Is Generation Z, now aged between 12 and 27, the rudest generation ever? I think it should be so. They are nonchalant and indifferent and can never imagine that the agreements they make should be respected.
For example, my eldest grandson, 23 years old, contacted me a few weeks ago to ask if he could come for lunch on Sunday. We get along great and always have interesting conversations, so I said yes, I would love that. Can he confirm, and I would book a nearby restaurant.
Having not seen or heard from him since Christmas, I was thrilled that he had reached out of his own accord.
I didn’t hear back, so on the appointed day I messaged him three ways: email, text, and phone. No answer. Should I start cooking, book the restaurant, or what? It became 12 noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. Nothing. No grandson, no messages.
Finally, at 8pm, and after his dad’s insistence, I got a quick text saying he was out late the night before and that he was sorry he hadn’t let me know he wasn’t coming.
As far as I’m concerned, that meant a whole day wasted. Do I not matter? Am I not counting? It seems not. I might be able to excuse this behavior in a 14 year old, but for someone who is supposedly an adult and in a responsible job, it is inexcusable and rude.
Electronic devices have become more important than people to Generation Z, says our writer
This is not an isolated example either; just the latest. Vague promises to visit are rarely kept. Admittedly, seeing your old grandmother or great aunt for lunch may not be the most exciting adventure, but in our time we considered such visits our duty, knowing that the lonely older people would be greatly welcomed by the lively presence of young people . people. And it’s not that we’re particularly demanding. Seeing them once or twice a year is all we ask.
But even that seems too much. For example, it never occurred to any of them to wonder whether I might be all alone at Easter, or whether they might be able to cheer me up with a phone call or a card.
And I know it’s not just my specific family that behaves this way. Such a lack of attention is endemic among Generation Z.
A friend has several teenage and twenty-something nieces and nephews. They say they’re coming over, she picks up pizzas or other takeaway food and looks forward to their visit. Then when something more exciting comes up, as it often does, they just don’t come and barely bother to let her know.
And “thank you,” it seems, is not in the vocabulary of this generation. It never occurs to my five grandchildren, now all grown up, to write or call to thank you for gifts or for money sent for their gap years, driving lessons, new computers or guitars.
We give them generosity in the hope that we will get some respect in return, which almost never comes.
Last year I sent a special book about the Brontes to the teenage granddaughter of a friend who was studying Jane Eyre for A-levels. I bought the book in Haworth, where the Brontes had lived, and also included some postcards from the sisters. Did I ever get any kind of confirmation? Am I crazy!
These young people are the princes of today, who live the life they choose and don’t care about anyone else. The fact that someone might wait all day for a visitor that never comes doesn’t cross their mind.
And even when they deign to visit and usually arrive late, they spend the time staring at their phone.
Why is Gen Z so negligent and uncaring? My own opinion on this is that they have been spoiled to death from day one. They are never disciplined and believe that the world revolves around them.
It seems that schools are not allowed to put anything negative on the final reports, but they should always provide the utmost encouragement, no matter how low the standard is.
The time when teachers put students in their place with a sharp remark is long gone. Parents would complain that their little darlings were upset and needed help, and the teacher would probably get fired.
Another factor is that their electronic devices have become more important to them than people. When you see a group of teenagers on the street, their heads will be looking down at their phones, instead of communicating with each other. It seems like their entire lives happen online.
And while my generation (I’m now 80), as well as their parents, were independent and walking around the world in their early twenties, these people are still living at home at the latest, not paying rent and having to do laundry and meals delivered on application will be prepared for them.
This long-term indulgence means they never really grow up. Is it any wonder they don’t think about anyone else for a minute?