Labelling the younger generation as spoiled and entitled is not a new phenomenon. But every now and then, you see a generation that truly inspires contempt. After October 7th, Gen Z (or as I prefer to call them, the TikTok Generation) have been called "egomaniacal and unmotivated and irretrievably stupid" as well as "immoral and heartless and pretty evil." And that was just
I think what people hate most about the TikTok Generation, (great phrasing btw) is their lack of originality. The majority of their videos are just voiceovers or lip readings of celebrity dialogues. The irony dial is turned up way too high and the self-awareness is performative. It’s not just the narcissism but the hyped up self-awareness combined with unoriginal content. I’m an older millennial, but I’ll always be on the Gen X cusp, and believe that MTV was one of our generations greatest treasures. Think Liquid Television, Nine Inch Nails videos, Smashing Pumpkins videos, Daria, even Beavis and Butthead.
When Total Request Live took over MTV, we all migrated to Adult Swim. Gen Z was born long after Total Request Live has infiltrated mainstream consciousness, left to fend for themselves in a world of algorithm-controlled platforms that forced them to either become influencers in a hustle/gig economy or learn to code. Few will stand out, yet the ones who do will triumph against all odds and make history. They have no real hopes of buying houses, much like us bohemian millennials, no matter how hard they larp as trads. Some have just gone full Hamas for attention, understandng the odds of being neurotypical or conventionally attractive are stacked against them. So while they are all about securing that bag and weren’t around to be called sellouts or posers, their economic struggles mirror or own during the housing crisis.
Perhaps in all their clout chasing, the genuine voices that emerge will pave the way for a better world.
I think one of the features of Gen Z seems to be they are easily programmed. All the Hamas larping has degree of sincerity to it. They believe it because their thought processes are superficial.
Part of that is just youth, which they will soon leave behind. But there is definitely a narcissistic element to it all. And we often overlook the observation narcissists struggle to learn. Learning requires a somewhat unfiltered analysis of our mistakes, even if we don't admit it out loud. Narcissists cannot do this; their whole lives are a rehearsed performance where past events must always be rationalized and recast to fit the narrative, even their own transgressions.
None of that is the basis for maturity. It is a perpetual adolescence. This is why a foreign war, with considerable complexity, is retuned to a neat and simple oppressor-victim movie for the purposes of narcissistic performing in public. Some will wake up of course, the rest will be crushed by a reality they cannot understand.
I think there are probably some sponsorship deals for them, tbh. The left has been commodified for a while. You’ve got players like Glenn Greenwald behind the scenes on this kind of thing.
Ha! I had a draft going, but ultimately realized it would bring them more attention, and their only memorable work will be the Crumps book that comes out in a year. I’m still down to make a film of his humiliation ritual post with the right budget. The whole film will just be that 15 minutes, yet its length will be an hour and a half. See, I’m still in le scene. We can do an LCD Soundsystem remake about its main characters. A DS theme camp at Burning Man. Something. Anything. Bring them baaaaack.
I think what people hate most about the TikTok Generation, (great phrasing btw) is their lack of originality. The majority of their videos are just voiceovers or lip readings of celebrity dialogues. The irony dial is turned up way too high and the self-awareness is performative. It’s not just the narcissism but the hyped up self-awareness combined with unoriginal content. I’m an older millennial, but I’ll always be on the Gen X cusp, and believe that MTV was one of our generations greatest treasures. Think Liquid Television, Nine Inch Nails videos, Smashing Pumpkins videos, Daria, even Beavis and Butthead.
When Total Request Live took over MTV, we all migrated to Adult Swim. Gen Z was born long after Total Request Live has infiltrated mainstream consciousness, left to fend for themselves in a world of algorithm-controlled platforms that forced them to either become influencers in a hustle/gig economy or learn to code. Few will stand out, yet the ones who do will triumph against all odds and make history. They have no real hopes of buying houses, much like us bohemian millennials, no matter how hard they larp as trads. Some have just gone full Hamas for attention, understandng the odds of being neurotypical or conventionally attractive are stacked against them. So while they are all about securing that bag and weren’t around to be called sellouts or posers, their economic struggles mirror or own during the housing crisis.
Perhaps in all their clout chasing, the genuine voices that emerge will pave the way for a better world.
I think one of the features of Gen Z seems to be they are easily programmed. All the Hamas larping has degree of sincerity to it. They believe it because their thought processes are superficial.
Part of that is just youth, which they will soon leave behind. But there is definitely a narcissistic element to it all. And we often overlook the observation narcissists struggle to learn. Learning requires a somewhat unfiltered analysis of our mistakes, even if we don't admit it out loud. Narcissists cannot do this; their whole lives are a rehearsed performance where past events must always be rationalized and recast to fit the narrative, even their own transgressions.
None of that is the basis for maturity. It is a perpetual adolescence. This is why a foreign war, with considerable complexity, is retuned to a neat and simple oppressor-victim movie for the purposes of narcissistic performing in public. Some will wake up of course, the rest will be crushed by a reality they cannot understand.
Perhaps there is clout chasing going on, but nobody is making money criticizing Israel. Certainly no sponsorship deals.
Also I'm surprised you haven't written about how Dimes Square is beyond irrelevant right now? I almost have nostalgia for those silly sleazeballs 🤣
I think there are probably some sponsorship deals for them, tbh. The left has been commodified for a while. You’ve got players like Glenn Greenwald behind the scenes on this kind of thing.
Ha! I had a draft going, but ultimately realized it would bring them more attention, and their only memorable work will be the Crumps book that comes out in a year. I’m still down to make a film of his humiliation ritual post with the right budget. The whole film will just be that 15 minutes, yet its length will be an hour and a half. See, I’m still in le scene. We can do an LCD Soundsystem remake about its main characters. A DS theme camp at Burning Man. Something. Anything. Bring them baaaaack.