#gen z politics

[likelikedirtycute]

I’m really thinking a lot about Gen X parents right now.

There’s a lot of discussion of Gen Z’s swing to conservatism, understandably. And two of the big factors are of course the internet and school systems (specifically the impact of NCLB). But that accounts for two of the three largest influences on the kids that are now young adults of voting age.

What is the deal with Gen X parenting? How did trends in Gen X parenting contribute to how Gen Z young adults view the world?

We know (and obviously these are all huge generalizations - that’s inherent to any discussion of generational differences) that Millennials and Gen X overall massively conflict with our parents. The stereotype of both generations as teens, especially Gen X, was the moody goth/alternative/emo screaming “I hate you mom/dad, you’ll never understand me!” Of course all teenagers rebel against their parents to some degree, but there doesn’t seem to be that same generational hatred/resentment of parents from Gen Z.

That suggests that maybe Gen X did a better job than the Boomers. And in a lot of ways they probably did. But why were these kids still so fucking lonely? Why do they seem to crave hierarchical systems? Especially the boys and men - Gen X chafed against the strict gender norms of their parents, so why are their sons displaying the same repressed emotions manifesting as anger and entitlement to women’s bodies that their fathers did? What did they learn about what it means to be a man at home?

Again, we know a huge portion of these ideas are coming from grifters online. But again, we’re not really seeing Gen Z boys and men disparaging their parents the way Millennials and Gen X did. If the parents of Gen Z were demonstrating the “woke feminist emasculation” their internet idols decry, wouldn’t there be a similar backlash to how we reacted to our parents demonstrating the repression and bigotry that our media influences were against?

So then, what happened in these households? These kids aren’t really kids anymore - because of how fucked wages and housing costs are, that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily moving out of their parents’ homes, but they are past the point of their parents’ strongest influence on them, even if they are still living with them. So what happened during that period of influence?

We see criticisms of Millennials as overly involved helicopter parents, practicing a false idea of “gentle parenting”, never saying no, giving the babies iPads, etc. With Boomers it was either the “don’t come back til the streetlights are on” or the “don’t ever leave the house/my sight” depending on whether we’re talking about the older or younger boomers, poor emotional regulation and continuation of cycles of trauma, insulting your kids, refusing to acknowledge mental illness or queerness, insisting that you just need to hit the pavement and pull yourself up by your bootstraps to make it in life. Of course these are all stereotypes, and some are more unfair than others. But what are the stereotypes of Gen X parenting?

I’m genuinely curious, because I feel like this is a portion of the equation we are missing. Why did Gen Z grow up feeling so isolated and so unstable that fascism is appealing to them? Of course the state of the world is a big answer to that, but it’s not the whole answer. Millennials felt unstable and isolated too - we still do. So did and do Gen X. And there’s certainly very conservative factions in both generations, partially influenced by that isolation and instability. But there’s still more to it.

Boys that fell down the alt right pipeline were already feeling lonely. Were they seeing their fathers at home freely showing them emotion and affection, but something kept them from internalizing that support? Or were they seeing their fathers conform to more traditional gender norms and remain distant from their children to some degree? Or something else entirely? How do they feel about their mothers? Are they frustrated and isolated because of having two working parents like the earlier latchkey kids, but with less freedom? Do they see their parents’ marriages as models to be followed or cautionary tales to be avoided? Are they picking up on sexist ideas their parents had internalized, even if the parents didn’t explicitly teach those ideas like many Boomers did? Or are they frustrated with the dynamics they saw at home and want something different?

I genuinely don’t know the answers to these questions - I feel like, true to the joke about Gen X always being overlooked, we don’t really have any defined cultural ideas of what Gen X parenting is and was like. But I think it’s an important component of figuring out how we got to where we are. I’d be interested to hear from any Gen Z or Gen X individuals who have thoughts on this.

(I’ll also say again - these are HUGE generalizations. If you’re going to reply “not all Gen Z/Millenials/Gen X/Boomers”, you’re going to be ignored and likely blocked - I’m aware it’s not everyone. I’m aware generations are not clear concrete distinctions and that there are people who straddle the lines and experiences of multiple generations, and that location and life circumstance can make a huge difference in whether you relate to the generalizations about your generational category. Pointing it out doesn’t actually lead to productive conversation. This is ONE lens of many that can be used to analyze how people think and act, and there is value in analyzing things through different imperfect lenses, because ALL lenses are imperfect.)

[ponderlyapp]

❗️Would RFK Jr. be a better president than Biden? Listen to @zivvynews report on the issue and vote on @ponderlyapp after reading both sides!

[mysharona1987]

I do maintain that partly why Israel is losing the PR war is that they can’t stop the IDF acting like fucking idiot monsters on instagram and tiktok.

Makes you wonder what would have happened if social media had been a thing during the Iraq war.

[politijohn]

Source

Source

[animentality]

[infizero]

"...we know the government doesn't give a fuck about us. We know the government doesn't give a flying fuck about the future of this country. I don't give a fuck about Biden's campaign! Nor do I give a fuck about Trump's campaign. Because they don't care about me! They don't care about babies. They don't care about women. They don't care about Black people or Native Americans. They don't give a fuck about Palestinian children. I do! I give a fuck about this country! I was born on this soil. I love this place. Because I love my friends, and I love the earth, and I want to protect it, and they don't. Because they want pocket change."

source

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

"

You have to forgive me, cause I'm getting a little angry, but I've seen a lot of rhetoric on this app, and on other social media, and on the news, that our generation is soft. That Gen X- Gen X, Boomers, and Silent Generation believe that Gen Z and millenials and this Gen Alpha are soft. And I will tell you what, I think that is the worst thing to assume.

I have witnessed hundreds of my peers' lives be stripped away from them; their futures, their hopes, their dreams, their prom nights, because of our government's inaction with gun control. I have witnessed millions of lives taken away and altered and changed and ruined because of our government's inaction with Covid.

You guys made us tough. We're tough. We're tougher than you think, and we're tougher than you like to admit. Because we know the government doesn't give a fuck about us. We know the government doesn't give a flying fuck about the future of this country.

I don't give a fuck about Biden's campaign! Nor do I give a fuck about Trump's campaign. Because they don't care about me! They don't care about babies. They don't care about women. They don't care about Black people or Native Americans. They don't give a fuck about Palestinian children. I do! I give a fuck about this country!

I was born on this soil. I love this place. Because I love my friends, and I love the earth, and I want to protect it, and they don't. Because they want pocket change.

Tough. You think you're tough? You're bootlickers! Subservient to the idea of "growth." As if we can grow anymore! Our planet is dying! Because you don't give a fuck. Because you're soft. And saving the planet might be a little tougher than you thought.

I'm ready for that work. You know what I'm not ready for? Another world war. Just because I'm not gonna go over and shoot another working class person that I probably have more in common with, than an owning class piece of shit like Elon Musk, I'm soft? Because I care enough to accomodate my differently-abled peers, I'm soft? Because I don't wanna joke about women getting abused, I'm soft? If I'm alone in a room with Jeff Jackson, I'm leaving with his teeth in a jar. I'll show you how soft I am.

And you wanna ban the only place that we found community? Yeah, nonono. This election year is crazy. Because at this point, like, I think the entire generation, my generation, knows that you guys are geriatric, and knows that the Constitution is as well. It's too old. We are one of the youngest countries and we have the oldest Constitution? Make that make sense to me.

It's time for change. It's time for a new way of life. And these rich, stupid fucks don't deserve to be in charge of it. That's it, I'm sorry, that's it. That's it, I'm done."

[journallain]

It’s so clear that America has gotten way more conservative, especially among men and it’s a problem that needs to be addressed. You could say “Gen Z is the generation of change. We’re the most progressive generation” but that’s so fucking bullshit. We got the same amount of republican voters as the previous generation. Hold Gen Z (especially Gen Z men) accountable.

[transfaguette]

tumblr is not immune to generational politics and the same avocado toast rhetoric they mocked but this time targeted towards gen z in some vague appeal to concern. and not to be like “nothing ever happens” but people make it seem like any change in how new generations interact with the world is like the end of society as we know it. the kids are not alright but they have never been. and we will all grow up and life will go on. like, chill out.

[vtforpedro]

Young people who think that by not voting you're sending a message--you're not. You're voting for Donald Trump. We've lived through him once before and we cannot do it again. We CANNOT. Our fucking lives are at stake. Watch and listen to the clips from tonight's Madison Square Garden rally. They aren't holding their hatred back anymore and their masks are off. If you want to move FORWARD, it starts with STEP ONE. VOTE BLUE! VOTE HARRIS! Your vote matters more than you can imagine! It's not going to be perfect yet. Progress takes time, but there is only one way forward. Vote, vote, vote!

[positively--speculative]

I'm not going to say Gen Z looks "old" because I hate the implications surrounding that. What I will say is that Gen Z looks exhausted and that people associate that with looking old--and I think modern conservatism is to blame.

Millennials are the "trophy generation" sure, but we were encouraged and rewarded for trying new things. Our emotions were seen as valid when we cried. The adults who raised us weren't perfect, but at least a lot of them let us know we were special even if a number of them did a 180 on us when we entered adulthood and tried to find good paying jobs.

I feel like Gen Z was told to "suck it up" a lot growing up and adults didn't hesitate to tell them they sucked. I remember this famous athlete made the news because he told his kids to give their participation trophies back and he was applauded for that. Like, I feel like Gen Z's parents were obsessed with toughening their kids up instead of letting them be kids, and now in their late teens/early 20s, they're tired because they were forced to act like little adults instead of the kids they were. The wonderment of childhood was taken from them and now they cannot help but be pessimistic. That's not their fault.

[mysharona1987]

Well if you stupid, selfish baby boomers hadn’t created a world to fucked up to bring a life into then this would never happened.

Climate Change is a thing. People not being able to own a house until 50 is a thing.

Just saying.

Also, you would have hated the theoretical grandkids, anyway.

[politijohn]

Source

“the young activists seized on language in the Montana state Constitution that guarantees residents ‘the right to a clean and healthful environment,’ and stipulates that the state and individuals are responsible for maintaining and improving the environment ‘for present and future generations.’”

[animentality]

[walks-the-ages]

I see people have decided to start demonizing Gen Z as somehow being uniquely responsible for the rise of Fascism in the USA, "gen z needs to reckon with its radicalization problem" like hey OP! Are you going to "reckon with" the people in OUR generation and our parent's generation doing the radicalizing?

"you are not a morally pure and superior generation come to save the world" LITERALLY WHAT GEN Z PERSON HAS EVER SAID THIS?

Like, excuse me??? You're really so caught up in a fake generational conflict you're gonna claim Gen Z is some monolith claiming moral purity?

You're not gonna talk about how literally all of the worlds problems are shoved onto the next generations shoulders from the day they're born and how we, the previous generations, always forcibly uphold them to rigorous, unobtainable standards or villainize them completely??

Get this shitass post off my dash.

You CANNOT blame the rise of Fascism and more specifically Trump winning the election on Gen Z, we are not playing this shitass game again.

YOUR peers in your age group are fascists.

YOUR peers in your age group are queerphobes.

YOUR generation is not immune to radicalization !

You do not get to sit there and act like fascists, queerphobia, and right-wing radicalization is a unique problem among "kids these days".

Joe Rogan is Gen X born in 1967.

Pewdiepie is a Millennial, born in 1989

JD Vance is another Millennial, born in 1984

Donald Trump is a Baby Boomer, born in 1946.

You gonna sit there and tell me Gen Z have a unique problem with radicalization when the people who are radicalizing them from young ages were born in the 40s and 60s and 80s??

Nope.

Shut the fuck up and stop spreading this stupid fucking post.

Try having a productive conversation where you're not blaming an entire generation ranging from 14 years old to 27 years old for every single one of your problems with the politics in this country.

The oldest members of Gen Z have literally had to deal with Trump their entire adult lives, and the youngest were just 6 years old when he became President in 2016.

Gen Z is not a monolith who uphold themselves as being "morally superior to the ones who came before" and if you honestly believe that then you've already succumbed to your own fucking fallacy of blaming "kids these days"

You do not get to blame Gen Z for Trump becoming president again because you're so desperate for someone to blame.

With more than eight million members of Gen Z becoming eligible to vote in the 2024 Presidential election, a new era is coming in politics: the Gen Z wave. In an independently conducted survey by The News Record, 42.9% of college students who engaged in the survey are registered as Democrat, 42.9% as Independent, and only 14.3% were registered as Republican.

[lesbiansandgayssupporttheminers]

You're the daughter of an actual, real life Baron, your family own Coutts, the bank for super rich people, I don't think you get to tell anyone about hard work!