Q: What is the driving force behind this generations activists?
Because trust me when I say that it isn’t ‘hope!’, and it isn’t ‘positivity’ or ‘joy’.
As common adversaries reveal themselves, there is definitely the potential for collectivism. And having nicely prepped us for ‘resistance’, nihilism1 extended her hand, commanding a new kind of confidence amongst young people.
There are many ways in which our upbringings have eventually brought us to where we stand now ideologically. Overwhelmed by images of the ‘unstoppable oppressor’, we gave up on looking for guidance on how to conduct our lives. Growing up in a world where we’ve been forced to face complex global challenges like climate change, economic instability and political unrest at the hands of those supposed to positively lead us have contributed to this outlook, where most of us can’t see in our futures a ‘brighter tomorrow’. We focus on the present moment because we’ve been shown that peace and comfort are temporary states, usually only a veil of pretence for impending chaos and disorder; and so we question the purpose of planning for a future who’s fate seems unclear. There is that very corny stereotype in film where the guy who loses everything is deemed the most dangerous of villains because he ‘has nothing left to lose’, and we can look at Gen Z in the same way. Of course, most of us are still very young, and so there is a strong belief that we’re all too easily influenced (controllable). Our parents often share anecdotes reminiscing on the ‘idealism’ that guided them in their youth, eventually growing away from child-like notions of a ‘revolution’.
But the thing is we’re not idealistic. Even those traditional authorities as seen by most of us through a filter of distrust and scepticism hold little power over our values and our actions as a result. This element of distrust isn’t unfounded of course. Historical archives and current news both circulating online have allowed us to rightly question the authenticity and effectiveness of established structures, and fears of the lack of reliability displayed by governing powers when it comes to displaying morality are only ever validated by ongoing events.
So… (We’re hyper-individualistic), but not in the way that former generations have proven to be. Our emphasis on individual autonomy and self-expression has also fostered a sense of isolation and detachment from broader societal narratives, allowing us to form opinions that relate back towards more natural instincts for humanity, namely brotherhood, fraternity and equality. The feeling of cultural relativism2 can be seen here, where perspectives from all walks of life are considered equally valid, and we’re more likely to advocate for others, even those who we’ll probably never meet, as well as being more likely to advocate for ourselves when needs be, and we need this bravery now more than ever.
Young people are…
Not paying up.
What’s the scene in the US?
These days, economic challenges are increasingly apparent, (but I’m sure you knew that already). High student debt, job insecurity, and a competitive job market have led to a sense of hopelessness and an almost indifference towards financial laws. We’re past the point of desperation that characterised the financial decisions of previous generations. Instead, we’re beginning to question these processes rather than scrambling our last pennies to adhere to them.
About 40% of the 22 million borrowers in the US with student loan payments due in October did not make payments by mid-November. This marks a significant increase compared to October 2019, where fewer than 26% of borrowers missed payments before the payment pause. This made it so there was no choice but to extend the collection date and so now loan payments aren’t due until the new year.
This comes after news that Biden said he was no longer going to forgive student loans, a practice that served to substantially benefit poorer households, specifically immigrant households.
“Debt, then, is not just ‘money that students owe.’ It is something killing the future of our state.
Specifically, the burden of student loan debt disproportionately impacts immigrant communities and their children”.
- SUBRATHA ARASELVAN, SAISH SATYAL The Missouri Independent 2023
In 2022, Time Magazine published an article “Fact checking 6 criticisms of Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan”, where many had demonstrated a sense of faith in this president, given that he accepted the ‘fiery national argument’ set off by his altruistic actions. Now though, Biden has in a sense gone back on his previous inclinations towards fairness, and now many side with those who back then doubted his former decision to stand with the students and their families arguing that whether the outcome of legal proceedings either resulted in the freezing of student loan payments and the cancelling debts or having them remain as normal would have been a political win either way. The ambivalent essence of reliability here means that it comes as no surprise that 9 million Americans didn’t pay this first instalment. But what is more interesting is that these events are making young people realise that should they lose faith in those in governance, they might at least find hope in the power of collective resistance. Whether the failure to make payments can be credited to some kind of agreed upon boycott or whether this is reflective of a reality where many simply can’t afford to make payments; all it took was a fraction of the countries population to cause a major shift in the way in which we perceive nationwide policy as being absolutely indestructible. I wonder whether the air will waft over to the UK where I am, because there is rumour that university fees will begin to increase here also.
Young people are….
Suddenly concerned about health?
The memo is we’re all throwing our vapes away…
Having established themselves as this generations favourite bad habit, most of us never thought we’d see the day where the mass-dumping of vapes would occur. This is particularly true because the essence of nihilism I discussed earlier is seen the most prevalent when it comes to our prioritisation (or de-prioritisation) of our health. The idea that there is no ‘later’ ensures that everyone remained fixed on substances we knew were poisonous. Colourful and flavourful, vapes were to young adults as pacifiers are to babies. This was until the buying and using of vapes stood in the way of global equality. I think we’re quite unique in that way. A lot of us are more concerned about the collective than our own wellbeing, and even if this is guided by a pessimistic outlook on life, we’re in many ways stumbling into the business of adopting better values as a result. These values, where we consider other people as being equally human is what allows us to quit cold turkey when we discover the unethicality of cobalt mining practices in the DRC that help manufacture vapes, despite previously appearing as a generation far too self-interested to exhibit this kind of consideration.
Young people are…
Over the stereotype.
We aren’t just lazy, cost-ineffective, comfort reliant ‘snowflakes’ after all.
Following the Israeli occupation of and genocide against Palestine, BDS3 released a list of companies either financially or politically in support, sparking a wave of the boycotting of major corporations worldwide, where companies like Adidas, deemed formally untouchable were majorly affected. Whilst Starbucks never actually made the official list, many began to boycott the company following the executive decision to sue union workers that showed Palestinian support. Having lost up to $11BILLION in profits, recent goods promotions and collaborations with stars like Kim Kardashian signify desperate attempt at regaining customers lost. Nevertheless, many simply weren’t impressed and remain firm in their decisions to stop buying from the company.
Since then, CEO Laxman Narasimhan released a statement claiming that his beliefs had been mischaracterised on social media, where primarily he advocates for ‘peace’. What has been dubbed a wishy-washy attempt at signalling allyship is not being accepted by the target audience here. Again, we’re all too familiar with empty promises and fickleness to fall for this kind of nothingness, challenging all sorts of stereotypes about our lack of strength.
I recently saw a video by ‘Dumbbirchtree’ on tik tok, where she discusses the ways in which the sheer presence of such a statement is proof that boycotts work, and I couldn’t agree more. Most billionaires don’t often ‘lower themselves’ to a point where they even find themselves interacting with those they’re only used to perceiving as numbers and figures. But there is clearly fear here.
On the other hand, young people are seemingly fearless. Given that I spend most of my time amongst those around my age I’ve certainly noticed a general numbness, which proves useful when it comes to learning how to stand against repressive forces. I guess it seems that we’re our own ‘greatest weapon’ in this way, and the archetypal villain prevails.
(Nothing Left to Lose).
(Speaking of collaboration)…
Cross Posting in 2024 :)
If you’re reading this P.S
part of this week’s post, I’m here to thank you for sticking around this long, and hope what I have to say next is worth your time. I’ve been trying to think of ways to both expand my audience and continue to make what I write on here interesting to you guys. From January, I aim to collaborate with one writer at the end of each month using Substack’s cross-posting feature.
The first of many collaborations to come will feature conversational-style musings between me and
as we discuss both the pop-cultural and political implications of celebrity activism, or (more accurately a fail to act) scheduled for posting on the 29th of this month. Since I joined this platform, I have long admired Alaia’s work, and would designate her my go-to newsletter when it comes to all things relevant pop-culture.Do make sure to stay vigilant, and do make sure to check out Alaia’s Substack (linked below), though I won’t hesitate to bombard you with frequent reminders for the upcoming post. Given that I plan to feature monthly cross-posting for the foreseeable future, those that are interested in collab’ing should drop me an email ‘of interest’ at oshuwakadiri@icloud.com with the subject ‘ [Insert Name] Cross Posting idea’ (or something to that effect).
(Call it a New Years Resolution)…
Asisa
Sources
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/18/politics/student-loan-missed-payments-november/index.html#:~:text=Nearly%209%20million%20borrowers%20missed%20their%20first%20student%20loan%20payment,make%20payments%20by%20mid%2DNovember. CNN Nearly 9 million student loan borrowers missed their first payment after pandemic pause ended
https://missouriindependent.com/2023/07/17/student-loan-debt-unfairly-burdens-immigrant-families/ Student loan debt unfairly burdens immigrant families
https://bdsmovement.net/get-involved/what-to-boycott BDS Know what to boycott
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGeF4XeRm/ Dumbbirchtree Tik Tok Starbucks Boycott
“The rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless”. Oxford Languages
“Cultural relativism refers to not judging a culture to our own standards of what is right or wrong, strange or normal. Instead, we should try to understand cultural practices of other groups in its own cultural context”. Khan Academy
(The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement)
So incredibly excited for our collaboration! Aulachong-Kadiri world domination when??