Younger Generations Are Always Insufferable, but This One Takes the Crown
All talk and no play
“I’m really worried about the planet”, she said, before cutting out a piece of her juicy steak. “I just can’t stand how people pollute as if it were nothing”.
This chomping, bumbling fool was the latest iteration of what I call “me against Gen Z: old man screams at cloud, again”. I get it: you’ve barely got a functioning brain, you just read a half-page Taylor Swift article where she says she’s worried about the environment, and you want things to change. As in, change now.
“The world is worse than ever”, she continues, “I can’t believe previous generations did nothing to prevent this hellscape”. I look around. Ah, yes: a French bistro in Paris serving Café Crêmes and catering to their client’s every whim. What a hellscape!
This got me wondering: what did our generation accomplish? Because she’s absolutely right: apart from popularizing the internet, lifting millions out of abject poverty, creating global markets, avoiding global conflicts, building international institutions (that are far from perfect), creating all the gadgets you use… What has my generation done?
Yes, there were dumb initiatives, like holding a massive concert to “fight poverty in Africa” (Live 8) or thinking Y2K was going to destroy the banking system. But these people act like the only thing done by the previous generation was making seatbelts mandatory and banning smoking on planes, while we let racism and sexism run amok.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the environmental question, which is the crystallization of Gen Z’s hypocrisy.
“The planet!”, she screamed. “Have you seen the state of the planet?”. Now, I don’t like to be confrontational, especially with people I don’t know that well. So after this last barrage of screeches, I kindly interjected, “But you’re eating a steak. Isn’t eating meat a giant contributor to global warming?”.
“Oh”, she retorted. “I don’t eat fish. And I don’t like vegetables. I only eat meat, well done, and chicken. I’ve been like this since my childhood: just never like it, is all”.
Well, isn’t that convenient, I thought to myself. Because I know I’m a huge polluter that could do a lot to reduce my carbon footprint. But damn it: at least I’m trying. I only eat meat once a week, and I try to eat vegetarian twice a week, too. Does this imbecile think I prefer eating boiled eggs and soybean instead of fried chicken? Of course not! I’m just trying to be a little bit more coherent, a wee bit less of a problem. And what do I get for it? I get my ear chewed out by a twenty-eight-year-old who’s lecturing me on stuff I already know.
However, even though she eats meat four times a week, maybe she’s super environmental on other fronts, I thought. “Well, the biggest polluter in the world is the fashion industry. So as long as you manage your wardrobe carefully, you’re on the right track”, I said.
“Unfortunately, I’m a fashion victim”, she said coyly. “I know I could do better, but that’s my only thing. I spend all my money on clothes”. “OK”, I said, as I took this new piece of information into account. “But you’re careful of the brands you buy…?”. “Yeah, of course, I mean, sometimes”, she answered. “But mostly I buy on a whim, I can’t help myself”.
I looked down at my salad and considered dumping the bowl over her head. Last try: “Hmm. But water? You try to save water? You shower in five minutes...?”, my voice trailed off, as if my brain knew the answer already. “Hell, no. I’m a girl. I need loads of time in the bathroom. The shower is like my private spa”.
After taking all this in, I was pretty confused. Why would you spout all this nonsense about climate change and not do anything about it? If I said I was a recovering alcoholic, and then proceeded to order a glass of wine, everyone would agree my recovery was going bad or was even nonexistent. But kids nowadays have this “performative” approach to life: they think just talking about things is enough. I’m not a problem for climate change, because I published a rant on Twitter about air conditioners and pollution. Voilà ! Problem solved. Next.
Hence the question at the top of this post. I know my generation had its faults. I’m sorry we didn’t build a perfect world for you to inherit. But goddammit, we’re actually better than you on the environmental front, as many studies show. Maybe we’re not as loud about it as you guys. Maybe we should complain more. I think it’s just being coherent: making your actions match your words. I grew up in a world where we were supposed to “lead by example”, shut up and do, let your actions speak for yourself. What a sorry state of affairs we’re in, in which someone can take 45-minute long showers with hot water, buy new clothes every three months and eat steaks four times a week, yet scream in my face that the world isn’t perfect and that this is completely unjust.
I ordered my dessert to go and left.
I feel tempted to agree, but something is not right. Where's the issue with this communication?
Factual level: Previous generations did not care. True, they did not.
Self-disclose: She is worried. And she is conscious of the issue. And would do something, if only she wasn't such a universal victim.
Relationship: She is superior to others, because at least she knows and worries.
Appeal: People should care and do something.
So, what is tempting to agree with you? Obviously the relationship and appeal layer. Nobody likes to be looked down to and commanded.
Yet, our generation and previous ones knew and did not care, and neither does this one. That _is_ worrying. So, if only we all acted local, would that change something globally?
The problem is the question. Our behavior is driven by our culture in many ways. Even if some dropped the ties, the majority never will. It is not a matter of weakness, but of social beings. That is why all cultures follow a trend, no matter how bad, until they hit a road block, an external event forcing them to change, all at once. All cultures did or do believe they were and are the best and last culture, even though since the birth of humanity all but the current ones were wrong about that.
Taking the desert home was a good choice. There is no point in escalation.
So where do you see this going? Let me know if you see other options:
1) Climate Change is a hoax and nothing happens. Business as usual.
2) We escape climate apocalypse by building a huge anti-climate or whatever, machine.
3) We build social and political consensus and are able to reduce emissions and avoid the worst outcome.
4) We do nothing or very little, and the Human Species is almost wiped out entirely, knocking us back to some middle-age dystopia.
Am I missing something?
Cheers