Today’s world seems to have become increasingly polarized as many are allowing their different identities and views to get in the way of connecting with others. Social media certainly isn’t helping. The generational wars seem to be fueled by content aimed at pitting decades against each other and even against themselves. This deepening divide has become a great concern to many, especially to one Gen Zer.
In a since-deleted Reddit post, an anonymous Gen Zer vented about how their generation has become increasingly toxic and unable to express understanding and empathy for others.
A member of Gen Z called out their generation for being ‘toxic.’
An anonymous Redditor whose only identifiable trait was being a member of Gen Z began their rant by stating that their generation is consuming trashy media and that dead-internet theory is influencing everybody’s opinions.
According to The Atlantic, this theory refers to the idea the internet has been taken over by artificial intelligence, and all the content is “fake.”
The Gen Zer mentioned what they described as a “gender war,” which only seemed to encourage toxicity and a lack of empathy. “Both men and women have their own problems,” they wrote. “We can acknowledge each other’s suffering and empathize with each other, yet we choose to victimize ourselves and demonize the other gender.”
They urged others to find common ground and avoid the echo chambers that seem to be perpetuating the divide. “We need each other now more than ever,” they said. “So maybe, maybe for once step outside your comfort zone and put yourselves in other’s shoes and see their worldview.”
Many argued that the toxicity this Gen Zer described is prevalent in all generations.
“This is true for all generations, I see other generations being incredibly toxic as well,” one commenter said.
Surely, this generation can’t be the only one experiencing a deep divide.
Each generation is made up of people from different races, ethnicities, political views, religions, and so on. However, with social media so prevalent in our day-to-day lives, it appears our differences are either deepening or becoming more visible.
Former extremist and Breitbart contributor Katie McHugh told PBS, “Whenever I was saying the really vile racist things that went viral, you find other right-wing people on social media, on Twitter, and you — if you follow each other, you boost each other, and then the network just expands.” She went on to describe how fueling the echo chamber fuels the divide, sharing, “And you say outlandish things to push the conversation that way. So you have this — the real-time interaction, real-time radicalization.”
AP noted, “While political differences are a function of any healthy democracy, polarization occurs when those differences begin to pull citizens apart from each other and the societal bonds they share. It can undermine faith in democratic institutions and the free press.” They went on to explain that this becomes dangerous when the divided groups view each other as “enemies” rather than just legitimate political opposition.
We need to come together, especially in this day and age.
While there is a slight chance the original poster was exaggerating the point about a “gender war,” which is more likely to be some sort of misogynist versus misandrist online Reddit debate, it still holds true that Gen Z needs to make efforts to connect with others and unite as one.
And let’s face it, it’s not just Gen Z fighting amongst themselves.
Each generation has infighting. The generations are in constant criticism of each other. Men are raging against women. Those with children are battling with the child-free.
There is only one true solution to tackling the divide: acknowledging it exists and fostering true communication.
That doesn’t mean shouting political talking points at each other. It means getting off the soapbox and truly listening to each other, asking hard questions, and sharing honest answers.
Sahlah Syeda is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.
