Gen Z has a bad rap. Various members of older generations have portrayed them as weak, neurotic, helpless, and fragile, which is both simplistic and insulting. While most generations share these negative traits, Gen Z is not particularly prone to them and is certainly not the withered flower that most of its critics claim.
For example, consider a news story that never goes away.
Zoomers are honest, far more stable than we older generations give them credit for, and uniquely kind-hearted, which is surprising given the time frame in which they’ve grown up.
In October 2022, Daily Mail “Gen Z says they feel attacked when they see the ‘passive-aggressive’ thumbs up emoji” New York Post“Gen Z wants to cancel the ‘hostile’ thumbs up emoji and ban nine other emojis too.”
Psychology Today I hopped on the pile while thoughtfully considering the question, “What’s so bad about using a thumbs up emoji?”
Last month, the story resurfaced, mainly in internet discussion forums. Independent “The thumbs up emoji isn’t passive-aggressive. Gen Z needs to get over it,” the editorial said.
“Get over it” is an ironic phrase. In this case, You need to get over it. For those who use the phrase “get over it,” by “it” they mean a strange, accusatory obsession in which an entire generation is accused of compulsive weirdness.
I predict that in two years we will see another article about “Thumb Emoji Gen Z.”
Of course, there were plenty of more sympathetic opinions, but most of them came from the otherwise insufferable highbrow media. The Washington PostTitled “The New Punctuation of Gen Z,” the column explores “a big shift in the emojis young people are using to convey humor.”
perhaps Emoji It’s just for us old people peoplea kind of Modern HieroglyphicsThere is teeth Generational differences In the world of emojis.
Other sources, including me, prefer to see emojis as an advancement on the power of words. The thumbs up emoji is, after all, It’s a legally binding signature in Canada. Admittedly, I don’t quite understand what they’re saying. But that’s because I avoid learning their slang. It’s kind of out of respect. I mean, it’s possible that I’m fundamentally misunderstanding the character of that generation. If they really do not How does a move like the thumbs up emoji impact the world?
The burden of proof is on them: they must convince society at large to abandon the thumbs-up emoji for a more peaceful society. Or they will swallow their discomfort and make a joke.
We’ve all experienced strange and persistent habits characteristic of previous generations, some of which irritate us even if we’re not sure why. Maybe something about a particular quirk or habit seems rude to us.
Incidentally, this discomfort can bring about positive change in society. These little things can be the glue that strengthens a generation, or even an entire zeitgeist. But it can also be the giant clown shoe on that generation’s state fair caricature. So if Gen Z is outraged by the thumbs up emoji, that doesn’t mean they’re any different from us, with all our quirky antics and obsessions. But that’s not true. So I’m going to take them at their word and consider the “Gen Z inspired by the thumbs up emoji” story a myth.
Zoomers are honest, far more stable than those of us older generations would like to admit, and uniquely kind-hearted. This is surprising, given the timeline in which they grew up. COVID-19 restrictions have meant they missed proms, graduations, freshman parties, and classes, forcing them to quarantine instead. Their sense of normalcy is warped.
They handled it well.
What I see in them is the next generation of Americans following much the same path as the wild kids before them. This revelation should turn the cacti into daisies. It should fall on the millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers like a cartoon anvil. The Zoomers are working hard right now. And they won’t submit to some of the social assumptions we’ve mistakenly taken for granted. We’ve only just scratched the surface of their unique inventions. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to polish my participation trophy.
