Generation Z Needs to Get Woke

Last fall on the first day of class, I asked my 60 freshmen journalism students in what year they were born. One young man shouted out, “2000.” Others nodded in agreement.  2000? I thought, oh my God. This is Generation Z, the vanguard of people born in the second millennium. They will the biggest generation ever.

       While my students were getting settled in their seats, I thought to myself, “They don’t know anything. They haven’t seen anything.”  Well, that’s not fair. They know about technology and social media, celebrities and sports, but they don’t know about America’s history, civics, and the economy… and the perilous times for our democracy. In that respect they are probably not much different from the President.

      Generation Z is made up of entitled children, who grew up with time outs and iPhones, iPads and Fortnite. They probably didn’t hear “no,” very often. And now they come barreling in, and I feel, they’re ill-prepared for the challenges the United States is facing.

     We older generations have a responsibility to help prepare these kids to tackle the problems ahead. We can’t rely on the schools to teach them everything. We can educate them.

     Take your children and grandchildren, as I have, and sit them down and tell them about the past and what the heck is going on today. If you don’t know, look it up. You should know, too. Generation Z is expected to be the smartest generation in history, but what good will that be if all they care about is me, myself and I.

     Until next time.