A friend recently pointed out that our 18 year olds were either already born, or in the womb, when 9/11 occurred. Now they are reaching adulthood during the Coronavirus pandemic. This realization got me thinking about the forces that have shaped our GenZennials.
Not only has their childhood been framed by these two unprecedented and devastating events, but it has also been partly sabotaged with greater concerns for safety and over-scheduling by helicopter parents, an onslaught of standardized testing in the wake of the No Child Left Behind legislation from 2002-2015, as well as Nature Deficit Disorder, introduced in The Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. Worst of all, their formative years have been shadowed by the abrasive social and political divisions that festered during the Obama presidency, and now flourish under Trump.
No wonder these technological wizards found solace in their electronic devices, social media and gaming platforms as young teenagers. That is the only arena where they have had some control over their lives, and an escape from their anxiety-ridden adolescence. These folks are beyond resilient, and we owe them our utmost respect and admiration, if not a proper send-off.
Thank you for sharing this. What an amazing generation - and I'm heartbroken for them. I love the line "these technological wizards found solace in their electronic devices..." Your post resonates with me!
ReplyDeleteWow! I had not even thought about that. What bookends they have had. Interesting perspective about having control. My heart breaks for all the young people whose life events are being canceled or postponed.
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