By Lia Fiffles ’24
Opinion’s Editor
Born between the years 1997 to 2012, Gen Z is the first generation to grow up with easy access to the internet, and we’ve maintained our reputation as a group of jaded individuals that struggle to utilize it in an appropriate way.
With a variety of topics that make headlines on social media, almost each and every one has faced the blunt and careless humor from Gen Z. Some may get away with just jokes being made at their expense, but some face being “canceled” if we deem it appropriate. The overall idea, when it comes to our generation and the way we use the internet, is that we are unable to understand which situations are okay to joke about, and which are not.
Recently, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia that has gone back as far as 2014, has reached the point of a Russian invasion into Ukraine. As the news hit the media, users on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok did not waste time in putting out posts that depicted jokes about the situation.
Involving a majority of American teenagers, TikTok was the main social media app that they went to to post these reactions. Following the initial bombing of Ukraine, teens took to the app to post their initial reactions, which of course, were mostly jokes.
For example, girls have posted videos claiming that they “belonged in the kitchen” because they “do not want to be drafted.” These were usually accompanied by some type of anti-feminist tag to add on to the joke.
Others were expressing how they did not want to live their youth in the middle of a world war. This is in addition to the satire comments being left under an Instagram account made for keeping individuals up to date on the news surrounding Vladimir Putin.
Although it was made clear that these were all jokes, those who are being directly affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict took to social media to express their disappointment and anger.
“Gen Z’s making jokes about the war going on between Ukraine and Russia truly makes me sick. You guys are so immature, like joking about a war that will kill tons of people isn’t the edgy internet humor you think it is,” says user emoboylukas on Twitter.
Thousands of similar statements were made as Gen Z continued to make jokes like “start posing for the history textbooks” and “Gen Z is unstoppable, put us up against Russia,” and many have caught on to the insensitivity that Gen Z shows toward the issues that make the headlines.
A majority of these insensitive jokes were made behind camera, where a teen was sitting in the comfort of their own home. A home that is located in a town that is not currently being invaded and its civilians killed. When dealing with issues that involve a loss of lives, there is no room for inconsiderate jokes coming from individuals who are not involved. It is not “dark humor” that these teens are utilizing, it is ignorance and disrespect.
Generation Z has grown up so closely attached to the internet to the point where there is a lack of understanding and sensitivity. Considering this is the generation that sees no excuse when it comes to educating oneself on political topics, it seems they have failed to take their own criticism this time around.
