Teenager Says Gen Z Is So ‘Plain’ Compared To The Youth Of Previous Generations—‘Anti Risk-Taking Is The New Counterculture’
Has being risk-averse become the norm?
Gladskikh Tatiana | Shutterstock The youth of each generation usually engages in counterculture behavior. Breaking the rules and standing up to the status quo is an integral part of gaining independence and growing up.
One Gen Zer, however, thinks their peers are falling short of rebellion, and they went so far as to call them "plain" in comparison to the youth of other generations.
In a since-deleted Reddit post, the unnamed Gen Zer shared how being raised as risk-averse kids has played a major role in Gen Z behavior.
A teenager claimed Gen Z is 'plain' compared to the youth of previous generations.
The Redditor began their post by stating everything feels cold and sterile in today's world and explained they had some thoughts that have been contributing to their train of thought.
Galina Zhigalova | Canva Pro
They went on to talk about Halloween not being as popular anymore, people apparently not saying "bless you" after sneezing anymore, and house parties not being popularized amongst younger people.
They also mentioned architecture being very "bland" and that Gen Z just doesn't seem to be taking any risk.
The Redditor went on to say that while these may not all be bad, they are quite "conservative."
"Looking throughout history, the youthful counterculture has always been a progressive movement forwards against a traditional status quo society," they said. "Nowadays, it seems that the new status quo is of progress, and being traditional or anti-risk taking is the new counterculture?"
Many commenters cited the financial state of the world as a reason for this behavior.
People don't want to engage in risky behavior, especially financially risky behavior, if they don't have money to fall back on if (and usually when) things don't work out.
"This is a generation that's being overworked and underpaid while the cost of living increases, the world gets hotter, and third places keep disappearing," one commenter said.
Forget risk-taking; even just pursuing things that bring joy is incredibly expensive. You want to go out for dinner? Well, prices are way too high for the amount of food being served. You want to go see a movie? If ticket prices don't get you, the cost of snacks and drinks will.
One commenter noted that since many things that make life enjoyable are expensive, people would rather not spend that money and instead engage in quick dopamine boosters such as social media scrolling.
It may not be such a bad thing that younger generations aren't engaging in risky behavior.
While there are points to be made about society's dullness due to corporations, Gen Z not jumping in on behaviors that are risky doesn't necessarily seem bad. In fact, according to research out of Montclair State University, their tendency toward safety could be directly linked to what researchers called, a "constant stream of news alerts that overemphasize their threat."
Study author Gabriel Rubin explained, “There’s this misperception that Gen Z have high incidences of anxiety and depression because they’re overly coddled or too sensitive. In the interviews I found that, in addition to the stigma around mental health eroding, Gen Z young people are faced with tremendous pressures and daily concerns that combine to paint a picture of a very dangerous world.”
All media and accessibility to information have certainly made the world smaller, and for a generation that is almost always attached to their devices, the flow of information is relentless and understandably terrifying in many instances.
But guess what? People still celebrate Halloween, and they still say "bless you" after someone sneezes. As far as other risky behaviors, just because they're not in your sightline doesn't mean they're not happening.
Sahlah Syeda is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.