My love-hate relationship with Generation Z: Growing up in the 21st Century

When I think about my parent's generation, the first things that spring to my mind are the gender-bending artists of the 80s and the reckless politicians. All the positives seem to come to light first - like how the LGBT community started to come to the forefront of pop culture and how DNA was first used to convict criminals and exonerate innocent prisoners on death row.

But what about all the *not so good stuff*? What about the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown? Or Argentina invading the Falkland Islands? Or when student protesters were killed in China’s Tiananmen Square?

My mind tends to blank out the negatives. I suppose that's what a lot of us do when we look into the past. People look back with nostalgia and fondness, and try to justify how the world is worse now than it was back then. But in reality, we have made huge improvements. Social movements such as Black Lives Matter and #MeToo were way harder to imagine existing 30 or 40 years ago. Now, they are serious chapters in history, shining light on issues previous generations were too afraid or uncomfortable to confront.

And yet, most of the time, I feel a dis-taste for the current generation. I have felt angry at how we act and what we expect the world to give to us. I have found it frustrating to watch video after video exposing my generation for not being able to do simple tasks like sew a button onto a piece of clothing or...even change a light bulb. It's humiliating - what does it say about me if I'm part of it? Am I incompetent at skills previous generations would have considered the bare basics?

One day, while I was working at The Sun, I felt strongly about this. I mentioned in a meeting how I felt weird about being part of this generation, and I have no idea what we are actually about, other than wanting to look just like the Kardashians and acting 'fake woke' on Twitter.

The editor of Fabulous digital suggested I write down all the things I dislike about generation Z so we can create an article about it. So, that's exactly what I did over a year ago.

But, now I look back on the article, I couldn't disagree with myself more.

Granted, the article was heavily edited (for starters, I didn't write the headline, or willingly use the phrase 'Generation-Blame-Everyone-Else', nor have I ever said the word 'miffed' in my life).

I wish I had spoken up at the time and said: "I want to say what I dislike AND like about generation Z. To say I completely hate my generation is only half the story."

However, I was 19-years-old and in no position to argue with an editor. So I just kept my mouth zipped tight and let the article be edited and published how they saw fit.

Regardless, my thoughts have moulded, grown and changed. I think my opinions on this generation had always come from those older and with more influence. Those who screamed we were useless and lazy, while at the same time admitting education and lifestyle has never been harder to manage.

Take this example below, of millennials apparently 'not being happy' about gen Zers getting jobs in their workplace. It's hard not to self-loathe, when it seems like everyone else hates you?:

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/07/why-millennials-arent-happy-that-gen-z-is-entering-the-workforce.html

To put it plainly, I don't have any extreme feelings or neither hatred or love for generation Z anymore. We are just as lost as baby boomers and millennials. We have all made changes and ultimately had failures. There will always be elders who disapprove of our actions and always ways we will innovate the future.

Sure, were glued to our phone screens and technology (let's not forget though, the first commercial mobile phone was released in 1983). Our new internet culture has allowed people like Jake and Logan Paul and James Charles and...Jeffree Star to flourish into celebrities despite their catastrophic wrong-doings. We're hard to debate because it's so easy to hit a block button and ignore the opposition. We can be materialistic, self-deprecating, worrying and challenging. But If anything, I'm scared for generation Z. What are we going to do with this new world? Will it become a new mechanical machine run on AI? Will there even be a world to control when climate change threatens to wipe the slate clean?

Whatever we do, we'll do it wrong. But we'll also do it right. Because while we are selfie-taking, indulgent, confused members of a digital era, we are also smart, brave and loud.

So, to my past self who didn't speak up about an article with my name on it - do what you do best, and use your voice the way other gen Zers are already doing.

(And please, oh my god please, don't let an editor tell you how to write your own opinions...)