Our Defining Crisis: COVID-19 and The Youth
I haven’t laughed in 6 months. This is the realization I came to when I started working on this piece. Sure, I’ve chuckled and giggled, but I haven’t just laughed in that relaxed way that tells you everything is alright. And I am sure that I am not alone in this. COVID-19 has impacted all of us from all angles: financially many of us have had to deal with our own or our parents’ jobs suddenly being snatched away, socially we have had to adapt to living in front of the computer screen and emotionally we have had to cope not only with the stress of a worldwide pandemic that has taken over a million human lives, but also all the systemic issues that have been recently brought to light at the highest levels of our society, namely the deeply rooted racism so prevalent in America (and elsewhere). While the 2008 financial crisis may have indirectly affected our generation, this is the first true disaster we witness as a sapient and active generation and it has hit us hard.
On the economic side of things Gen-Z might have suffered more than most. Since people aged 18-24 are overrepresented in the service industry, many have ended up losing their jobs. Unfortunately the pandemic struck as the first waves of our generation were gearing up to enter the workforce, leaving many young adults stranded, hopeless and broke. Additionally the multiple lay-offs that have occurred in various industries have caused many experienced workers to return to their fields in any capacity they can, thus taking up the low-level positions usually reserved for young people straight out of college. Economically speaking the oldest Gen-Zers have had their progress halted for an indefinite amount of time, which is a terrifying thing experience at the best of times, yet some believe that the younger ones might reap the rewards of the economic and technological restructuring that businesses are currently undergoing due to the pandemic, thus partially balancing out the harm incurred now.
Beyond everything else, one of the most immediately noticeable impacts of Covid, has been the one on our mental health. The lack of face-to-face interaction, the destruction of our daily rhythms, the long amounts of time spent without leaving the house, the constant stress about our financial and social situations, as well as the onslaught of terrifying news that we endure on a daily basis have all contributed to what amounts to the perfect poison for our wellbeing. An American study found that almost half of 16-24 year-olds without previous mental health issues reported high levels of depressive symptoms during lockdown, while a third experienced moderate to severe anxiety. The abuse of substances and stress eating have also risen by an impressive margin. It was additionally found that marginalised communities were affected most by the virus and its various after-effects, partially due to their economic fragility, but considering that Gen-Z is the most diverse generation this is an alarming fact. LGBTQ+ people have been found to be suffering worse mental health issues than most at the moment, often due to being locked in with intolerant family members and unable to interact with their usual support networks. All of this raises questions as to the long lasting mental health effects of Covid on Gen-Z. We have always been a generation that is acutely aware of the importance of mental health and of the lamentable lack of public services that can adequately address it and Coronavirus has once again affirmed these truths. While the pandemic could lead to spikes of mental suffering that might last for years to come, perhaps this is the moment that will destigmatize mental health issues to a much greater degree and see services fit to treat such issues make the leaps and bounds they need to be making.
Politically speaking Gen-Z have matured a lot over the last 6 months. We have always been an independent and rebellious generation that holds more mistrust of “the man” than the ones who came before us. We also represent the most left-leaning voters in our society and the lowest percentage of Trump supporters. Due to our deep and intrinsic connection to the internet Gen-Z have never had the privilege of not-knowing and this has only become more true during the pandemic. While we were all stuck at home with nothing better to do than scroll Instagram we all witnessed the brutal murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and far too many others. We rose to the occasion both by raising awareness and money and (those of us that could) physically protesting. We saw the different responses of the world governments to the pandemic and their effects; ranging from surprisingly successful to disastrous and we realized the deeper truths these actions signified about our various leaderships and their priorities. While the world was falling apart we witnessed one humanitarian crisis after another as well as the effects of climate change blazing through more than 1.5 million acres of Californian wildlife. This all left a deep impression upon us as a generation. We are suffering through disasters largely brought onto us due to the bad political decisions of the generations that preceded us, who largely refuse to take the blame for their mistakes as the recent debacle with the corona outbreak at our very own university clearly showed. We are more outraged at and engaged in world affairs than ever before.
So will Corona temper us to become tough steel or weather our spirits down to nothing? It’s hard to tell as of now. What we do know is that we have proven ourselves as an informed, caring and resilient generation so far, despite our common desire to just give up and pretend like the world isn’t falling apart all around us. It is, it sucks and we can do something about it, just by staying true to who we are. Stay strong and do not fear what is to come – who knows, it might just be a good time?
