So, I spent the weekend hanging out at our district’s winter retreat. It was something like 48-hours of playing 9-ball (who knew what that was?), showing off my massive skill at doing a few TikTok dance moves, standing near inflatables, laying on giant foof bags (against all my better judgement), going “oooooooh” watching people get nailed in dodgeball, jamming out to Royal Company, and listening to an excellent speaker.
Oh, and hanging out with almost 400 Gen Z-ers.
Now, as I write this, I can say with 100% certainty, I am too old for 90% of the things I did over the weekend, and probably that same percentage of my body is sore. I’ve been icing my hip since Saturday night and I, for sure, sprained my ankle just walking across the bounce joust inflatable. But I am so glad that I took the time to come and hang out.
There is a lot of question about how will Gen Z turn out and who will they be? They are figuring it out while the topic of generations is a current social favorite. Boomers and millennials are forever telling the other what they’re doing wrong (while Gen-X munches on popcorn in the corner) and about the only thing that can make all the adults stop for a second and say, “I don’t know. What do you think?” is when we all turn around and try to figure out how to slap a label on the next adults who are creeping up behind us.
I can’t say that I’m an expert on the topic, but I will say that I really am warming up to who these kids are turning out to be. And because us Gen-Xers like a Top ___ list, here’s one on what’s to like about Gen Z.
5. They are not as tech addicted as we think they are.
Actually, I might even say, they aren’t as tech addicted as YOU are! These kids have been raised by parents who have told them their whole lives “Get off that phone and go play like a real kid!” and as soon as they walk out the door, they look back in the window and see their parent scrolling through Facebook. Ouch.
This weekend I did see phones out. But when they were out, they were using them to take videos of the band or snap selfies. Some would gather in little groups and play a game on one phone all together. Did they send messages to people who weren’t at the retreat? Sure, they did. But they also played card games and board games and basketball and soccer and did all the other activities available to them and engaged with each other.
Because they have lived their whole lives with ever present tech, they are developing the practice of maintaining community with the addition of tech, as opposed to maintaining tech at the expense of community, which the two generations which go before them are definitely guilty of doing. It gives me hope that we won’t turn out like the people in Wall-E.
4. Their dances are better than they’ve been in a long time.
Hear me out on this one. I know we all like to think that our generation has the best of everything, and I’ve seen my share of TikToks letting the youths of today know what the ACTUAL Solja Boy dance is, but the kids are beating us in this area.
How long has it been since there were widespread dance moves for any song that came on that any kid could do? This is one place that Boomers should say, “Well done!” to Gen Z. these kids have found their own style, but it is the twist and the mashed potato and the…whatever else they used to do back at sock hops…and they’re lots of fun!
And for anyone getting defensive about that, a few group line dance here and there do not offset the damage JNCO jeans did to social dancing. Gen-X, I’m looking at you. Grinding should have been a big N-O.
3. They don’t got time for that.
So, we should have recognized it earlier, but while us Gen-Xers are popping popcorn and showing up to watch Boomers and millennials lob well researched and carefully thought out, deeply felt arguments at one another, there’s another hand in the popcorn bucket!
While it feels like the things that divide us culturally grows further and further apart, and arguments seem like the new way to carry out normal conversation, you can almost hear the collective sigh from everyone under 23.
Oh, they have their opinions about issues and ideas about how things should be, but if you were to pass the mic and ask what they think about the polarization of America, I can just hear them now. *Deep sigh* “Can it just stop? I mean, it’s like really stupid. People don’t need to be arguing all the time.” That gives me hope that America isn’t going to go through another Civil War.
2. They DO have time to process things.
In a world of instant gratification, these kids are saying, “Hang on. I need to think about that for a bit. I’ll get back to you.” They observe. They think. They evaluate. They are slower to make snap judgments and more willing to listen to people who have different opinions than themselves.
Having grown up immersed in social media culture, where everyone has a platform and everyone can say what they want, they have gotten tired of the fighting, but not tired of hearing people out. They also feel empowered that they have the right to have an opinion and speak their mind, too. They are willing to say to their friends, “Actually, I don’t think that’s true.”
Because they actually understand that not everything on the internet is #facts, they have a high value on honesty and being real. And they get that it takes a minute to work through stories and issues and situations to get to the bottom of it.
And last but not least, my favorite thing about Gen Z.
1. They let people like what they like and they like them inclusive of their interests.
You want to be the girl with the cat ears? You are REALLY into clarinet? You only eat yellow foods?Hey, you do you! There is a lot about “you do you” that drives me kuh-ray-zee, BUT it is having this REALLY awesome result that kids feel comfortable to just be open and honest about what they like and their personality.
All the performance based platforms these kids have grown up with have taught them, everyone has something worth watching. And they are well practiced at handing out “likes.” There’s even a case to be made that the rise in allergies and sensory disorders and the normalization of counseling and mental health have made this generation sympathetic to others who just are different. They’ve learned to like each other just as they are.
This weekend I watched a talent show where kids of all skill levels and interests performed. Singing a song you love in front of hundreds of people? Yes. Lip syncing to a Trolls song? Please do. Performing a kata you learned in karate? Sweet! Music Comedy? Bring it. And no matter what went on that stage, those kids cheered and sang along and got hyped for these kids just as well as if they had been the artist who wrote the song or were the actual Karate Kid.
And to this nearly middle aged lady who LOVES theology, Harry Potter, every single genre of music so long as it is played full blast, when I like something I REALLY like something, and has a slight complex about never feeling like she totally quite fit in for almost 4 decades….it’s nice to find a whole generation of people who interact with me and say, “Sarah, yeah, she’s really awesome!”
So, for those reasons and many more, I say, “No, Gen-Z…you’re really awesome!!!”
Sarah Kinzer 