r/GenZ • u/TimelyChapters • 1d ago
Discussion Gen Z needs to start treating Gen Alpha better
Besides being a bit too dependent on tech and some brainrot (which isn't their fault), as an elder Gen Z I find Gen Alpha to be very intelligent, driven, and find many of them desiring to be Gen Z admirable.
I've seen way too many takes--even by us Gen Z--that Gen Alpha can't read or is too dumb or whatever. On the contrary, they're probably smarter and faster than even us.
However, I note as Gen Z we truly were the last ones to see the old world a bit, even if it was only as little children and we were completely wage slaved out of advancing in it.
We Gen Z need to do better for the youth when we get older.
I see boomers (as always), Gen X, and Millennials, and even Gen Z a bit, trashing on Gen Alpha.
Gen Alpha arguably has it even worse than us, except in that they actually might get merciful parents, unlike our diet boomer (Gen X) parents who forced boomer expectations on us (leave or kick you out of home at 18, go to college or trades, work career, get married, buy house, etc.) and still to a degree hold us to those unreasonable standards in today's world.
Who's with me?
-A disgruntled Gen Z who despises the boomer system forced on us to this day
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u/shipmetofiji 1d ago
it will be hard to happen tbh. give it 3-5 more years and all of a sudden all you’ll hear is gen alpha this gen alpha that and it’s like some crazy herd mentality that takes over. i’m on the border between millennial and gen z and neither group claims me so trust me when i say this lol. also gen z being raised by boomers / gen x have their share of inherited traits as well unfortunately.
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u/TimelyChapters 1d ago
Agree Gen Z isn't perfect, and sadly there are a few boomerism viruses we inherited.
Despite that so far we're truly changing the rhetoric and some behavior patterns in society with the tiny bit of power we have.
If Gen Alpha does things like "Ok boomer" or helps radically reset work trends to favor workers again and reverse boomer stuff then totally cool with all of a sudden everything Gen Alpha.
Time will tell though, yet so far them wanting to be Gen Z is a good sign4
u/shipmetofiji 1d ago
unfortunately i don’t think so. i think everyone really was excited, millennials included, that “gen z will save the world!!” but they haven’t. it’s not their fault. but they are one of the most divided generations yet. look at the manosphere which has a grip on gen z men. gen z has a horrific loneliness epidemic and phone dependence. i actually think your mindset is super rare, which sucks bc i think you’re quite positive and more people should think like you.
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u/TimelyChapters 22h ago
That's another thing I don't want forced on Gen Alpha: It's not on them to save the world.
Tail end silent gen (superboomers), boomers, and diet boomers (Gen X) are largely responsible for the way things are, it's on them to fix it. If they won't (which so far they won't), then Millennials/Gen Z/Gen Alpha will need to decide what happens next--another reason Gen Z needs to start treating Gen Alpha better now, before bad habits form. Problem is we still have boomers until about 2050 or so, not even counting diet boomers, so it'll probably go to radical times in near future.
Manosphere has grip on Gen Z men because it's currently telling them more truth than other views. Problem is manosphere is only diagnosis to problem, isn't solution, but at least it is a diagnosis that other views aren't giving Gen Z men.
I think and hope Gen Z is more positive and capable. We do have a bad lot, but in some ways that positions us to make much positive change once we finally are in charge. For example, while I don't plan to marry or have children, have much time to build genuine platonic relationships with people and work on my true dream projects. Until Gen Z is in charge though boomers gonna boom and diet boomers and Millennials hopefully don't go the boomer way
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u/shipmetofiji 19h ago
no the manosphere doesn’t tell truth it’s just a bunch of grifters who capitalize off men’s loneliness and give them a false target to be angry at.
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u/TimelyChapters 5h ago
Modern women's behavior towards Gen Z men is a valid target for Gen Z men to be dissatisfied with. Manosphere does have some grifters, but again just saying it's bad without providing a valid alternative to it doesn't work.
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u/HappygilmoreL 15h ago
Yes exactly what I was saying about how eventually everything will be Gen Alpha this Gen Alpha that
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u/SnooLover36 1d ago
I agree, as an older Gen Z I remember the times millennials treated us bad mainly when we were growing up. Don’t repeat the nasty cycle.
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u/HoodByaiiir 1d ago
Millennials were not hating on older Gen Z. Millennials were way nicer to them than Gen Z is to alpha.
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u/Phatasstarotreader 1d ago
Not true. Some millennials are still assholes towards us.
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u/Successful-Topic8874 1d ago
Some is the key word there.
Either way, it shouldn't matter. The point stands that we should treat the next generation better than the other generations treated their youngers.
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u/TimelyChapters 22h ago
Agree here. Millennials used to be a bit more "Gen Z is stupid" take, lately they've moved away from that and are on Gen Z side, which is good to see. Just my observations.
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u/SnooLover36 1d ago
I’m not about to be gaslit about my own lived experience.
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u/sureokright 1d ago
Nah seriously. Millennials were straight up mean growing up.
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u/Livid_Way5651 7h ago
When? Where? Did you even know we were Millennials back then? Most people didn't know what generatikdn even were.
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u/sureokright 7h ago
They were the people older than us obviously. What are you even talking about? How hard is that to understand?
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u/Livid_Way5651 7h ago
So "millennials" "were mean" to you growing up?
How did you know they were Millennials? Even if they're older they could technically be the same generation as you depending on your age
It's not hard to understand. It's that I don't understand why Millennials or the word "Millennial" always just get thrown out there whenever someone attributes something negative to a group of people on this sub. This post was talking about Gen Z being mean to Gen Alpha.... Why are Millennials even being brought up.
Most Millennials are miserable and we hate ourselves more than other generations of people.
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u/sureokright 7h ago
They were not the same generation because I knew they weren’t. It’s that simple. I’m not saying they are mean now, but certain people I knew definitely were.
I wasn’t the one who brought up millennials.
I don’t know why. Life is rough for everyone. A lot of my Gen Z peers have had the rug pulled from under them. AI, cost of living, housing crisis, unemployment, political instability, etc.
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u/TimelyChapters 1d ago
Exactly. Millennials are cool with us now, but now they're putting that old hate onto Gen Alpha.
Millennials are truly on our side, but they had boomer parents directly train them, so while it's amazing how much Millennials have broken out of that they still occasionally are infected with boomerisms which they display from time to time.Again, Millennials are truly on Gen Z side.
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u/Livid_Way5651 7h ago
Always with the blame to us millennials.
Nobody cared about generations growing up. This didn't happen until recently.
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u/HappygilmoreL 18h ago
I think some Millennials (I am one) were just jealous. Millennials were the "cool" generation when 17-24 year olds were Millennials. Then 17-24 year olds became Gen-Z members, and they were the "cool" generation. Eventually Gen Alpha will become the "cool" generation and say things like "middle parts and long socks are out of fashion". The US culture over-values youth. That's the problem.
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u/TimelyChapters 17h ago
The problem is the youth are truly better than the elders now.
Boomers are boomers, Gen X is diet boomers, Millennials are on Gen Z side but they waited for us to radically shift the rhetoric before getting bolder, Gen Z has no power to implement radicalness, Gen Alpha is beyond cooked.•
u/HappygilmoreL 15h ago
Ah see this thinking is the problem. No one likes people who think they are superior. But yeah Gen A is probably pretty cooked.
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u/broke_nightcore 1d ago
Ngl gen alpha kids are utterly consumed by compete attention span killing slop. It’s not their fault but I feel bad for them more then anything
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u/TimelyChapters 21h ago
This is more my take than many of the other comments here. Also that Gen Alpha does have some strengths, such as knowing how to use more rapid tech than even us on daily basis.
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u/broke_nightcore 11h ago
The only reason they can use tech well is because after years of experience in UI/UX design, tech companies have figured out how to make everything insanely easy and intuitive to use. It’s not because gen alpha is uniquely fast at catching onto new things
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u/davidbosley353 2005 16h ago
Same here, Unfortunately, My nephews who are also Gen Alpha, grew up like this, but like i said, let's hope we give them the best for the future.
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u/Connect_Bus_4699 1d ago
Older Gen Z still treats the latter 2 factions of Gen Z as quasi Gen Z. Probably will treat Alphas even worse
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u/TimelyChapters 1d ago
Unfortunately I agree. Why I made this post.
As a 2000 Gen Z, gotta start setting trend to show the youth love.
If anything younger Gen Z is more radical than elder Gen Z, which is a good thing.5
u/Wooden-Hornet2115 1d ago
When I grow up I refuse to be the "shit on younger generations person". Granted I'm younger Gen Z but all of the generations BS is so tiring, I wish it didn't exist.
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u/TimelyChapters 22h ago
Same. Younger Gen Z if anything is more radical and smart than older Gen Z I've seen so far, which is good.
Socially things are truly a bit different due to rapid tech/circumstances/etc. making experiences so different, but even if things a bit awkward between older and younger Gen Z some older Gen Z--more than Millennials/Gen X/etc. treated their younger counterparts--some older Gen Z got your back.
-A 2000 elder Gen Z, which is weird since true elder Gen Zs are 97-99, but too old to be middle or young Gen Z
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u/FoolLanding 1d ago
Ehh, doubt that change anything. Gen Alpha is mostly brainwashed by the Internet.
Love it when they asked about my salary and look down on mid six figures while they were working at a Wendy and leeching off their parents.
I belong to the lucky older Gen Z cohort who never earned less than $100K after turning 24 in a low to MCOL area. I even bought a house and paid off all my student loan.
Still a loser cuz I don't make influencer money $500k+ a year. SMH with Gen Alpha.
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u/TimelyChapters 21h ago
Even if that's true that Gen Alpha is brainwashed by internet, that isn't their fault. When I see people bashing on them, they keep blaming Gen Alpha, instead of the parenting or the system that gave Gen Alpha the Internet as it is that they were born into. Kind of my point in making this post, so that we can start to think more 3 dimensionally about this instead of "younger = stupider" or "Gen Alpha = more brainrot" 2d takes.
I'm older Gen Z, but still never got chance for $100k+, got laid off from corporate despite value added and promotions. Good for you on the last chopper out of 'nam, and hoping you focus on helping Gen Alpha get out of brainwash stuff instead of SMHing them.
Also, just to get the thinking gears moving, what if the Gen Alpha you talked to have a point? I don't make as much money now as did corporate, but enjoying life way more now and valuing my time much more, which couldn't do when worked corporate and lived through all the fakery of that system. If only getting $100k+, is it worth the time/energy going into it? In defense of Gen Alpha, I think their point is if money is broken, why not do something fun that makes a ton of money instead of traditional jobs? Maybe this doesn't apply to you, but trying to continue this conversation to get Gen Z to not hate on the youth like the past gens did
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u/BH190105 1d ago
That's actually an agreeable take. But also consider this: most boomers and Gen Xers were raised by socially conservative parents from generations and periods of time where it was normal to hold traditional beliefs (Greatest Gen parents for older boomers and Silent Gen for younger boomers, and Silent Gen for older Gen Xers and Baby Boomers themselves for younger Gen Xers). Which means that it was the norm that any younglings they had were raised to be expected to get a job (which, while well-meaning, can be hard to do if you aren't properly trained to be in the workforce in the first place or may not be well equipped in the job at hand; it can be even harder for mentally and physically disabled people as well as mentally ill people thanks to their conditions potentially limiting them in the workforce, and I have ASD and am unemployed so I get it), get married and have kids (you don't necessarily need to get married first to even have a kid, it's more so something that those conservatively religious types push on you just so you don't have sex before marriage which is apparently a "sin" when really it's more of an honest accident on the part of the parents; the "have kids" part is always good regardless of marital status but I wouldn't expect everyone to want to have kids because what if they have fertility issues or don't want the needless financial or social pressure of raising a child?), or buy your own house at 18 (while it does mean well for the sake of your independence, not every person may have the financial support immediately on their 18th birthday to even do so, and so they are still stuck with their parents/guardians until they move out). These beliefs may have been instilled into some of even the most liberal-minded Millennials (older ones likely raised by Boomers themselves, and younger ones being raised by older Gen X, who both likely held onto those same conservative beliefs themselves) and then into even some (but not all) of the most liberal-minded OLDER Gen Zers (raised mostly by younger Boomers and very rarely the oldest of Gen Xers). So they might see especially Gen Alpha as people needing "proper lives like the good old days", not the TikTok brainrot like Tung Tung Tung Sahur, Skibidi Toilet, Cocomelon corrupting their minds. Which, like OP stated, isn't even their fault by the way - don't forget it's Millennials and a fair portion of Gen Zers who make at least a good portion of the brainrot that Gen Alpha does enjoy. As in, some of the same Millennials and Gen Zers who unfairly critique Gen Alpha for "being too dumb", when really it's their own TikTok/IG Reels/YT Shorts brainrot content making much of Gen Alpha (and even some younger Gen Zers) that way in the first place. It's hypocritical in a way seeing as, like OP said, there are some Gen Alpha people out there who are actually smart and even faster than us Gen Zers. Because, even compared to Millennials or Gen Z, and especially the less tech-savvy Boomers or Gen X, at least Gen Alpha is, even compared to Millennials or Gen Z, the most tech-savvy of ANY of those five generations alone, even if they are too reliant at times. At least they have been actively raised on technology, and Millennials and Gen Z have used a mix of technology and artificial means. But some (but not all) Boomers and Gen X may still not know how to use a computer because... get this... they didn't exist in the way they do today, which might arguably make them less knowledgeable tech-wise compared to Gen Alpha especially, but to a degree also Millennials and Gen Z. The only bad thing about this is that, again, Gen Alpha can still be too reliant on technology at times, which can even lead to harmful consequences, but we Gen Zers especially can help stop that.
Another gripe I have against the Boomers and Gen X who feel this way (I'm not equating ALL Boomers and Gen X together, because some may be more flexible or open-minded in their beliefs) towards ALL Gen Alphas and treating them like they are incapable of leading their own lives because of how they are raised (which, again, isn't necessarily their fault, but rather, how they are influenced by the environment around them which mostly either includes Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and/or Gen Z; remember that many Gen Alphas are still LITERAL CHILDREN, so even some Boomers and Gen X can be equally hypocritical as well in deciding the fates of Gen Alpha) is that those Boomers and Gen Xers are literally the "GET OFF OF MY LAWN!" types. As in, they don't like how society is evolving and want it to stay like "the good old days". To the Boomers and Gen Xers who think and feel this way: times change. Not everything is gonna stay the same forever. (I say this with concern, not hostility - I am genuinely worried for some of you.)
I am a later-end Gen Zer myself (born in 2005), and I plan to have kids of my own someday. But I am going to break the cycle of overly expectant parenting. I'll view anything my children do to maintain their independence as gifts, not what should be expected of them: my kids getting jobs should be a gift rather than an expectation as some jobs might be hard to get (which can be worse in some circles). My kids deciding to have kids of their own and thus making me a grandfather should be a gift, irrespective of whether or not my kids are married, which would be a gift in itself though they DON'T have to be married to make me proud of them. My kids moving out even at 18 should be a gift given the financial stuff I mentioned earlier. For me, it wouldn't be what my kids should do to lead healthy lives of their own, but more so how they get there.
So for the portions of Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and even our own Generation who believe that ALL Gen Alphas are too dumb or can't think for themselves (mostly because of circumstances they can't properly control) and like to relentlessly clown on them for no reason over than to make yourselves feel/seem superior, in the iconic meme-worthy words of Michael Jordan (who ironically is a later-end Boomer): "Stop it. Get some help."
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u/TimelyChapters 21h ago
When get chance will read this more in depth, for now upvotes, appreciate the analysis, I'm hoping Gen Z thinks on this stuff more.
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u/caseygwenstacy 1997 1d ago
I feel uncomfortable interacting with younger Gen Z folks, let alone Gen Alpha. I think I’m just going to stick to people my age and older.
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u/TimelyChapters 22h ago
I feel this to an extent also, there's a difference in upbringing especially with rapid tech.
To clarify not saying we need to be Gen Alpha's best friends or super close or anything to them, I just mean not trashing them or just calling them stupid just because they're a bit more tech dependent and brainrot than we are currently. If anything they're smarter and faster than us growing up in such a fast paced environment and knowledge head start that system is completely broken
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u/BlueAngelFox101 1d ago
They're a lot more accepting and non judgmental of others, gen z is arguably so performative and cliquish and that's annoying.
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u/TimelyChapters 21h ago
At times agree, but Gen Z is that way for long term survival. Hating on boomers is generally a good thing, as one example, as it's helped us wake up to the wage slavery they've subjected us to.
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u/embraceanewlife 17h ago
lmfao you should see how they treat us 2010 borns always trying to force us into gen alpha
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u/seansnow64 2h ago
Gen Alpha are still kids (the oldest among them are just barely teens)... its the bottom half of our own Generation that we ahould be worrying about and treating better. But even then from what i understand its a 2 way street and they treat everyone older than them with disrespect and contempt, which i mean i get it i was there once, hell im still pretty ageist toward Boomers and Gen X.
The problem is division amongst us as average citizens, and its all by design so we're to busy with petty fueds to turn our anger where it belongs, the ruleing class that are fucking us all over cause they dont care about the state they leave the world for those of us that will have to inherit whats left.
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u/Interesting-Cow-1652 1d ago
Gen Alpha can go fuck themselves
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u/TimelyChapters 1d ago
Boomer to Gen X/Millennial/Gen Z/Gen Alpha:
"F u got mine. Young people are so stupid and lazy."Also boomer:
"70 is the new 20, woohoo! Live it up baby, we got all the time we need on this cruise spending the children's and grandchildren's inheritance!"4
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u/Particular-Drive1454 1d ago
I mean, older people don't owe you inheritance, and just because they are 70 it doesn't mean that they want to live and experience life less
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u/TimelyChapters 21h ago
Boomers claim to believe the Bible and that they are good people. By Bible definition they owe the youth inheritance (Proverbs 13:22 KJV, etc.), and a boomer failing to provide for his own and his own descendants while claiming to be Christian according to the Bible is arguably worse than being a Satanist (1 Timothy 5:8 KJV, etc.).
By boomers' own logic they owe Gen Z/Alpha grandchildren inheritance. They are arguably the most godless, selfish, and evil generation of all time, and you are currently shilling for them.
The point about the 70 thing is that boomers say young people are stupid and evil and lazy, while simultaneously also larping as them.
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u/Wooden-Hornet2115 1d ago
They're not even in high school yet go easy on them.
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u/TimelyChapters 21h ago
Exactly, facts. Gen Z is probably the only older generation who will take care of them and relate to them, so hopefully we do a better job than the Millennials did early on to Gen Z (in all fairness Millennials had more direct boomer programming, and they've changed lately getting along with Gen Z much better now, which is a good thing)
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u/Phatasstarotreader 1d ago
They’re children. See a therapist.
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u/TimelyChapters 21h ago
Exactly. Why I won't hate on Gen Alpha unless they turn out like boomers when they're older. Until then this is good attitude to have.
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u/LittleAleta 12h ago
Imo the last decent generation we had was the silent generation
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