play the long game.
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#9
Being mentally ill isn't quirky. The entire community around mental illness on tiktok is so anti recovery.
Namea 6 months ago
Tiktok neurodivergent people or mentally ill people are either lying for attention or self diagnosed because they wanna feel special or have an excuse for their flaws. Until someone has an actual diagnosis from a professional I don't pay attention to their claims. Also there's an entire community on tiktok of tourettes and DiD people who are literally just faking it.
Lowrider 56 6 months ago
Thing about it is that 99% of the people claiming to have a mental illness are self diagnosed.
Lilly Anne Ryan 6 months ago
Nothing wrong with suspecting it, especially if you really feel something isn't right, but definitely get a diagnosis.
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jasper 6 months ago
It's not just TikTok. I hear it IRL as well. So many claim they are autistic when they are not. Or they are bi-polar, or have ADHD, when really, they have short attention spans and are bored with everything because they can't figure out how to be an adult, or they don't want to.
Lila Allen 6 months ago
THIS.... IF it wasn't diagnosed by a professional, it needs to be. Not saying they are wrong, just saying you can't self diagnose for a reason.
Load More Replies... #10
You don’t have to strive to be famous or to go viral. It’s perfectly ok to be average.
Michael Largey 6 months ago
Strive to be your best. How that compares to the average in unimportant.
April Pickett 6 months ago
If it suits your ego to do it, do it, just don't expect to get rich and famous doing it.
Pamela Blue 1 month ago
Yes, the only ones who make money from this sort of thing are the "originals." Once a few copycats are out there, give it up.
sophiedumas1184@gmail.com 6 months ago
It’s not that it’s ok to be ‘average’ it’s better to be NORMAL!! 🙄😂
Uncle Schmickle 6 months ago
I've always preferred to be low profile. Read up on Roman emperor Claudius.
CatD 6 months ago
My nightmare would be living in a fishbowl like most famous people.😱
Load More Replies... keyboardtek 6 months ago
Being famous can be a drag. Constant attention from strangers? Do you really want that? If so, there is something wrong with you.
#11
That boomers ran the civil rights movement. There's a lot of racist old people don't get me wrong but gen z act like they are the first generation to consider human rights.
Edit: for everyone telling me boomers were only teenagers during civil rights I implore you to go to a protest and notice how many teenagers show up. They don't have to work and they are often the most radical. Teenagers have always been a big part of social movements, y'all just hate boomers because your media has pitted the 2 groups against eachother for fun.
Child of the Stars 6 months ago
And boomers weren't even the first at that either. Women's sufferage came before that. And before that was the abolitionist movement. Before that were the French and US revolutionary movements. And so on and so forth throughout human history. One group of humans or another has been fighting for their rights at some point in all of our history.
Anna Drever 6 months ago
A general comment as the two people I’d like to target are downvoted so I can’t reply… I’m not American so I couldn’t vote for tRump or Reagan if I wanted to, but I’ve always been a leftie. As left as can be. So this boomer doesn’t like that generalisation that my age bracket will automatically vote right wing. And friends in my age group are the same. This doesn’t prove anything one way or the other but it’s best we don’t assume.
CatD 6 months ago
Unfortunately it was the fact that the US is misogynistic that put Trump in power both times.
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Andi 5 months ago
it is going to be interesting to see what the next generations hold Zs responsible for and why they were so wrong. Us boomers (me just) know that it is the natural, proper order of things to be critisised by the youngers - that shows societal development ( we hope) . they reasons they will be attacked probably haven't been invented next. Brace yourself juniors - its your turn next .......
Michael Largey 6 months ago
All you mean is that racism is better understood and recognized these days.
Load More Replies... #12
I’m in gen Z, and I would say that one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that it’s okay to *not* be opinionated. It is far more beneficial to yourself and others if you take time to listen and understand multiple viewpoints instead of seeking to form a concrete opinion.
Along those same lines, it is okay if your opinions change. That shows that you are growing and learning about what you value most in life.
Earonn - 6 months ago
As usual with this kind of advice: depends what you're talking about. There is nothing to "understand" in racism and sexism, and the "oh, let's see both sides" approach has too often been used by those who don't want to get involved because they were too lazy or selfish.
iseefractals 6 months ago
That someone is claiming to have encountered racism, sexism or phobia doesn't mean that they have.....and the only way you know what's legitimate and what's opportunistic is by objectively examining the situation. When i was growing up, everyone was taught to not see race, color, s*x, or orientation. Identifiers don't matter, content and quality of character. Today, identity politics attempts to put identifiers at the top of all considerations. Which means when someone faces disagreement, criticism, or unfavorable outcome....it's not that someone is disagreeing with their opinion, or criticising their action, or judging their merit....nope, none of that matters....it's discrimination, because they've put undue importance on their identifiers, so they assume that everyone else must base everything else on them as well. Which is lazy, selfish and entitled.
Load More Replies... Richienotsorich 6 months ago
This. It's the norm now that if your political view varies from someone else's, rather than listen and respect their opinion, you have to abuse them or label them.
Scott Rackley 6 months ago
"Those who refuse to pick a side always side with the oppressor." I've heard some dumb s**t today but you get a gold star.
Load More Replies... #13
Not everyone is special and sometimes people need to be told they aren't a good person.
turk 6 months ago
Like the people who say, "people can't handle me because I just say the truth!" No, you're an a*****e with a dumb opinion.
iseefractals 6 months ago
We live in a time where an increasing number of people claim to be harmed by observable facts. Not opinions. Facts. When the truth is vilified, the person speaking it isn't the a*****e.
Load More Replies... Pamela Blue 1 month ago
I would never say to someone they weren't a good person. I'd say the behaviour was despicable, but you must give people the opportunity to change. If they refuse, THEN tell them they're an arrogant a$$hole!
#14
“Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.”
-George Orwell.
XenoMurph 6 months ago
If you have 20 years more experience, then Yes you are "wiser" whatever that means. And also yes people in the 90s 2000s were more enlightened than the generations before, and thehy were more enlightened than the previous ones when racism was acceptable. My father only had anger and alcohol to cope with hereditary depression and anxiety, we have counselling and therapy. But we might be losing the enlightenment.
iseefractals 6 months ago
Being here longer doesn't automatically bring wisdom. Wisdom comes from understanding, and understanding requires you to look upon things with honesty and objectivity.
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#15
Machine Gun Kelly is a talentless hack and you know it.
PawCamp 6 months ago
YET. Kanye seemed just like MGK when he was younger.
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Medha Singh 6 months ago
Yeah, ok, but he isnt a f*****t and trust me that counts for a lot more. I'm a millennial and I think most of all this Ben Z bashing is jealousy for the lack of the same freedoms and informed perspectives on mental health we did not have. If you think they have issues, you should see the things and people they oppose.
James Twong 6 months ago
This guy is just a clothes horse and tabloid fodder. Couldn't name a single tune from this alleged musician.
Michael Largey 6 months ago
I've never heard of him, but if he didn't know that name was aleady taken he can't be too smart.
#16
Being gay and/or trans isn't a personality. Sincerely, someone gay and trans.
Roland Nijveld 6 months ago
Ofcourse but that doesn't mean that everyone you come across in life should all know that. Being straight and bit trans is also a big part of who I am. Yet alot of people in my work for example don't know my sexuality and relationship status
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Joe Russo 6 months ago
Ask a simple question, "who am I when everyone at a party shares that part of my identity?" And then apply this to people who you identify by their differences from you. Got a friend you call, "Big, Gay Bob"? Who is Bob then, at a party of all large, gay men? Why.does his identity to you...depend on you?
Namea 6 months ago
It's normal for young people figuring themselves out to be excited about it and overzealous. So yeah, a lot of young people act like being lgbtq is their entire personality. They'll more than likely grow out of that and learn it's just one part of the amazing person they can be. In the meantime we should be understanding that they're young and cringey.
WhatEvenIsLife 6 months ago
No, f*ck that. Make it a personality. Let being gay be all you project onto the world. Because we're still being targeted and hated and living out loud is the most protest some of us can do. Sincerely, a person living in a very red state that hates my existence.
Lilly Anne Ryan 6 months ago
Do you go to work? Earn a living? Hang out with friends and go places? Do you drive? Have your own place or are saving up/able to get your own place eventually?
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Min 6 months ago
I don't see it as a homophobic or transphobic statement. I'm gay, but that's just a small part of who I am.
Load More Replies... #17
Guard your privacy AND YOUR KIDS’ PRIVACY. Your children don’t know who they are yet and you’re sharing a bazillion photos and videos and other c**p - or their literal c**p - with the world via internet. Don’t get me started on where convicts with child pRon start their collections… but I’ll give you a hint and it’s abbreviated SM.
The internet is fun and all but consider keeping some of that stuff as personal stuff. LOCK IT DOWN. (I’m looking at you, face scanner for iPhone, allowing apps to track your personal data, and location services). I know none of y’all read books anymore, but I’m sure someone’s talked about 1984 on a podcast.
#18
People aren’t black and white. Everyone has good and bad traits, and no one is perfect.
Ellinor 6 months ago
But there's a difference with "bad traits" and being rac!st, s*x!st or abus!ve.
iseefractals 6 months ago (edited)
And there's a difference between being accused of something, and actually being something, and ignoring that distinction doesn't make you more moral, or virtuous.
Load More Replies... Michael Largey 6 months ago
Tell us about the good part of being a serial killer.
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Tabitha 6 months ago (edited)
No, people aren’t black and white—-or even gray. We are as diverse as all the colors you can see, plus the ones you can’t.
Peter Bear 6 months ago
Exactly. So it is incumbent upon all of us to call out both the good and bad, in others and in ourselves. No one is perfect, which means everyone can be better than they are. So, let's try to do that.
#19
Get outside. It will do wonders for your anxiety and depression.
Temple 6 months ago
Right? And sometimes, especially with anxiety, it just gets worse.
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kansasmagic 6 months ago
Like exercise, time outside often helped in the moment, but it fell far short of “doing wonders”. YMMV, but I tend to think that if your “depression” is cured by a change of scenery, then you weren’t actually depressed. I was depressed when I took my family to Flagstaff, Mesa Verde, and St. George Utah. Turns out depression is not dependent on geography.
Maren Villadsen 6 months ago
OP Sounds like someone who never battled with anxiety and/or depression
Namea 6 months ago
That's the kind of s**t someone who has never had clinical depression says and it's just stupidly cruel. I love being outside, my job is 90% outdoors. I'm still depressed and anxious and if I don't take my meds I'd still be s******l. You might as well tell someone with cancer or a broken limb to go outside for a cure.
Michael Largey 6 months ago
Go outside? There are people out there! Why do you think I'm hiding under my bed with the curtains closed?
WhatEvenIsLife 6 months ago
I've heard this so many times, but guess what? Actual depression is a chemical imbalance in your brain and nature can't cure that. At the height of my going outside/being active phase, I was still massively depressed and experienced anxiety.
#20
Teenagers should know that it’s ok to feel depressed and heartbroken. It’s okay to feel like everything is out of control and that you should talk about all these feelings to an adult.
Tabitha 6 months ago (edited)
Because, believe it or not, that adult was once your age and had a lot of the same problems you’re having now—-and most adults have not forgotten how it felt (yes, some have, so seek out an adult whose memories of it haven’t faded to nothing—-or been altered to fit what they want others to believe of them). So they actually DO understand and know a lot about what you’re going through. That includes figuring out how you want things to be when you come out the other side of your present issues, and how all that depends on your actions and decisions about it every day, starting right now.
#21
We can't all be content creators some of us are gonna have to be plumbers.
Lost Panda 6 months ago
I would so rather be a plumber... you know how much you can make doing that?!
keyboardtek 6 months ago
There is a tremendous amount of personal satisfaction from having repair related careers. Doing something which requires your brain and body and the result is something is fixed and usually better. It provides a sense of improving and contributing to making the world a better place. Unlike capitalists who often buy businesses just to sell off the assets and close them down.
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Luke Branwen 6 months ago
Unpopular opinion, but the opposite is also true. Some people just weren't made to have a 9-5. Some people were made to be artists.
William Teach 6 months ago
And a lot of the content is garbage. And, even if you get somewhat famous, it's only go to last so long
Abdullah Abd Rahman 6 months ago
So true.The pressures on youngsters to be social media sensations are so great nowadays. Don't fall for it.... It's unnecessary pressure on you and bad for your mental health.
Michael Largey 6 months ago
We can't all be financially successful content creators. Just like we can't all be financially successful plumbers. But create anyway.
#22
Toxic positivity isn't positive.
Abdullah Abd Rahman 6 months ago
I think it means "fake" positivity or hypocrisy.
Load More Replies... The Big Bad 6 months ago
It's a part of life to have bad feelings. The problem is not these feelings, but the idea that all feelings outside happiness are bad. You're always on a scale between happy and sad and that's okay. If it gets too bad or takes too long do seek help of course.
Ellinor 6 months ago
Toxic positivity is the pressure to only display positive emotions, suppressing any negative emotions, feelings, reactions, or experiences. So yeah, it's definitely a bad thing.
Load More Replies... #23
Middle class is over and doing better than your parents is unlikely.
XenoMurph 6 months ago
Decent modern social democracy is lost. We have illiberal "liberals" and a society who are losing interest in social causes. Not many good options when it comes to voting.
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UpupaEpops 6 months ago (edited)
I'm millenial. From one of the poorest countries in the EU. I have a degree from a foreign university. I can't afford the living standards of my great-grandparents in the 90's when my country was so poor, we were receiving African style food aids. Yes, overall the country *is* doing better in the sense that we have managed to eliminate much, if not most of the extreme poverty. But the middle class has been virtually eliminated...
XenoMurph 6 months ago
"great grandparents in the 1990s"... bloody hell dude
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Tamra 6 months ago
This is true in the US, not sure about other countries. Now it's more of a dual divide between the working class and the wealth class.
Min 6 months ago
Pardon the stupid question, but aren't you essentially saying there is no middle?
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kansasmagic 6 months ago
I’m solid Gen-X and I’m not ready to hear this! I live it; but I’m not ready to hear it.
Abdullah Abd Rahman 6 months ago
Not true.You can do better than your parents.... only, the nature of work has changed.
#24
Well as a gen z, you (we) are contributing as much (or more) to pollution and waste production than previous generations because of our partaking in the constant cycling of clothing trends and constant use and consuption of new products and technology. With really dirt cheap online shopping probably being more accessible, prevalent and normalized in our generation than any one before, we really won’t realize the damage done before it’s too late. They’re definetely gonna blame us for being the straw that broke the camels back when it comes to the environment in 30-50 years and i shudder to think about it.
Little Bit 6 months ago
Every generation replaces one form of pollution with another. For example, in the mid 20th century smog caused by smoking chimneys was the norm. Solid fuel fires were the main and only source of heating in most homes, however not many people had cars. Fast forward to today and although the smoking chimneys and solid fuel fires have largely been phased out, we have millions more cars on the roads, over consumption, the world has been taken over by plastic and mass tourism.
jasper 6 months ago
OMG, and don't even get me started on electric cars. What do they do with batteries that no longer work, and do you even know how they get the materials for said batteries?? Nightmare.
Load More Replies... Kristy Roberson 5 months ago
Paraphrasing George Carlin: The earth is going to be fine. It will still be here, providing an asteroid doesn't blow it out of the solar system. It's humans that aren't going to survive.
#25
Not everything can be solved with a YouTube video.
Kat Alison 6 months ago
And some of them are wrong, or even dangerous. People in general really need to question everything they see online.
AndyR 6 months ago
It's still my go to when I need to fix something. Turns out my dad's method of bodging it and hoping mum didn't notice isn't how you're supposed to do DIY.
CatD 6 months ago
And there's multiple videos that show how to fix things. You don't have to rely on one person.
Load More Replies... Michael Largey 6 months ago
But many problems can be started with one. DIY, I'm looking at you.
#26
The “cool” clothing you’re wearing now will look silly in five years.
Luke Branwen 6 months ago
That's why I never follow trends. Rock band hoodies and jeans are timeless 😆
Tabitha 6 months ago
Pick your style, pick your look, then periodically update it. I don’t mean change it, just refresh it. If you pick a timeless look that looks natural and comfortable on you, you won’t have to update as often, but should freshen it up periodically. Also, the right classic and timeless look will not age you. So be careful what look you choose, because you won’t necessarily be able to pull off your teenage style when you’re the parent of teenagers yourself. If you think about it, you can usually figure out someone’s age by their hair and clothing. The woman who still has that same big hairdo they’ve had for decades probably was in their prime and thought they looked their absolute best back in the eighties. The man with the p**n ‘stache and white patent leather shoes with matching belt probably peaked in the seventies.
Load More Replies... Min 6 months ago
A lot of this happens to every generation, but each generation has to learn it for themselves.
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Andi 5 months ago
Our children (M25, F26) have got half of my and their mum's wardrobe! Son's favorite tee-shirt is one she bought for me 30 years ago - and i love to see them being worn. And for transparency I'm not allowed anywhere near the laundry - that is her magic domain and so clothes last. 😁
The Big Bad 6 months ago
Ah yes, I remember my pink all stars with pointed noses ánd high heels haha, truly terrible.
Deborah Joanne 6 months ago
Especially ripped jeans ...talk about the Emperor's new clothes . . .
#27
It's okay to give yourself a break from fighting injustices. I see a lot of gen Z posting about different problems in the world to bring awarenesses to those issues but if you're engulfed in every problem out there, you aren't giving yourself a chance to actually be happy. So it's okay to not know about every issue all the time. Give yourself a break sometimes and just try and have fun.
Kristy Raymond 6 months ago
Awareness doesn't actually DO anything. It can start things, but just having information rolling around in your head benefits no one. I don't believe you need to be aware of every problem. Just the ones you are personally ready to work on. This does not include hassling celebrities about donating to causes. You like it, give them YOUR money.
Susan Reid Smith 6 months ago
It is ok to focus on just one or two issues. I use my sewing skills to make pillow cases with a quilt guild for foster children, and to mend clothes and wear them to bits to reduce waste.
Tom De Paul 5 months ago
Just vote. Too many of you dont/didn't and look who we got stuck with.
Abdullah Abd Rahman 6 months ago
Totally agree. You can't carry the weight of the whole world on your shoulders.
#28
Looking through these comments as a Gen Z, you people didn't say anything I haven't heard, so I'll help you out.
Hey, Gen Z, you know all those s****y trends and horrible "pranks" and the cancel culture you follow along with? Yeah, that's gonna stick around FOREVER. Unlike our predecessors, our mistakes can't just be left in the past because they're on the internet.
Sam Trudeau 6 months ago
And the Minecraft movie could be used to show how bad the trends have gotten.
#29
I know it's sounds Boomer like, but you're way more addicted to the internet than you would admit.
I'm also Gen Z btw.
Bored Seb 6 months ago
And boomer and gen X - Y are way more addicted to the internet that they would admit. That's a "everyone problem" not a Gen Z question.
Magna Linnevers 6 months ago
Maybe, but Boomers - Gen X grew up before all that was invented. I can unplug because that’s how my brain is wired. I can easily leave the electronic world behind and enjoy just being. All my hobbies EXCLUDE the internet, I literally can’t do both at the same time.
Load More Replies... April Pickett 6 months ago
This is sort of off the case, but when you and your friends go to dinner, have everyone put their phones away. The first phone answered buys dinner for all of you.
Peter Bear 6 months ago
How many boomers/Gen Xers spend their entire work lives staring at a screen? It's the same thing. This one isn't a generational problem. It's just that the world has changed, and changed quickly.
Kit Black 6 months ago
If the only time you're staring at the screen is at work, that's not an a*******n.It's called a job
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#30
It's not uncool or irresponsible to be hopeful, joyful, gracious, or to happy with yourself. Take a break from the news and the internet, it's making you too anxious to really *live*. It's cliché, but I mean it! Turn to your community and make change and relationships where you can see them in real life. Let yourself be inspired and don't listen to older grumps who want to yuck your yum just because the world keeps turning.
#31
Trying to establish exactly what kind of victim you are is ultimately not going to get you anywhere.
The seemingly pervasive belief that you are either a victim or an oppressor... so, it's better to be a victim... is false.
We are all victims AND oppressors on some level. It's more important to improve yourself, be a more compassionate person, and focus on the future, than to obsess about how you have been wronged or mistreated.
Move forward. Thinking of yourself as a victim will only hold you back.
#32
Crypto currency isn’t going to be the future.
Luke Branwen 6 months ago
Remember when the techbros were head over heels over NFTs, convinced it's gonna be the future of investing? 😅
#33
Some people are victimised. Bad things happen to good people for no reason. It’s not your fault.
Celebrating victimhood, and defining yourself or others because of their status as a ‘victim’ is not a good long term strategy however.
Be it people of Color, or women, or trans people or whatever…. Relegating them to a permanent status of ‘victim’ is not going to help them or you change your situation for the better.
Nova Rook 6 months ago
Not a single mention of how white Americans have voted in a f*****t because he told them that they are the real victims? Just blaming brown people, women and trans people? Wow.
iseefractals 6 months ago
Trumps voter share by demographic White 57%, black 13%, hispanic 46%, asian 40%, "other" 55%. By s*x, 55% of men and 45% of women. And you are parroting the same self serving logic that caused the democrats to lose in the first place. People are sick of being told they're racist, and sexist, and phobic. They're tired of being treated like monsters for voicing opinions that are only "controversial" because they're not pandering to the echo chamber of the left. They weren't voting for trump, they were refusing to vote for harris. Registered democrats decreased by 11 million people between 2020 and 2024, registered republicans decreased by 4 million in the same span, while registered independents rose by 11.1 million. Trump is a symptom, the underlying disease is the current state of the democratic party....they are no longer doing their job of representing the voters. And i say this as both someone who has loathed trump for 30 years, and a lifelong democrat.
Load More Replies... Kat Alison 6 months ago
Perhaps the people you accuse of acting like “victims” should fight back, then? If they do, I don’t want to hear you telling them to sit down and shut up.
Namea 6 months ago
No, poc and lgbtq people ARE literally victims of society and refusing to see that makes their plight worse. We should be fighting alongside them to improve things, not closing our eyes on the subject.
iseefractals 6 months ago
How, in 2025, are they victims of society? Name some specifics. What are poc or lgtbq people not able to do that white, straight people are? Saying "oppression" or "institutional something something" isn't an acceptable answer, it's a narrative. Police brutality? In 2024, 1,173 people were killed by police. 248 of them were african american, and 80% of the officers that were responsible for those 248....were african american themselves. Meanwhile, african americans, 13% of population, account for 52-60% of all murders in any given year, 80% of non-fatal gun violence, and 40-80% of all other forms of violent crime. Who are they victimizing? Primarily other black people. So what does that narrative of police being racist and evil accomplish? Why...it makes already vulnerable communities, even more vulnerable. But we can't talk about that anymore, because it's presumed to be racist. It's not, you can't fix a problem until you understand the root cause.
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#34
This is for any queer gen-z. I’ve seen some horrendous takes online that shows me that a lot of them don’t know queer history. There are books, google and some older queer people (unfortunately we don’t have as many elders as we should because of the AIDS epidemic, and that’s part of our history too) to talk to. Please learn it.
athornedrose 6 months ago
THIS. the amount of younger kids in the community who seem to have no idea what even just the past 30 years have been like let alone the since the civil rights movement. please look it up. please don't let everything that has come before you be erased
Auntriarch 6 months ago
That'll be people that love books by that nice Jan Morris, unaware that her first book was by James Morris. She was more of a lady than I'll ever be.
Load More Replies... #35
Staying inside staring at screens for your entire childhood has made many of you socially inept.
you are trying to learn lessons at 18 that you should have been learning at 12.
Child of the Stars 6 months ago
Tbf, an 18yo today was 13 when the entire world literally shut down.
AuspiciousTree283 6 months ago
Yet the world shut down in 2020. Children had the worst of it--they learned how to be social at an alarmingly late age. Still, many of us had to figure out how to reintegrate once the restrictions were lifted.
Peter Bear 6 months ago
That's not their fault. They didn't create the world they're living in, they're adapting to it. And quite well, considering.
#36
Just like harry potter/disney/anime/lolcomic bacon culture millennials, you, too, will one day be an embarrassment in the eyes of teens and anyone else who isn't chronically online. quit seeking the most moral and respectable of interests - just be cringe! be a decent person, but enjoy tiktok, or youtube gamers or cringey music or anime, or whatever. nothing matters! enjoy your hobbies and shed guilt from your guilty pleasures
Boris Long-Johnson 6 months ago (edited)
Harry Potter is already a dirty word in some places due to Rowling’s actions. Total c**t!
#37
You're in an echo chamber online.
Not everyone agrees with you.
Some of us just don't want to write our opinions on twitter for fear of abuse because you can't get across nuance and complex topics with a character limit.
Lost Panda 6 months ago
Some of us don't write our opinions because we have better things to do then get into arguments online.
#38
You have to actually work for what you want.
Tonyah Mcanelly 6 months ago
And if spent carelessly you will be broke in no time
Load More Replies... Michael Largey 6 months ago (edited)
First you have to find out what you really want. That's a lot of work too.
jasper 6 months ago
THIS. Nothing in life is free. Someone, somewhere pays for it. Stop expecting the government to support you. Get out there and get a frickin' job. Go to school. Get an education in something that will make you a living. Feminist studies and basket weaving are not it.
Tamra 6 months ago
Yeah, pull yourselves up by your bootstraps, people! Put yourselves into tens of thousands of dollars in debt to a predatory lending institution, so that when you graduate, you can get a job that will pay you a minimum wage that has not been raised to meet inflation since the 1960's! Then go on and try to shell out 75% of your subpar income on $hitty, scarce housing. If you're lucky. Live the American dream! 🙄
Load More Replies... #39
Extremists are who got us to where we are today. Those super dramatic peers of yours are not the leaders. The calm cool and collected that look out for everyone are the people you push to the front to represent you.
Vin Paver 6 months ago
How about remaining cool, calm and collected yourself and becoming the leader, rather than pushing someone else forward?
Pamela Blue 1 month ago
Not everyone has it in them to be a leader. A true leader is a rare breed.
Load More Replies... Kat Alison 6 months ago
That’s because there are too many weirdo extremists in the U.S. Maybe everybody here needs to calm the fvck down.
Load More Replies... #40
You are terrible, terrible content creators. And you will have to live with your shame for the rest of your life.
Tonyah Mcanelly 6 months ago
Some content creators have useful advice . Some people create content for the fun of it I personally like content of people doing voice overs for animal videos it makes me laugh in a world full of crazy . How does that make you a terrible person? I think if you can make one person a day smile you're a good person . Even if it means creating content .
Cee Grant 6 months ago
"Terrible" meant incompetent here. You're using the other meaning of terrible. And yes, most content today is c**p and an eventual embarrassment to the creators, that is, if they ever get out of their peer bubble and get a clear look at it.
Load More Replies... #41
The choices you make today matter. You are not invincible.
#42
The internet is a terrible place to get your world view from . Seriously .
I’ve noticed this especially with teens in the west and how they react to news (most recently American teens) and it’s usually internet hysterics that whip them into an almost delusional frenzy. It’s terrible for your mental health , and its seriously lacking in perspective .
This is not Gen Z specific , but generally for young people time immemorial - when you’re young it’s easy to see everything in absolutes , black and white , if it’s not y its z and that’s that. It’s easy to hold super high morality standards and the internet makes it very easy to get a justice b***r with minimal effort . Trying to get nuance is important .
Scott Rackley 6 months ago
I was kind of floored by the reaction when they were going to shitcan tiktok. It was like you took h****n away from an a****t.
#43
Stop chasing moral purity. You are problematic, your faves are problematic. There is no perfect smol bean meowmoew, and when you put people on that pedestal, they mess up once and you f*****g destroy them like you were betrayed by the s**t YOU did to begin with. You need to learn to grapple with this reality- that we are all imperfect, even your idols- and sit with the difficult grey area, or you will be intellectually lazy and have a weak character forever. And being intellectually lazy and having weak character will make you a f*****g morally and ethically bereft psychopath before long- because you have no sense of morality you didn't outsource somewhere else because it was emotionally easier for you.
moral absolutists are the exact same as the "cold logic atheists" we all hate. Stop being that person. Grapple with s**t that might make you think hard about two opposing truths, read a complex book, some Maya Angelou or something, instead of your tagged uwu coffeeshop fanfiction for f*****g once in your life.
Michael Largey 6 months ago (edited)
Keep your integrity, and your moral purity will usually take care of itself.
Tom De Paul 5 months ago
It is an odd world when we make a man who said it was okay to "grab p*ssy" President but got rid of Matt Lauer and Kevin Spacey. There are no saints and talent should count for something.
Luke Branwen 6 months ago
Don't get too hung on moral purity, but also don't buy anything connected to the transphobe wizard books. In that case, your nostalgia is directly funding anti-trans laws in the UK.
Ellinor 6 months ago
Absolutely, giving money to bad people knowing that they use that money to do bad things, is like doing that bad thing yourself.
Load More Replies... #44
Go to work.
Peter Bear 6 months ago
But only do the work you're paid for. No free extras. No above and beyond. Your job does not care about you and will abuse you at every opportunity. Be professional, but do not be a doormat.
AuspiciousTree283 6 months ago (edited)
That's a bit overblown. Volunteer work exists, and people do it to serve their community. It's also very refreshing to get your body to work when there isn't a job available. I can't be more grateful for how people treat each other within the place I volunteer at. It's sad to say it's not the same everywhere else, but not every job has a toxic workplace.
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Jerzy Janeczko 6 months ago
Pretty much sums it up. Way too many entitled children in their 20s even 30s running around thinking the world owes them something. Wake up butter cups you get what you earn.
#45
That people who have “jobs” are generally happier than those who don’t.
There’s a million ways I’m on the side of a modern Labor movement, but this notion that people would be happier without *any* semi-mandatory need to get out and do something that someone is willing to contribute capital toward has approximately zero correlation with my lived experience.
Becky Samuel 6 months ago
Being unable to work is a mind-numbing and incredibly difficult life path. You go through stages of despair, grief, feelings of worthlessness, and endless boredom. It's all too easy to fall into depression and lose social skills and ability to interact with the outside world. What feels like freedom for a few weeks quickly sours when those weeks drag into years, which stretch into decades. You get to watch your body and mind deteriorate while being in the full knowledge that you still have decades of this ahead of you.
Tom De Paul 5 months ago
I worked extremely hard to get a permanent income (disability) and permanent housing. I didn't know how isolated I would be and how boring my life would be.
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roamin_ronin 6 months ago
I've been in plenty of jobs, it's something I have to do rather than want to do. I'm definitely not happier for being in work. Even in the best jobs I've had which, on paper, I should love, I've counted down to the end of the day/the weekend/annual leave. I took a break to pursue a couple of degrees and I couldn't be happier, if I could afford it I'd continue to my PhD. I'm dreading going back to work once I've finished my current degree.
Michael Largey 6 months ago
That people who have money are generally happier than those who don’t. A job is one of the ways you get it.
AuspiciousTree283 6 months ago (edited)
I haven't found a paid job since I graduated from college 2 years ago. I can absolutely confirm this.
Tonyah Mcanelly 6 months ago
I dont know how that works in . Unless your are a volunteer. You may not be able to find a job in the profession you went to school for. There are jobs out there even if you feel like you are too good for them . How are you going to pay the bills when mom and dad are not around ?
Load More Replies... What do you think ?
Orysha 6 months ago (edited)
A few were interesting most of them were a bunch of hateful spite.
AuspiciousTree283 6 months ago (edited)
Not every little thing has to be a debate. I've seen people online froth at the mouth because someone likes pineapple on pizza (no, seriously. It wasn't a joke). I've also been judged for disliking certain types of music, and I've seen others make flash judgments based on little context. It is not worth caring what other people think online, and it took me too long to realize how miserable it was making me. It is mature to consider perspectives, but also mature to take a step back. Go for a walk. Smell the roses. Hum a tune. The quietness of the world is so peaceful, and I wish more people would notice this.
Tom De Paul 5 months ago
Attraction in the matters of taste is the last mystery and not subject to debate.
Load More Replies... Vin Paver 6 months ago
I'd add, don't get caught up in the hysteria generated by tiny, very vocal minorities about perceived issues that have little or no relevance to the real world. You're just playing into the hands of people trying to disrupt society for their own gain.
Ellinor 6 months ago
I'm curious, which minorities are you talking about ?
Load More Replies... Kat Alison 6 months ago
I’m GenX, and I disagree with a lot of these. The reason why the world never gets any better is because sanctimonious, lazy old people keep telling young people to shut up and obey. “I suffered, so you should too,” is a terrible attitude.
Vin Paver 6 months ago
That's not at all what most of these points are saying. They're saying think for yourself; be yourself; get your nose out of the internet; lift your head up and see what's going on around you; that having problems is normal so learn to deal with them; life is real; you can't live on fresh air so you'll need to go out and get a proper job at some point. Most importantly, they're saying listen to what's being said to you by people who've lived a whole lot more of life than you have and make YOUR OWN intelligent choices based on it.
Load More Replies... Tonyah Mcanelly 6 months ago
The one thing I dont like are participation trophies . you are supposed to earn your rewards. It makes you work for them . You get a better sense of accomplishment when you earn something rather than have it handed to you .
Arcady Royzen 6 months ago
Here is where I see the problem - indoctrination. Whether it is far right or far left, both are based on modifying the history to fit someone's needs and then teaching it as true. Remember the saying that forgotten history repeats itself? This is what we are seeing right now. Social issues, boycotts, protest against something you have no clue about and only get your information from TikTok because it is too lame for you to actually research something, go deeper than the surface. Question those who teach you in a respectful way, learn the truth then make decisions. Maybe I am asking for too much here and that hurts your delicate feelings. But guess what? unless you have experienced both sides, you have no right to render any judgment. And this statement applies to many but definitely not all. Some of you are very bright, independent thinkers who can actually shape your generation. So do it!
William Teach 6 months ago
Stop putting your phone so close to your face. If you can't see it at arm length you need reading glasses. And, if you keep it up to your face you'll need reading glasses soon. Eye docs are seeing way more cases of people needing reading glasses than ever, especially at younger ages
Orysha 6 months ago (edited)
A few were interesting most of them were a bunch of hateful spite.
AuspiciousTree283 6 months ago (edited)
Not every little thing has to be a debate. I've seen people online froth at the mouth because someone likes pineapple on pizza (no, seriously. It wasn't a joke). I've also been judged for disliking certain types of music, and I've seen others make flash judgments based on little context. It is not worth caring what other people think online, and it took me too long to realize how miserable it was making me. It is mature to consider perspectives, but also mature to take a step back. Go for a walk. Smell the roses. Hum a tune. The quietness of the world is so peaceful, and I wish more people would notice this.
Tom De Paul 5 months ago
Attraction in the matters of taste is the last mystery and not subject to debate.
Load More Replies... Vin Paver 6 months ago
I'd add, don't get caught up in the hysteria generated by tiny, very vocal minorities about perceived issues that have little or no relevance to the real world. You're just playing into the hands of people trying to disrupt society for their own gain.
Ellinor 6 months ago
I'm curious, which minorities are you talking about ?
Load More Replies... Kat Alison 6 months ago
I’m GenX, and I disagree with a lot of these. The reason why the world never gets any better is because sanctimonious, lazy old people keep telling young people to shut up and obey. “I suffered, so you should too,” is a terrible attitude.
Vin Paver 6 months ago
That's not at all what most of these points are saying. They're saying think for yourself; be yourself; get your nose out of the internet; lift your head up and see what's going on around you; that having problems is normal so learn to deal with them; life is real; you can't live on fresh air so you'll need to go out and get a proper job at some point. Most importantly, they're saying listen to what's being said to you by people who've lived a whole lot more of life than you have and make YOUR OWN intelligent choices based on it.
Load More Replies... Tonyah Mcanelly 6 months ago
The one thing I dont like are participation trophies . you are supposed to earn your rewards. It makes you work for them . You get a better sense of accomplishment when you earn something rather than have it handed to you .
Arcady Royzen 6 months ago
Here is where I see the problem - indoctrination. Whether it is far right or far left, both are based on modifying the history to fit someone's needs and then teaching it as true. Remember the saying that forgotten history repeats itself? This is what we are seeing right now. Social issues, boycotts, protest against something you have no clue about and only get your information from TikTok because it is too lame for you to actually research something, go deeper than the surface. Question those who teach you in a respectful way, learn the truth then make decisions. Maybe I am asking for too much here and that hurts your delicate feelings. But guess what? unless you have experienced both sides, you have no right to render any judgment. And this statement applies to many but definitely not all. Some of you are very bright, independent thinkers who can actually shape your generation. So do it!
William Teach 6 months ago
Stop putting your phone so close to your face. If you can't see it at arm length you need reading glasses. And, if you keep it up to your face you'll need reading glasses soon. Eye docs are seeing way more cases of people needing reading glasses than ever, especially at younger ages
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