I was browsing TeenInk when I stumbled across a piece considered “exceptional” by TeenInk’s editorial staff. It was titled, “A Generation of Passivity.” (Well, that’s what I thought it said. After revisiting the essay, I realized that the author misspelled “generation,” and the piece is actually titled, “A Genertion [sic] of Passivity.”) Intrigued, I read on, only to be completely stunned at the essay’s callousness, pessimism, and utter disregard for facts. As a member of the generation in question, I took it upon myself to make clear the true facts of the situation. Let’s have a look at the article, shall we?

The article begins with a description of the author’s childhood, how she “perceived reality as entertainment” and as a child promised her mother that she would “solve every problem in the world.” The author goes on to state that, in the end, she did nothing to help the world. Then, out of nowhere, she attempts to connect the fact that she did nothing to change the world to her overall premise: that our generation — Generation Z, as we’re called – is passive. “Similarly [to myself], my generation remains inert,” she writes, adding, “Ghandi [sic] once said, ‘Be the change you want to see in the world;’ pitifully, my generation does the opposite: It embraces passivity.”

First of all, I would certainly hope that someone protesting the laziness of this generation has the inclination to use a spellchecker: it’s Gandhi, not “Ghandi.” More important, however, is the author’s bleak and frankly negative outlook on our generation: not only does she generalize all of Gen Z into one group based on her own limited experience, but she goes on to insult that group! Let’s see how she tries to support her argument.

“Our need to conform to society is a passport to our passivity. With a generation full of stereotypes and clichés we feel we must follow, the craving to create positive change is diminished,” she argues. That’s funny — last I checked, we’re a generation that’s demolishing stereotypes, not one that’s promoting them. We are the most ethnically diverse generation in U.S. history[1] – that’s not exactly conducive to stereotypes. We’re a generation that’s “defined by fluid personal identities breaking from traditional forms.”[1] In fact, Forbes calls us the “Pluralist Generation,” with “convictions in diverse races and religions and [who] believe people can coexist in society.” We’re a generation of diversity and acceptance, not one of blind stereotype followers, and the inability to realize that comes across as extremely ignorant.

However, the author believes that we are the ignorant ones. “Forget revolution,” she writes, “my generation probably does not even know what that word means. We just do whatever we need to ‘fit in’ and ‘be cool’ and that’s all we care about.” Setting aside the enormous insult and stereotype that the author just laid against all teenagers, doesn’t her self-defeatist attitude lead to exactly what she proclaims to be advocating against? If everyone in our generation viewed each other so negatively and believed that no one could make a change, would this not result in exactly what the author believes is already happening? In protesting a non-existent problem, the author demonstrates the exact mentality that would lead our generation to passivity: a negative, pessimistic outlook on the impact that we can have on the world.

“Not only can we not think on our own, but also we get everything we want. Spoiled and pampered, we are oblivious to the chaos happening around us. Due to unnecessary luxuries, my generation is self-absorbed. We do nothing,” the author complains. Exactly what chaos is happening around us? President Obama has stated that we are living in the most peaceful era in human history.[2] Perhaps the author is one of the “young people who are watching TV or looking at [their] phones and it seems like only bad news comes through every day,” as Obama said. If so, she should strongly reconsider her words and take another look at history.

I also wonder what “luxuries” she believes are unnecessary. Perhaps the internet, which allows us to share our thoughts and work and experiences with the world, the same innovation that makes it possible for me to read her essay? Or maybe digital devices, which now allow teens to connect and network with others across the world? It’s difficult to imagine what “unnecessary luxuries” she’s talking about, and that’s without pointing out the obvious fact that she’s overgeneralizing. Not everyone was born into privilege and opportunity. Not everyone in our generation is spoiled and pampered. Not everyone takes things for granted — and yet this is how she views our generation. Does this say more about us, or her?

The author’s next outrageous claim is that “Today teen’s hobbies are anything but proactive. Playing Nintendo, watching television, surfing on the net — my generation is addicted to everything but action.” She fails to mention the teens who are learning a multitude of programming languages, or are learning to use Adobe Creative Suite, or who write, or who make videos, or who do scientific research, or who build robots, or who serve the community, or who play sports, or who read about things they’re interested in… I could go on. Grouping our entire generation into people who play Nintendo, watch television, and surf the net is exactly the closed-mindedness that doesn’t lead to change. It suggests that the author has never met teens who do otherwise and perhaps cannot imagine a teen who doesn’t play Nintendo, which again says more about her worldview and less about our generation.

“Besides our laziness, my generation is preoccupied defying, instead of changing, the world,” her tirade continues. I wonder if she ever took a history class – did Martin Luther King Jr. change the world by going with the flow? Could Mahatma Gandhi have changed the world without defying it first? She fails to realize that defying traditional expectations is change in action.

“Trying to escape from rules and our parents’ commands, we assume we are being adult when our action is actually forcing us into passivity,” she insists. Has she not considered that teens from every generation experience rebellious phases? Has she not considered our emerging independence and bold defiance of traditional norms as possibly causing us to defy our parents? She’s arguing two mutually exclusive points: how can she want us to be passive to our parents and follow their every rule, yet be bold and change the world?

This whole essay and the resulting comments on it are really just a sympathetic echo chamber for “misunderstood” teens who are frustrated that they can’t fit in with the social circumstances around them and choose to blame it on the supposed ignorance of their peers. One user comments, “I really agree with you. I feel as if I can't fit in with others for this reason, I worry too much about how this world will end up in the hands of my messed up generation.” That user believes that our generation is “messed up” just because she doesn’t know how to fit in with other teens. Another user writes, “I can't even tell you all the petty drama and pointless things I witness every day. It's disgusting.” I wonder if that user has ever considered that adult workplace and office drama exists as well? It’s not something limited to just teenagers; it’s human nature. Perhaps if these users, and the author, stepped outside of their perceived bubble of superiority, they wouldn’t be as pessimistic about the future of our generation and as negative toward fellow teens. The rebellious, lazy teenager stereotype that is promoted in every generation constitutes an ever shrinking minority of this generation, and yet the author refuses to see the proverbial cup as (quite a bit more than) half full.

It’s important to educate others about our generation as well as fight and dispel the stereotypes about Generation Z. We are the most technologically skilled generation in history. We are the most diverse generation in history. Contrary to what the author believes, we are actually more mature than previous generations. According to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of high school students who had at least one drink of alcohol in their lives was, in 2013, over 15% less than those surveyed in 1991.[3] Similarly, the number of teens who never or rarely wore a seatbelt in a car driven by someone else declined 18% since 1991.[3] These statistics stand in stark contrast to the author’s assertion that our generation is preoccupied “drinking, doing drugs, or any number of ‘fun’ things.” In fact, not only are we more mature, we are more accepting of other cultures, and “spend and care less about material items than [we] do experiences.”[1] We watch TV less (under an hour a day on average) and are more independent and less traditional than previous generations. We’re not only the most-career focused generation in history, we’re also the richest.[3] Generation Z is, simply put, the future — and as it stands right now, that’s looking brighter every day.

[1] Arthur, Rachel. "Generation Z: 10 Stats From SXSW You Need To Know." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 12 June 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2017. 

[2] Chasmar, Jessica. "Obama: We’re living in ‘most peaceful’ era in human history." The Washington Times. The Washington Times, 26 Apr. 2016. Web. 27 Mar. 2017. 

[3] Williams, Alex. "Move Over, Millennials, Here Comes Generation Z." The New York Times. The New York Times, 18 Sept. 2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.