Gen-z has been thoroughly disillusioned. We learn to question the systems that oppress and scar us, and generations used to tolerating such abuse are shocked at such brazenness, which they are too cowed and controlled to exhibit. They’d rather everyone be yes-men rather than individuals. A chorus of “yes sirs” and “yes ma’s” to situations where true opinion and critical thinking is needed. Despite our youth, we are people with our own opinions and beliefs, still developing and growing upon the foundations built for us….
THERE are a lot of negative things being said about Gen Z. Some people say Gen-z are lazy, others say we lack respect and speak rudely without filter, others say Gen-z are unintelligent and lack good critical thinking skills due to over-dependence on AI. Others say we are losing touch with our roots and culture and abandoning the ideals of our country for foreign beliefs and ideologies. These are opinions not only floating online but ones I’ve also heard people give as observational fact, and when I say people, I mean professionals, intellectuals and bigmen. I have had the privilege to move around in various circles, and these are the things I have heard with my own ears. I thought, since opinions are flying, I might as well give my thoughts on the matter. And being a part of Gen-z myself I feel compelled to defend my generation against the naysayers and onslaught of negativity. I believe Gen Z is much more intelligent than these naysayers give us credit for, and our brazenness comes from this fact.
“Gen-z has been disillusioned”
First on the issue of respect. There has been a growing issue in Nigeria where children are forced to respect their elders despite ill treatment, as some sort of cultural or traditional norm. Most of my peers and younger ones I’ve spoken to on this topic have stories about how they were abused or maltreated by their elders in various ways, shapes and forms, and were unable to do anything about it due to the tradition of unwavering respect. Respect once used to be a teaching of good values but has now become a shackle used to bind and suppress people from expressing themselves. My generation grew up watching a generation of mute yes-men sit aside and watch their country burn due to an unwillingness to offend and fear of confrontation. I once witnessed a millennial baby say with pride, “Gen-z just talk anyhow, but if you see them they are the brokest generation ever.” That is someone happy to watch her younger ones suffer and blame it on their character instead of the overarching issue of the failed economic state of the country. Yes, call us the brokest, but I must remind you that we are also on track to be the most educated generation, with statistics showing at least 94% of the Gen-z demographic in Nigeria are currently enrolled in schools or have a high school degree, with a greater majority of graduates moving on to tertiary institutions. So if Gen-z being so educated, are still broke and unable to use their degrees to attain meaningful employment, what does that tell you? The answer is simple. The failing economy in Nigeria has affected not only Gen Z but everyone.
With more people japa-ing and seeking greener pastures in other countries, more people looking online for sources of income, and more girls exposing themselves online for money, the problem of “brokeness” spreads beyond Gen Z and beyond financials alone. It has snowballed into a brokenness that is both economic and character-wise and is present in every facet of our beloved country, excluding the elites and politicians who are perfectly capable of escaping hardship. But still, yes I am broke and you are broke, and we are all broke as long as our country remains broke, and it’s not because of Gen Z. Do not be quick to blame the failings of the government on the character of a single generation. I believe Gen Z’s “lack of respect” is more a pride in ourselves and an understanding that we are individuals too, with our own thoughts and will. There is a popular saying that goes “respect is reciprocal.” Anyone who disrespects people will not only receive disrespect in return but will also be deemed a person of bad character, and I believe it is foolish to call an entire generation disrespectful based on a few encounters you’ve had. And if you have been disrespected by a Gen Z you must first examine the circumstances surrounding the act, first, how did you approach and relate with such a person? I say this because disrespect is also reciprocal and older generations tend to act shocked when on the receiving end of their own attitude, because they expect elder privilege and endless tolerance from a generation that has experienced elder abuse first-hand.
What do you think would be going through the minds of the juniors in such a system? They begin to dream of being seniors so they can do unto others the same things that were done to them and enjoy the same benefits the seniors enjoy. Then they get there and do the same acts to their juniors, and the cycle continues. This analogy is multi-layered, but in this context, imagine the millennials of today as the juniors who are expecting the benefits of seniors’ “elder privilege,” just to be met with a less agreeable and brazen generation. Try to imagine their shock when they are met with indifference while trying to control younger ones who are too busy with their own lives to care. We are expected to put everything down at the behest of an elder and obey all commands like some kind of dancing monkey or automaton, and follow unwritten rules which have only brought us pain and hardship. And you expect us to heel and bend over? I will give a different example. During my time in school, we were often punished and/or flogged (beaten) like cattle for missing church programs or service, especially in boarding school. Yes, boarding school comes with rules which must be obeyed, and we understood that, but imagine what happens when a youth who has been punished and forced into a belief and routine of a certain environment finally gets out of that environment? When they finally gain their freedom, what would you think would happen? Do you think they’d ever take that religion or system seriously enough to follow its rules? The answer is simple: No they wouldn’t. Fear and reputation would be the main reasons such a person would choose to continue engaging with such religions or traditions.
So I say again Gen-z has been thoroughly disillusioned. We learn to question the systems that oppress and scar us, and generations used to tolerating such abuse are shocked at such brazenness, which they are too cowed and controlled to exhibit. They’d rather everyone be yes-men rather than individuals. A chorus of “yes sirs” and “yes ma’s” to situations where true opinion and critical thinking are needed. Despite our youth, we are people with our own opinions and beliefs, still developing and growing upon the foundations built for us, which is why, for some people, it’s better to see us down with that attitude than to be faced with the realisation that an entire generation can carry pride in their identities and still succeed. That an entire generation is slipping out of your control should not be looked at from a place of fear but from a place of navigation. The thought should be “how should we encourage them while also directing them towards the right path?”
Now, on the issue of laziness, I will never agree when people say Gen Z are lazy because such an opinion can only be born from willful ignorance. To pass through the tough educational system in the country and come out with a degree only to be dropped headfirst into a failing job economy, is not evidence of laziness but rather evidence of resilience despite the odds. People like to say this generation had it easy because we had added benefits such as the internet and rapidly evolving technologies, and some say the fact that we can’t find jobs despite this is evidence of laziness. Well, I’d ask such naysayers how easy it would be for their parents to get jobs in today’s Nigeria.
On the issue of AI, I have to agree. It is true that there is an over-dependence on AI currently existing among my generation, and it has spilt over to the younger generation as well. Yes, this does have an effect on critical thinking. I have experienced the effects myself, and it wasn’t pretty. I have also witnessed a situation during a panel session on AI and creativity, where panel members (who were all Gen Z) were unable to answer simple questions properly. Right there in front of us, some of the panellists were using AI to generate answers to simple questions. AI is meant to be an assistant, not to replace the individual. And I suggest regulations for our use of AI. We must be cautious not to overuse this tool.
As someone who has used AI extensively in the past, I understand that with AI what you put in is what you get, so garbage in, garbage out. AI makes a lot of mistakes, and it is not generating new knowledge but instead picking from a database of already collected knowledge and crawling the internet for answers. The fears of older generations are warranted in this case, and having been exposed to the dangers of overuse myself, I can only hope we find a way around it and properly sensitise youths.
As someone who has used AI extensively in the past, I understand that with AI what you put in is what you get, so garbage in, garbage out. AI makes a lot of mistakes, and it is not generating new knowledge but instead picking from a database of already collected knowledge and crawling the internet for answers. The fears of older generations are warranted in this case, and having been exposed to the dangers of overuse myself, I can only hope we find a way around it and properly sensitise youths. Today, if you open the search engine of any social media, you are immediately bombarded with a slew of lifeless generated content which serves no purpose other than to entertain. No new ideas are formed, and true creativity-based content fades into the background, while our younger ones are consuming these types of content at an alarming rate. See “Skibidi Toilet” and “Italian Brainrot.” Because the entire system is algorithmic—that is, it functions on algorithms and pushes out what is most likely to garner views and likes—this content are pushed out more than original works. True works of creativity carry pieces of us, a sort of mirror into our souls, and insights into the human condition. They house our expectations, stories, fears, inspirations and aspirations. And we must make a conscious effort to promote them. We must invest in the development of our mental faculties and in the betterment of our mental health. If we regress into a generation of short attention spans incapable of creating our own beliefs and ideas, we will simply be mirrors of other people’s ideologies and mindsets, easily controlled by much smarter and more aware people.
I have seen cases where people advocate for a certain view only because they heard it online, then proceed to spout whatever argument they consumed word-for-word as their own opinion. When challenged, they become unable to give a clear response, even citing baseless research that can be disputed with common sense, all because they want to fight for something or look smart. If I am to be a fool I must at least be a thinking fool who isn’t above learning and correction. While there is a human need to stand for something, we must also remember to live and form our own opinions rather than regurgitate opinions digested from social media and AI. Remember, when weak broomsticks are joined together, they form a weak, brittle broom, but when strong broomsticks are joined together, they form a strong, solid broom. And while some at the edges may break, the whole will always be kept intact by the solidarity of those who stand together. Our identity is our strength in standing against oppressive control and doing what’s best for the country as a whole. Respect is good, but not to the point of submission; brazenness is good, but agreeability also helps promote mutual and friendly discourse, and intelligence and critical thinking are weapons in the hands of the wise.
NOW there are those who say Gen Z are abandoning their roots and are uninterested in their culture due to the widespread influence of the West and the foreign ideologies and beliefs rapidly taking over the online space and popular media, cited as a side effect of modernisation. While that is true, it is wrong to point fingers at the victims. If we are going to point fingers, it should be at the people responsible for raising this generation properly and teaching them the values, ways and cultures of their ancestors. In other words, parents.
I grew up in an English and Yoruba-speaking household, and my father taught me a great many things, but cultural and familial attachments were always missing. I believe the same can be said for many others in my generation. Imagine my shock when I discovered that my grandmother was actually a high priestess. Anyway, that aside, I had to seek out certain knowledge myself to build that attachment to my roots. And it is quite normal. In different eras, men tell coming-of-age stories where the child has to seek out their identity and roots for themselves. Once again, it is normal, a part of growing up. However, where I find issues is the “blame” put on Gen Z for this lack of connection.
We can use the popular media and content types of today as a basis for new productions to help foster interest in Nigerian culture. We can also work to improve reading culture, even changing some TV time with children for reading time, where parents sit and read with their children instead of watching TV… Reading goes a long way in nurturing the mind and building healthy mental pathways, strengthening cognitive abilities and building imagination, helping along the healthy mental development of the child.
As a people, we must endeavour to raise our children and younger ones properly, instilling in them the values we want to see. We must be the change we want to see in the world and start looking for creative and innovative ways to ‘sell’ our culture, making it more appealing to younger generations. For instance, if kids today like watching YouTube content, then we can make a cultural version of that with all the same dopamine-releasing edits that tend to keep kids hooked. When you watch something you like, you naturally want to seek out more of the same content, so creatives must take advantage of this and make our culture cool, presenting it as something fresh to kids. I believe significant resources should be devoted to this, and we must not underestimate the importance cultural roots in creating strong national identities. Culture must be the newest, freshest fad in town. Sort of like what happened with anime in the early 2000s. At some point, anime was seen as nerdy or geeky, and if you were an anime fan back then, you were most likely bullied or made fun of, but now it is known as one of the coolest forms of entertainment media out there. Youths all around the world can’t get enough of it, and the industry is booming, estimating over 22.6 billion dollars in total revenue in 2022 alone, while also contributing significantly to Japan’s GDP.
I believe Nigeria’s creativity sector can take advantage of this. We can use the popular media and content types of today as a basis for new productions to help foster interest in Nigerian culture. We can also work to improve reading culture, even changing some TV time with children for reading time, where parents sit and read with their children instead of watching TV. They can also add snacks and gifts to make these sessions more inviting, helping to reduce over-dependence on screens for entertainment. Reading goes a long way in nurturing the mind and building healthy mental pathways, strengthening cognitive abilities and building imagination, helping along the healthy mental development of the child.
In conclusion, there are a lot of harmful stereotypes about Gen Z which are far from the truth, and a lot of unwarranted anxiety and fears coming from people unable to understand the mental state of my generation. With love and careful consideration, we can help navigate ourselves to the right path. Rather than pointing fingers, we can help promote and create new pathways for growth and community. We can help foster the change we hope to see in the world.
- https://ournigerianews.com/gen-z-misunderstood-not-misguided/