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Subject: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: 90s Guy on 07/14/18 at 8:21 am

I'm going to be 28. However, in some ways, I'm emotionally stuck at 19 although I am wildly out of touch with pop culture today. However, I have some younger relatives, and some casual friends on FB who are in the age group of 12-17 and I have to say...While a part of me will always appreciate the fact that I grew up in a more physically social time than today's youth, at the same time, I envy your generation. Gen Z seems to me to be for one less whiny and less entitled than my generation. Secondly, because many of you grew up in a more "connected" world, you're more prepared for the more multicultural future than my generation is; your generation grew up on the Internet and with smartphones and from what I've observed, you are a lot more mature and insightful in your teens than my generation was. I remember when I was 12, 13...My peers were like, well, children, as was I. We were more innocent and less sharp. I look at my niece, who will be 12 next month; I look at my other niece, who is 19; There is a keeness of intellect and depth of thought present that we didn't have at those ages. It is hard to explain. But I look at Gen Z and see hope. I hope we can learn from each other, too.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: piecesof93 on 07/14/18 at 11:29 am

Speak for yourself.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: mqg96 on 07/14/18 at 11:45 am


Speak for yourself.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: BornIn86 on 07/14/18 at 2:53 pm


Speak for yourself.


Haha. I have my own thoughts but I want to know why you  and mqg feel this way.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: piecesof93 on 07/14/18 at 4:14 pm


Haha. I have my own thoughts but I want to know why you  and mqg feel this way.

OP seems to be speaking from personal experience. My personal experiences do not align with his. Also, I don't think OP has spent much time on the online platforms a majority of 10-17 years olds occupy such as YouTube, Snapchat, and especially Twitter/Reddit. Those kids are extremely immature lol. I have a niece who is 11 years old and she is very mature for her age. I am very proud of her. However, I have some younger cousins (and know others between then ages of 10-17) and they are not mature by any means. Overall, it comes down to how you're being raised as exemplified by the contrast between my niece and those other kids. Some people instill their children with disciple and a sense of responsibility. Other parents do not care to teach their children anything.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: 90s Guy on 07/14/18 at 4:50 pm


OP seems to be speaking from personal experience. My personal experiences do not align with his. Also, I don't think OP has spent much time on the online platforms a majority of 10-17 years olds occupy such as YouTube, Snapchat, and especially Twitter/Reddit. Those kids are extremely immature lol. I have a niece who is 11 years old and she is very mature for her age. I am very proud of her. However, I have some younger cousins (and know others between then ages of 10-17) and they are not mature by any means. Overall, it comes down to how you're being raised as exemplified by the contrast between my niece and those other kids. Some people instill their children with disciple and a sense of responsibility. Other parents do not care to teach their children anything.


YouTube, at least the comment section, brings out the worst in people of all ages. Snapchat isn't for me. I hang out on Reddit but I don't know what subs Gen Z would hang in.

I just think overall the next generation is more mature at their age, than mine was at the same age.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: piecesof93 on 07/14/18 at 5:20 pm


YouTube, at least the comment section, brings out the worst in people of all ages. Snapchat isn't for me. I hang out on Reddit but I don't know what subs Gen Z would hang in.

I just think overall the next generation is more mature at their age, than mine was at the same age.

You're good doing what you're doing now. Stay away from the majority of Reddit, Twitter and Snapchat lol.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: BornIn86 on 07/14/18 at 6:46 pm


OP seems to be speaking from personal experience. My personal experiences do not align with his. Also, I don't think OP has spent much time on the online platforms a majority of 10-17 years olds occupy such as YouTube, Snapchat, and especially Twitter/Reddit. Those kids are extremely immature lol. I have a niece who is 11 years old and she is very mature for her age. I am very proud of her. However, I have some younger cousins (and know others between then ages of 10-17) and they are not mature by any means. Overall, it comes down to how you're being raised as exemplified by the contrast between my niece and those other kids. Some people instill their children with disciple and a sense of responsibility. Other parents do not care to teach their children anything.


Here are my thoughts:
I think it’s way too early to truly define Gen Z. You guys are too young to cement. I think we’ll have a true feel for you guys when half of you are over 18 and that’s a ways off.
I can only go on my impressions:

Gen Z is in its infancy.

You are being modern kids...there you go.

90sguy has slightly poignant observations. You guys ARE slightly more mature compared to us millennials…but perhaps only because we millennials grew up during a major transition in humanity’s history while you guys grew up in a more established period…but he’s right, there seems to be something slightly, only slightly, more mature about Gen Z…so far. It’s not so much because you’re naturally better, but because millennials had to experience the heady Y2K age before finally dealing with the ramifications.

It is strange watching a lot of you guys see Kurt Cobain and Nirvana and in a way most we older millennials don’t see them. In 98, we argued over whether Courtney murdered Cobain. To a lot of you guys…he’s Hendrix, or the Beatles, or Elvis, a deity who died so long ago he’s above discussing such earthly matters over.

Are you guys less whiny? Maybe. You guys are still very young. You guys are at the age millennials were at in 98-2000 and people didn’t develop their bullcrap over millennials until around 2009. That coincided with Obama’s inauguration. A lot of people hate millennials because of our left-leaning interests and concerns. Trust me. Most people who lean towards disliking millennials are moderate or right-leaning. Some people say you guys are more conservative. I’ll decide if there’s some truth to that in 2020. I’ll decide if there’s solid truth in 2024.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: Wobo on 07/14/18 at 6:50 pm


You're good doing what you're doing now. Stay away from the majority of Reddit, Twitter and Snapchat lol.

I'm 14 and i never used Reddit only for occasional stuff but i never registered for it. And Snapchat is confusing as hell so i will never use it.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: 90s Guy on 07/15/18 at 4:07 am


Here are my thoughts:
I think it’s way too early to truly define Gen Z. You guys are too young to cement. I think we’ll have a true feel for you guys when half of you are over 18 and that’s a ways off.
I can only go on my impressions:

Gen Z is in its infancy.

You are being modern kids...there you go.

90sguy has slightly poignant observations. You guys ARE slightly more mature compared to us millennials…but perhaps only because we millennials grew up during a major transition in humanity’s history while you guys grew up in a more established period…but he’s right, there seems to be something slightly, only slightly, more mature about Gen Z…so far. It’s not so much because you’re naturally better, but because millennials had to experience the heady Y2K age before finally dealing with the ramifications.

It is strange watching a lot of you guys see Kurt Cobain and Nirvana and in a way most we older millennials don’t see them. In 98, we argued over whether Courtney murdered Cobain. To a lot of you guys…he’s Hendrix, or the Beatles, or Elvis, a deity who died so long ago he’s above discussing such earthly matters over.

Are you guys less whiny? Maybe. You guys are still very young. You guys are at the age millennials were at in 98-2000 and people didn’t develop their bullcrap over millennials until around 2009. That coincided with Obama’s inauguration. A lot of people hate millennials because of our left-leaning interests and concerns. Trust me. Most people who lean towards disliking millennials are moderate or right-leaning. Some people say you guys are more conservative. I’ll decide if there’s some truth to that in 2020. I’ll decide if there’s solid truth in 2024.


What I find is that there is less pain, or perhaps a better way to put it is, there is a less self-destructive edge to them, less pathos, than there was for us. They have memes to fall back on; they have all these subcultures that blend together. Ours is the last generation that was separated by distinct subcultures, by distinct social hierarchies in middle and high school. To put an exact point on it: I cannot see Gen Z being so pained as so many of us are; I cannot see Gen Z having a heroin epidemic as we do. There is a great sorrow and a great depth of unresolved pain and self hate among many of our generation; there is a reason why over 20,000 of us per year die of overdoses, and millions more struggle with addictions. I do not believe that that same darkness or whatever word you wish to put it exists for them.

We grew up on the cusp of two worlds - the industrial world and the post-industrial (Internet) world. We grew up in a confused time wherein everything was sort of a compromise: gays had some rights...but not all. Transgender people were acknowledged...but only barely. We grew up for part of our youth in a carefree 90s America, and then the second half of our childhood was spent in the shadow of 9/11 and Anthrax scares; our early adulthood was fraught with great difficulty not only finding jobs but also finding ourselves in the midst of a recession. Our generation is one of extremes - we are either far left or far right politically; I believe Gen Z will be more centrist in comparison. We are in a sense the new Baby Boomers, raging and rebeling against what is, and what we were given, and the times we live in. Perhaps Gen Z wil be like Gen X - more apathetic to these issues.

They grew up in a world where the issues I spoke of above have been largely resolved. Gay marriage is a fact of life for them. The Internet and social media are worlds they are being raised in. They have more concrete identities than we did. I know when my peers were 14-15, many girls who turned out to be lesbians dated boys because that was just the way things were. They experimented, and many of us considered bisexuality a fad. A girl of the same age nowadays if she is gay is aware of that identity and is encouraged in it and she has a greater sense of self. They are coming of age at the very end of a recession; and apart from those who lost relatives to it, 9/11 is more a historical fact to them than a part of living memory; the war on Terror and all its insanity isn't something most of them remember; the inanity of the Bush years was their childhood - not something they were truly conscious of.

Theirs is a more resilient generation; theirs is a generation which has more of a unified identity; they are less at odds with each other than we were. To again compare the two generations to past generations, we are the GI Generation, and they are the new Silen Generation. We are political and we are passionate; they are more stoic and less phased.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: ZeldaFan20 on 07/15/18 at 7:21 am

This is a recent article that discusses the rise in depression in young pregnant women in the 2010s in comparison to their mothers in the 1990s:

https://gizmodo.com/pregnant-millennials-may-get-depression-more-than-their-1827550402

What is your thoughts on this phenomenon OP?

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: BornIn86 on 07/15/18 at 10:47 am


What I find is that there is less pain, or perhaps a better way to put it is, there is a less self-destructive edge to them, less pathos, than there was for us. They have memes to fall back on; they have all these subcultures that blend together. Ours is the last generation that was separated by distinct subcultures, by distinct social hierarchies in middle and high school. To put an exact point on it: I cannot see Gen Z being so pained as so many of us are; I cannot see Gen Z having a heroin epidemic as we do. There is a great sorrow and a great depth of unresolved pain and self hate among many of our generation; there is a reason why over 20,000 of us per year die of overdoses, and millions more struggle with addictions. I do not believe that that same darkness or whatever word you wish to put it exists for them.

We grew up on the cusp of two worlds - the industrial world and the post-industrial (Internet) world. We grew up in a confused time wherein everything was sort of a compromise: gays had some rights...but not all. Transgender people were acknowledged...but only barely. We grew up for part of our youth in a carefree 90s America, and then the second half of our childhood was spent in the shadow of 9/11 and Anthrax scares; our early adulthood was fraught with great difficulty not only finding jobs but also finding ourselves in the midst of a recession. Our generation is one of extremes - we are either far left or far right politically; I believe Gen Z will be more centrist in comparison. We are in a sense the new Baby Boomers, raging and rebeling against what is, and what we were given, and the times we live in. Perhaps Gen Z wil be like Gen X - more apathetic to these issues.

They grew up in a world where the issues I spoke of above have been largely resolved. Gay marriage is a fact of life for them. The Internet and social media are worlds they are being raised in. They have more concrete identities than we did. I know when my peers were 14-15, many girls who turned out to be lesbians dated boys because that was just the way things were. They experimented, and many of us considered bisexuality a fad. A girl of the same age nowadays if she is gay is aware of that identity and is encouraged in it and she has a greater sense of self. They are coming of age at the very end of a recession; and apart from those who lost relatives to it, 9/11 is more a historical fact to them than a part of living memory; the war on Terror and all its insanity isn't something most of them remember; the inanity of the Bush years was their childhood - not something they were truly conscious of.

Theirs is a more resilient generation; theirs is a generation which has more of a unified identity; they are less at odds with each other than we were. To again compare the two generations to past generations, we are the GI Generation, and they are the new Silen Generation. We are political and we are passionate; they are more stoic and less phased.


My problem with this assessment it is ignoring a lot of the issues facing Gen Z. They're not going through the same complications millennials went through but they are going through their own issues. The acceptance of homosexuality has birthed new issues regarding how to go about dealing with LGBT people. issues regarding gender, issues regarding their own personal sexuality on the Kinsey scale, etc.

Also, we had Clinton, Bush II, and Obama. They now have Trump and who knows what comes after him. Trump has rewritten the rules in a way that baffles everyone. I don't know too many Gen Zers but the ones I do know just seem like regular teenagers to me for the most part. Gen Z just hasn't really had the time or resources to really make their mark or truly even form an identity.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: ZeldaFan20 on 07/15/18 at 11:24 am

I agree with Bornin86. From the few Gen Zers I do know in my personal life they actually come off as conservative than I was at their age. By ‘conservative’ I don’t mean ideologically, but rather, as The OP stated, because they grew up under a Black president, smartphones & mobile internet being the norm, and Gay Marriage as a ‘settled’ issue they seem to take these things a little for granted.

Even as a younger Millennial, I vividly remember the uber conservative culture of post 9/11 like it was yesterday. I remember the ‘Family Values’ movement of the 1990s & 2000s as a child and the rise in censorship and helicopter parenting were rising in prominence.

Those types of experiences seem pretty foreign to your average kid or teen. The world of 1998 is pretty substantially different to the world of 2018.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: piecesof93 on 07/15/18 at 11:43 am

@Bornin86 I'm not Gen Z. You are all basing assumptions of Gen Z from a small pool of people you've met.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: BornIn86 on 07/15/18 at 11:47 am


@Bornin86 I'm not Gen Z. You are all basing assumptions of Gen Z from a small pool of people you've met.


Mmm...you sure you talking to me? Which assumptions?  ???

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: piecesof93 on 07/15/18 at 11:52 am


Mmm...you sure you talking to me? Which assumptions?  ???

The first sentence was directed at you. The 2nd second sentence was directed at others in the thread. Like you said, they seem like regular kids to me and it's pretty pointless to try and analyze gen z when they haven't even entered their 20s yet. Plus we've all admitted to only meeting a handful of Gen Zers. You can't analyze an entire generation from those encounters.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: BornIn86 on 07/15/18 at 11:57 am


The first sentence was directed at you. The 2nd second sentence was directed at others in the thread. Like you said, they seem like regular kids to me and it's pretty pointless to try and analyze gen z when they haven't even entered their 20s yet. Plus we've all admitted to only meeting a handful of Gen Zers. You can't analyze an entire generation from those encounters.


Ah. Ok. I thought this was the case.  :)

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: xenzue on 07/15/18 at 2:45 pm

We don't even have a consensus on the starting year for Gen Z yet... so I don't think we'll know exactly how Gen Z is as a generation until the early-mid 2020s. Here's what is known about Zeds so far

- First generation to be born in the Internet age
- Generally are the children of Gen X or Xennials
- Have no memory of 9/11
- Came of age during Trump's presidency
- Nearly all of Gen Z were children during the last financial crisis

- Grew up in the streaming era (Netflix, Apple Music, Spotify, Youtube)
- Hip Hop is what Rock & Roll was to previous generations (Hip hop is in its dominance stage)
- Nihilistic or sarcastic humor/universally understand meme culture
- Emerging mental health crisis
- Shift away from Alt-right/far-left politics
- Last generation to have baby pictures taken with standalone cameras

What is certain is that the vast majority of Gen Z pop culture will be created in the 2020s-2030s. Right now there's an ongoing shift between Gen Z culture and Millennial culture (Drake, Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, J Cole, Rihanna). I think that the true Gen Z icons haven't emerged yet, they're either just starting their careers or gaining traction in the underground.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: xenzue on 07/15/18 at 2:57 pm

It is strange watching a lot of you guys see Kurt Cobain and Nirvana and in a way most we older millennials don’t see them. In 98, we argued over whether Courtney murdered Cobain. To a lot of you guys…he’s Hendrix, or the Beatles, or Elvis, a deity who died so long ago he’s above discussing such earthly matters over.

It's funny you mention this, Nirvana stans on IG and twitter are CONSTANTLY debating about that. I think the Soaked in Bleach movie rebirthed that entire conversation.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: Wobo on 07/15/18 at 2:59 pm


We don't even have a consensus on the starting year for Gen Z yet... so I don't think we'll know exactly how Gen Z is as a generation until the early-mid 2020s. Here's what is known about Zeds so far

- First generation to be born in the Internet age
- Generally are the children of Gen X or Xennials
- Have no memory of 9/11
- Came of age during Trump's presidency
- Nearly all of Gen Z were children during the last financial crisis

- Grew up in the streaming era (Netflix, Apple Music, Spotify, Youtube)
- Hip Hop is what Rock & Roll was to previous generations (Hip hop is in its dominance stage)
- Nihilistic or sarcastic humor/universally understand meme culture
- Emerging mental health crisis
- Shift away from Alt-right/far-left politics
- Last generation to have baby pictures taken with standalone cameras


What is certain is that the vast majority of Gen Z pop culture will be created in the 2020s-2030s. Right now there's an ongoing shift between Gen Z culture and Millennial culture (Drake, Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, J Cole, Rihanna). I think that the true Gen Z icons haven't emerged yet, they're either just starting their careers or gaining traction in the underground.

Are you referring to people born after 1999?

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: 2001 on 07/15/18 at 5:46 pm


This is a recent article that discusses the rise in depression in young pregnant women in the 2010s in comparison to their mothers in the 1990s:

https://gizmodo.com/pregnant-millennials-may-get-depression-more-than-their-1827550402

What is your thoughts on this phenomenon OP?


Statistics like this on mental health aren't very reliable because access to mental health back then wasn't as good as today, and the stigma associated with mental health and depression was stronger in the past. You'll notice an increase over time for virtually any mental health issue you can think of, but this doesn't necessarily mean the problem is getting more severe, it can also mean more people are accessing mental health services and getting properly diagnosed compared to before.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: 2001 on 07/15/18 at 6:10 pm

Honestly, other than not experiencing late '90s/early 2000s, I don't notice a huge generation gap between me and Gen Z. I mean, there's an age gap, but not a generation gap. When I was 12/13, I liked playing MMOs, watching TV and reading books. My sisters who are turning 13 in two weeks like... MMOs, watching Netflix and reading books. Not much has changed tbh.

The only difference is they have smartphones while I didn't. But I got a smartphone not long after at the age of 17, so I don't consider myself apart from the smartphone generation. I use my phone just as much as they do if not more, lol. I didn't have Snapchat or Instagram but I had MSN. Ask yourselves, is it really all that different? You are connecting with your friends through the Internet.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: Tyrannosaurus Rex on 07/15/18 at 6:19 pm


Are you referring to people born after 1999?


They could be referring to people born after 1996. Probably even after 1994.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: Wobo on 07/15/18 at 6:25 pm


They could be referring to people born after 1996. Probably even after 1994.

I was mainly talking about this;
We don't even have a consensus on the starting year for Gen Z yet... so I don't think we'll know exactly how Gen Z is as a generation until the early-mid 2020s. Here's what is known about Zeds so far- First generation to be born in the Internet age
- Generally are the children of Gen X or Xennials
- Have no memory of 9/11
- Came of age during Trump's presidency
- Nearly all of Gen Z were children during the last financial crisis

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: Rainbowz on 07/15/18 at 6:38 pm


Honestly, other than not experiencing late '90s/early 2000s, I don't notice a huge generation gap between me and Gen Z. I mean, there's an age gap, but not a generation gap. When I was 12/13, I liked playing MMOs, watching TV and reading books. My sisters who are turning 13 in two weeks like... MMOs, watching Netflix and reading books. Not much has changed tbh.

The only difference is they have smartphones while I didn't. But I got a smartphone not long after at the age of 17, so I don't consider myself apart from the smartphone generation. I use my phone just as much as they do if not more, lol. I didn't have Snapchat or Instagram but I had MSN. Ask yourselves, is it really all that different? You are connecting with your friends through the Internet.

I think people around your age who are like late Y tend to overexaggerate the differences between them and Gen Z. I mean, there are differences, but it isn't extremely big to the point where they would be old enough to be their parent or something.  ;D

Not only that, but of course they're going to feel that way because Gen Z isn't fully grown yet.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: Tyrannosaurus Rex on 07/15/18 at 6:44 pm


I think people around your age who are like late Y tend to overexaggerate the differences between them and Gen Z. I mean, there are differences, but it isn't extremely big to the point where they would be old enough to be their parent or something.  ;D

Not only that, but of course they're going to feel that way because Gen Z isn't fully grown yet.


It's not really guys like him (1993 borns).

I usually tend to see this type of behavior in 1995/1996 borns.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: Tyrannosaurus Rex on 07/15/18 at 7:10 pm


We don't even have a consensus on the starting year for Gen Z yet... so I don't think we'll know exactly how Gen Z is as a generation until the early-mid 2020s. Here's what is known about Zeds so far

- First generation to be born in the Internet age
- Generally are the children of Gen X or Xennials
- Have no memory of 9/11
- Came of age during Trump's presidency
- Nearly all of Gen Z were children during the last financial crisis

- Grew up in the streaming era (Netflix, Apple Music, Spotify, Youtube)
- Hip Hop is what Rock & Roll was to previous generations (Hip hop is in its dominance stage)
- Nihilistic or sarcastic humor/universally understand meme culture
- Emerging mental health crisis
- Shift away from Alt-right/far-left politics
- Last generation to have baby pictures taken with standalone cameras

What is certain is that the vast majority of Gen Z pop culture will be created in the 2020s-2030s. Right now there's an ongoing shift between Gen Z culture and Millennial culture (Drake, Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, J Cole, Rihanna). I think that the true Gen Z icons haven't emerged yet, they're either just starting their careers or gaining traction in the underground.


Shift away? Some Zeds openly embrace far right and far left ideology.

Kaia James (b. 2006) and Thomas Rousseau (b. 1998) are two perfect examples.

The former is a hardcore feminist, and the latter is a white nationalist leader.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: SeaCaptainMan97 on 07/15/18 at 7:12 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keT2DZrqLdI

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: Wobo on 07/15/18 at 7:20 pm


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keT2DZrqLdI

This was uploaded the day before my 10th birthday, anyways i agree on everything what the guy says in the video.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: Rainbowz on 07/15/18 at 8:51 pm


It's not really guys like him (1993 borns).

I usually tend to see this type of behavior in 1995/1996 borns.

Umm, there’s a good reason why I said “around your age”

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: mqg96 on 07/15/18 at 9:37 pm


I think people around your age who are like late Y tend to overexaggerate the differences between them and Gen Z. I mean, there are differences, but it isn't extremely big to the point where they would be old enough to be their parent or something.  ;D

Not only that, but of course they're going to feel that way because Gen Z isn't fully grown yet.



It's not really guys like him (1993 borns).

I usually tend to see this type of behavior in 1995/1996 borns.


Well it's no different than mid 60's born's being torn between boomers and X and the first couple years of 80's born's being torn between X and millennials. I retired from discussing and analyzing generations long time ago. I listen to sports radio and news/politics radio everyday and the Gen X radio hosts make fun of millennials NONSTOP and create millennial jokes NONSTOP. You even have late 90's born's and early 2000's born's who are proud of being Gen Z because they are fully aware of all the crap millennials have gotten and they want to turn out to be a more successful generation in the long run.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: xenzue on 07/15/18 at 9:43 pm


Are you referring to people born after 1999?


Yea, the core of this demographic is 99-04, but people born a couple years before and after might relate as well. These kids spent most of their childhood in the mid 00s to early 2010s, and all of them were teenagers during the Trump era (2015-present). I think that’s the defining aspect of Gen Z so far, similar to how the Reagan years defined Gen X’s adolescence.

In Hip hop there is a huge generation gap and a lot of that gap comes from pre-2000s babies. Trippie Redd (99), Juice WRLD (98), Lil Skies (98) XXXTentacion (98), Smokepurpp (97), and 6IX9INE (95) are all rebelling against the previous generation: Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Big Sean, Nicki Minaj, Drake, etc. Do we consider post-2000 babies like Lil Pump a different generation, or do we lump them up with mid-late 90s babies?

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: Tyrannosaurus Rex on 07/15/18 at 9:45 pm


Yea, the core of this demographic is 99-04, but people born a couple years before and after might relate as well. These kids spent most of their childhood in the mid 00s to early 2010s, and all of them were teenagers during the Trump era (2015-present). I think that’s the defining aspect of Gen Z so far, similar to how the Reagan years defined Gen X’s adolescence.

In Hip hop there is a huge generation gap and a lot of that gap comes from pre-2000s babies. Trippie Redd (99), Juice WRLD (98), Lil Skies (98) XXXTentacion (98), Smokepurpp (97), and 6IX9INE (95) are all rebelling against the previous generation: Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Big Sean, Nicki Minaj, Drake, etc. Do we consider post-2000 babies like Lil Pump a different generation, or do we lump them up with mid-late 90s babies?


The Trump years were 2017-present, not 2015-present.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: mqg96 on 07/15/18 at 9:50 pm


The Trump years were 2017-present, not 2015-present.


In office as POTUS yes, but Trump has been absolutely mainstream in the political world since 2015. Everyone who payed attention to news and politics knows this. Fall 2015 he was getting popular day by day when I didn't think he had a chance then.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: SeaCaptainMan97 on 07/15/18 at 9:51 pm


The Trump years were 2017-present, not 2015-present.


I think he means when Trump entered the spotlight.
Overall though, I'd say we entered the modern political climate in 2014, and it really intensified starting on November 9, 2016.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: Rainbowz on 07/15/18 at 9:54 pm


In office as POTUS yes, but Trump has been absolutely mainstream in the political world since 2015. Everyone who payed attention to news and politics knows this. Fall 2015 he was getting popular day by day when I didn't think he had a chance then.

So would you say fall of 2015 was when he started getting absolutely mainstream? Because that was when I first heard of him, but then again I don't pay attention to politics so I'm unhip with this.  ;D ;D

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: mqg96 on 07/15/18 at 9:56 pm


I think he means when Trump entered the spotlight.
Overall though, I'd say we entered the modern political climate in 2014, and it really intensified starting on November 9, 2016.


Trump wasn't really in the political news much back in 2014 and early 2015. Summer 2015 at the earliest, or June 16, 2015 when he announced his candidacy for president. Then from Fall 2015 through 2016 he was tweeting a bunch and saying a bunch of crazy things that blew people's mind.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: mqg96 on 07/15/18 at 9:59 pm


So would you say fall of 2015 was when he started getting absolutely mainstream? Because that was when I first heard of him, but then again I don't pay attention to politics so I'm unhip with this.  ;D ;D


I would say Summer 2015 at the earliest, because June 2015 is when he began his presidential campaign, but from Fall 2015 and on you couldn't stop hearing him on the news over and over again and that's when I began to notice his crazy tweets as well, and back then everybody thought he's be the next Rick Perry (who dropped out of the 2012 campaign early against Mitt Romney), but we were wrong, and for some reason Trump gained a lot of popularity and he was able to hijack the Republican Party. I was at the MLK service in January 2016 and there were speakers and preachers already complaining about how bad Trump was by then.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: Wobo on 07/15/18 at 10:00 pm


Yea, the core of this demographic is 99-04, but people born a couple years before and after might relate as well. These kids spent most of their childhood in the mid 00s to early 2010s, and all of them were teenagers during the Trump era (2015-present). I think that’s the defining aspect of Gen Z so far, similar to how the Reagan years defined Gen X’s adolescence.

In Hip hop there is a huge generation gap and a lot of that gap comes from pre-2000s babies. Trippie Redd (99), Juice WRLD (98), Lil Skies (98) XXXTentacion (98), Smokepurpp (97), and 6IX9INE (95) are all rebelling against the previous generation: Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Big Sean, Nicki Minaj, Drake, etc. Do we consider post-2000 babies like Lil Pump a different generation, or do we lump them up with mid-late 90s babies?

Kendrick Lamar and J cole would be current generation IMO even though they were popular in the early 2010s. Also 6IX9INE was born in 1996.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: Tyrannosaurus Rex on 07/15/18 at 10:16 pm


In office as POTUS yes, but Trump has been absolutely mainstream in the political world since 2015. Everyone who payed attention to news and politics knows this. Fall 2015 he was getting popular day by day when I didn't think he had a chance then.

Thanks for the information. I found it kind of odd because the Trump era and the Reagan era are 36 years apart.

And if Gen X spending adolescence in the Reagan age is similar to Gen Z spending adolescence in the Trump age, then even someone born in 2000 would be a Millennial under those circumstances.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: piecesof93 on 07/15/18 at 10:40 pm


Kendrick Lamar and J cole would be current generation IMO even though they were popular in the early 2010s. Also 6IX9INE was born in 1996.

I used to think this before I learned about the new guys but nah. Kendrick, Drake & Cole are the previous generation although they are still current. Sort of like how Kanye & Jay-Z are from a different generation but are still popular to this day.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: Wobo on 07/15/18 at 10:41 pm


I used to think this before I learned about the new guys but nah. Kendrick, Drake & Cole are the previous generation although they are still current. Sort of like how Kanye & Jay-Z are from a different generation but are still popular to this day.

Kanye and Jay Z are drastivslly different from this current generation.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: piecesof93 on 07/15/18 at 10:45 pm


So would you say fall of 2015 was when he started getting absolutely mainstream? Because that was when I first heard of him, but then again I don't pay attention to politics so I'm unhip with this.  ;D ;D

He's always been mainstream in general but yeah as far as political goes, he was getting a lot of attention when he joined in on the birther movement in like 2011 or 2012.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: piecesof93 on 07/15/18 at 10:45 pm


Kanye and Jay Z are drastivslly different from this current generation.

They are not apart of the current generation but are still popular.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: Tyrannosaurus Rex on 07/15/18 at 10:47 pm


@Bornin86 I'm not Gen Z. You are all basing assumptions of Gen Z from a small pool of people you've met.


Not to mention that the definition of Gen Z could be very different ten years from now.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: mwalker1996 on 07/15/18 at 10:47 pm


Kanye and Jay Z are drastivslly different from this current generation.
Yeah they're core Y and Early Y respectively.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: Wobo on 07/15/18 at 10:48 pm


They are not apart of the current generation but are still popular.

Yes they are and that's why they're drastically different because  they aren't part of the current generation

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: mwalker1996 on 07/15/18 at 10:49 pm

J Cole is more of a late Y rapper and Jay z is more of an Early Y rapper

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: xenzue on 07/16/18 at 12:07 am


Kendrick Lamar and J cole would be current generation IMO even though they were popular in the early 2010s. Also 6IX9INE was born in 1996.


My bad I got his birthday confused with Post Malone's birthday lol

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: ZeldaFan20 on 07/16/18 at 12:27 am


J Cole is more of a late Y rapper and Jay z is more of an Early Y rapper


Jay Z was (arguably) the definitive rapper of the Millennial Generation. He was popular with Early Yers when he broke out into the mainstream in the Late 90s ('Reasonable Doubt', 'Hard Knock Life', 'Money Cash Hoes', etc.) Core Yers during the 2000s ('Mo Money Mo Problems', '99 Problems', 'Empire State of Mind', Dating Beyonce, etc.), and Late Yers in the Early 10s ('The Blueprint 3', 'Young Forever', etc.).

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: xenzue on 07/16/18 at 12:36 am

Anyways even if J Cole and Kendrick are considered current generation artists (an artist's target audience can span several generations), there's an obvious generation gap between Y2K-era babies and 80s babies. The Kendricks and Beyoncés of Gen Z haven't risen yet, so there's nothing to be ashamed of. I have a gut feeling that Gen Z pop culture will be one of the best in a long time.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: Tyrannosaurus Rex on 07/16/18 at 6:00 am


Anyways even if J Cole and Kendrick are considered current generation artists (an artist's target audience can span several generations), there's an obvious generation gap between Y2K-era babies and 80s babies. The Kendricks and Beyoncés of Gen Z haven't risen yet, so there's nothing to be ashamed of. I have a gut feeling that Gen Z pop culture will be one of the best in a long time.


Do you think that Lil Peep fell in the "rebelling" category?

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: Mitch Kramer on 07/16/18 at 6:02 am



Here are my thoughts:
I think it’s way too early to truly define Gen Z. You guys are too young to cement. I think we’ll have a true feel for you guys when half of you are over 18 and that’s a ways off.
I can only go on my impressions:

Gen Z is in its infancy.


I agree that it's too early to say much about Gen Z.  It would be like talking about Generation X in the early or mid 1980s.  At that time, people thought the Baby Busters (the term "Generation X" hadn't caught on yet) would be super conservative Alex Keaton types.

In retrospect, the analyses of pop culture at the time were quite off the mark --- almost hilariously so.  Michael Jackson and Madonna were seen as examples of this new retro conservative paradigm.  MJ was part of the new anti-drug, clean, church-going, family values oriented entertainment, unlike those dirty hippie rock stars of the past.  Madonna, the Material Girl, was a rejection of the 60s leftist socialist ideals, etc.

No, really.  I'm not making this up; that really is what the older generations were saying at the time.  I knew it was all nonsense, or at least not quite that simplistic.  Alex Keaton may have felt at home at my high school, but in college it was a totally different story.  In any case, I knew that the people who created the narrative in the mainstream media were out of touch with what was actually going on.  Young people were still involved in liberal activism: supporting gay rights, protesting apartheid, Reaganomics, nuclear weapons, occupying libraries and administrative buildings.  Young people were still having premarital sex, albeit perhaps with a condom.  Young people were still doing drugs: weed, LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, ecstacy.

Indeed, a mere decade later, the narrative was changed to say that Generation X were all lazy slackers.  Today, nobody takes that stereotype seriously either.



90sguy has slightly poignant observations. You guys ARE slightly more mature compared to us millennials…but perhaps only because we millennials grew up during a major transition in humanity’s history while you guys grew up in a more established period…but he’s right, there seems to be something slightly, only slightly, more mature about Gen Z…so far. It’s not so much because you’re naturally better, but because millennials had to experience the heady Y2K age before finally dealing with the ramifications.


I wouldn't say "mature"; I would say they are more "passive" than the Millennials.  Again, to use a Generation X analogy, I remember how people interpreted Xer passivity as "maturity".  But when the recession hit and the Gulf War came and Xers began to protest and fight back, suddenly they were labeled spoiled immature brats.




It is strange watching a lot of you guys see Kurt Cobain and Nirvana and in a way most we older millennials don’t see them. In 98, we argued over whether Courtney murdered Cobain. To a lot of you guys…he’s Hendrix, or the Beatles, or Elvis, a deity who died so long ago he’s above discussing such earthly matters over.


It is strange watching a lot of you guys see Hendrix, the Beatles and Elvis, and in a way most of us older Gen Xers don't see them.  In 86, we argued over whether the CIA murdered Hendrix.  To a lot of you guys, he's Al Jolson, or Glenn Miller, a deity who died so long ago he's above discussing such earthly matters over.  :)


Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: mwalker1996 on 07/16/18 at 1:34 pm


Jay Z was (arguably) the definitive rapper of the Millennial Generation. He was popular with Early Yers when he broke out into the mainstream in the Late 90s ('Reasonable Doubt', 'Hard Knock Life', 'Money Cash Hoes', etc.) Core Yers during the 2000s ('Mo Money Mo Problems', '99 Problems', 'Empire State of Mind', Dating Beyonce, etc.), and Late Yers in the Early 10s ('The Blueprint 3', 'Young Forever', etc.).
True but many people say he reached his peak when the Black Album released in 03.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: xenzue on 07/16/18 at 2:43 pm


Do you think that Lil Peep fell in the "rebelling" category?

Yeah, he was one of the first artists with a big following to hop on this emo rap wave.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: piecesof93 on 07/16/18 at 2:44 pm


I agree that it's too early to say much about Gen Z.  It would be like talking about Generation X in the early or mid 1980s.  At that time, people thought the Baby Busters (the term "Generation X" hadn't caught on yet) would be super conservative Alex Keaton types.

In retrospect, the analyses of pop culture at the time were quite off the mark --- almost hilariously so.  Michael Jackson and Madonna were seen as examples of this new retro conservative paradigm.  MJ was part of the new anti-drug, clean, church-going, family values oriented entertainment, unlike those dirty hippie rock stars of the past.  Madonna, the Material Girl, was a rejection of the 60s leftist socialist ideals, etc.

No, really.  I'm not making this up; that really is what the older generations were saying at the time.  I knew it was all nonsense, or at least not quite that simplistic.  Alex Keaton may have felt at home at my high school, but in college it was a totally different story.  In any case, I knew that the people who created the narrative in the mainstream media were out of touch with what was actually going on.  Young people were still involved in liberal activism: supporting gay rights, protesting apartheid, Reaganomics, nuclear weapons, occupying libraries and administrative buildings.  Young people were still having premarital sex, albeit perhaps with a condom.  Young people were still doing drugs: weed, LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, ecstacy.

Indeed, a mere decade later, the narrative was changed to say that Generation X were all lazy slackers.  Today, nobody takes that stereotype seriously either.


I wouldn't say "mature"; I would say they are more "passive" than the Millennials.  Again, to use a Generation X analogy, I remember how people interpreted Xer passivity as "maturity".  But when the recession hit and the Gulf War came and Xers began to protest and fight back, suddenly they were labeled spoiled immature brats.


It is strange watching a lot of you guys see Hendrix, the Beatles and Elvis, and in a way most of us older Gen Xers don't see them.  In 86, we argued over whether the CIA murdered Hendrix.  To a lot of you guys, he's Al Jolson, or Glenn Miller, a deity who died so long ago he's above discussing such earthly matters over.  :)

All of that is very interesting but not surprising at all lol.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: ZeldaFan20 on 07/16/18 at 4:30 pm


True but many people say he reached his peak when the Black Album released in 03.


As a native New Yorker I agree. That was also the peak of the Jay Z v. 50 Cent beef as well (which further fueled the Brooklyn v. Queens rivalry). But he was still culturally relevant throughout the rest of the 2000s and early 2010s.

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: ZeldaFan20 on 07/16/18 at 11:20 pm

An interesting article regarding the differences between Millennials and Generation Z:

http://www.businessinsider.com/gen-zs-habits-different-from-millennials-2018-6

Thoughts?

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: ZeldaFan20 on 07/16/18 at 11:39 pm


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keT2DZrqLdI


Perhaps I'm wrong But I don't think this commentator understands that those lists are meant to be hyperbolic. Of course, their are kernels of truth in there regarding certain cultural/generational differences between the writer and the Class of 2018. But at the same time, its all supposed to be done in a comedic way, not to be taken seriously.

No offense, but I just find those type of commentaries, like the one you posted, very disingenuous because of that. Every generation gets sh!t from a comedic/lighthearted sense. You know how much sh!t Millennials got (and still get) from nostalgic Gen Xers/Boomers ;D? And I'm sure Boomers got sh!t from Silents, Silents from GIs, and so on and so forth. Its not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. But when a Millennial does the same to a Gen Z, now apparently its a scandal.... Its crap like this that makes me think how sensitive people have gotten...

Subject: Re: A Millenial's thoughts on Gen Z

Written By: goodbants on 11/05/18 at 6:46 pm


What I find is that there is less pain, or perhaps a better way to put it is, there is a less self-destructive edge to them, less pathos, than there was for us. They have memes to fall back on; they have all these subcultures that blend together. Ours is the last generation that was separated by distinct subcultures, by distinct social hierarchies in middle and high school. To put an exact point on it: I cannot see Gen Z being so pained as so many of us are; I cannot see Gen Z having a heroin epidemic as we do. There is a great sorrow and a great depth of unresolved pain and self hate among many of our generation; there is a reason why over 20,000 of us per year die of overdoses, and millions more struggle with addictions. I do not believe that that same darkness or whatever word you wish to put it exists for them.

We grew up on the cusp of two worlds - the industrial world and the post-industrial (Internet) world. We grew up in a confused time wherein everything was sort of a compromise: gays had some rights...but not all. Transgender people were acknowledged...but only barely. We grew up for part of our youth in a carefree 90s America, and then the second half of our childhood was spent in the shadow of 9/11 and Anthrax scares; our early adulthood was fraught with great difficulty not only finding jobs but also finding ourselves in the midst of a recession. Our generation is one of extremes - we are either far left or far right politically; I believe Gen Z will be more centrist in comparison. We are in a sense the new Baby Boomers, raging and rebeling against what is, and what we were given, and the times we live in. Perhaps Gen Z wil be like Gen X - more apathetic to these issues.

They grew up in a world where the issues I spoke of above have been largely resolved. Gay marriage is a fact of life for them. The Internet and social media are worlds they are being raised in. They have more concrete identities than we did. I know when my peers were 14-15, many girls who turned out to be lesbians dated boys because that was just the way things were. They experimented, and many of us considered bisexuality a fad. A girl of the same age nowadays if she is gay is aware of that identity and is encouraged in it and she has a greater sense of self. They are coming of age at the very end of a recession; and apart from those who lost relatives to it, 9/11 is more a historical fact to them than a part of living memory; the war on Terror and all its insanity isn't something most of them remember; the inanity of the Bush years was their childhood - not something they were truly conscious of.

Theirs is a more resilient generation; theirs is a generation which has more of a unified identity; they are less at odds with each other than we were. To again compare the two generations to past generations, we are the GI Generation, and they are the new Silen Generation. We are political and we are passionate; they are more stoic and less phased.


I consider myself Gen Z and I relate a lot to what you said. From a young age I've known the world isn't all roses. I've never known a peaceful 1990s era. All around me adults were talking about how horrible the economy was. I remember watching the Iraq war on TV when I was a little kid. Growing up, people always talked about how music sucks, how iPhones are ruining communication and society, and how America is falling apart. I feel like my generation is less concerned about rebelling and separating ourselves from each other. We just want to survive in this broken world. Plus, the internet connects us all together and we have memes and internet culture to unify ourselves from all across the world. I feel like, at least for my generation, it's not one subculture vs another, it's us vs the world.

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