#we're talking about millenials and gen z
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heard somebody say today that gen z grew up slower than millenials, gen x, boomers, etc. idk where they were but that did not happen to me and if you're gonna talk about drivers licenses or dating or something im gonna talk about covid hitting us in high school and college when those things usually happen ?? like you cant say we're slow to develop and also say we're the most politically active generation or whatever. i guess you can say that but it doesn't mean we're stupid or underdeveloped we're just. i don't know what we are i'm just pissed cause like give us time???? fuck man im still like 19 sorry im not joining the corporate workforce and having kids yet jeez im afraid of everything ever give me a minute
#this isn't really coherent that video just sort of ticked me off#it was like a podcast of millenials and they were like yeah kids these days arent getting their drivers license#ok? and?? where am i supposed to go be for real rn#i just don't know how useful of a conversation this is when we could be talkimg about mental health ? or somethijg ? that matters???#man this made me mad#james jabbers
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HELLO and welcome to my rant about the PJO TV show
in honor of season 2 being announced, here is everything i loved and everything that needs to change.
i would like to preface this by saying that while my overall rating for the season was 7.5/10, the rating of each individual episode vary WILDLY, and there are reasons. even so, i still loved the show and cannot wait for season two.
STUFF I LOVED:
THE CASTING <3 <3 they have my whole heart all of them.
percy and sally's relationship
the little allusions to future books
episodes 1-3 *chefs kiss*
the design of the world and the monsters they looked SO GOOD
the changes to the conflicts and interactions, especially medusa and the tunnel of love
LIN MANUEL MIRANDA
the poseidon and sally scene. you know the one.
the gods speaking ancient greek YES
the fact that poseidons mom is proffessor mcgonnegal lmao
2X RICK CAMEOOOO
the dream sequences
oh golly, the roads gettin bumpy cause i got me some friends--
"i am impertinent" DIRECT BOOK QUOTE HELLO
"guess i'll lose my dessert privileges" DIRECT BOOK QUOTE PT. 2 ALSO CLARRISSE?????
the ares fight. i thought it would be cheesy but nope. massive W
the fact that this is my favorite book series <3
okay. now that that's out of the way.
the main problem was the directing.
series that use multiple directors (different ones for different episodes) are never good imo. when you're building a world u can't have clashing perspectives on what that world looks and feels like. bc of this, most of the season just felt empty. the riordanverse is set in our world, yes, but theres such a specific tone and vibe of this world in the books that was entirely absent in the show. the only time i even slightly felt it was in the first two episodes, and, what do u know, those were both directed by James Bobin, a veteran director of kid and teen shows.
on top of that, the structure was entirely too stiff. each episode was obvious: here is a monster, we know exactly who it is, this is why they're bad, and this is how we defeat them (usually with no fight scene, might i add, even tho there were multiple fights in the book). there was no SUSPENSE. every episode felt exactly the same, even though each monster is supposed to give us a different feeling. the first time i truly noticed this was in episode 5. the lotus casino felt SO flat. i was really disappointed, since that situation offers so many feeling and conflicts, and those were all ignored. AND THE BIGGEST MOMENT IN THE SEASON, the luke betrayal, THERE WAS NO BETRAYAL? percy just FIGURES IT OUT??? the fight was great, but that did not sit right with me.
2) why is this written by millenials omfg (and the characterization was off)
dude. percy jackson saying "period" in a serious context is NOT HOW THAT WORD IS COLLOQUIALLY USED. same thing with "i think we're going to have to be detectives here 🤓". These kids are supposed to be gen z in the show. Did they not get ANY gen z readers? or even just longtime fans to approve that yes, these characters are speaking how they're supposed to? im a gen z kid, and this pained me. this leads into my bigger issue with how the characters were depicted. lets talk abt it shall we!
tell my why annabeth chase wasn't a know it all. shes supposed to be the smartest girl in the room, always trying to prove it, not just to other people but herself too, that she comes off as a bossy know it all in the first book and we love her for it. so WHY was percy the one explaining EVERY SINGLE MYTH. go back and watch it. annabeth doesn't explain a single monster, or myth, or situation, or ANYTHING. i LOVE leah sava jeffries and i know she knows what she's doing, but the writing is entirely against her. tell my why the only times i really felt like annabeth's personality was written into the scene was the candy scene, the "are we under arrest", and at waterland. every other little piece of her was offered by leah, not the writers, so THANK YOU to leah sava jeffries and nobody else.
on the flip side of that, percy knew way too much, and they somehow made him clueless about the wrong things? he explained nearly every myth and monster, but couldn't understand that other people also have a bad relationship with their godly parents. like, he was surprised by annabeth and luke when he found out that the gods didn't care, which makes zero sense since he's so angry about his own dad not being in his life? it's really supposed to be the other way around-- clueless about the myth world but sure about parental relationships. i guess i can sort of see how this character change contributes to the plot, but i don't like it.
meanwhile grover has now been diminished to a comedy relief. the only times he did anything substancial was when he tricked ares, and the conclusion of which turned out to be wrong anyways, so there wasn't even any point. (also the getting percy kicked out of school part, which i don't have any critiques of). justice for grover man.
3) why. why is percabeth like this.
okay.
i love percabeth. i think the kids nailed it. i'm loving the slowburn. but why are they changing the relationship trajectory???? again, a writing issue.
one of the biggest and most important scenes, which is even alluded to in later books, is the oreo scene in the Kindness international truck. Missing. annabeth saying "because you're my friend, seaweed brain, anymore stupid questions?" gone. the suspense of not knowing anything about each other and still choosing to protect each other? not the same at all, because annabeth tells him her entire life story in episode 4, and for what? WRITERS, WHY ARE YOU MESSING WITH PERFECTION.
on top of that, some of the other relationships were just not developed enough. i ADORED the sally and little percy flashbacks-- sally percy relationship is on point. but luke and annabeth? annabeth struggled for the whole series with her brother-like figure, who she did everything for, and the understanding that he's now evil. that's a plotline that's super important to me specifically, and we had almost zero buildup of their relationship. and again, for what? that could have been fixed in ONE scene, just one where they're alone and talking to each other (and also, that could have been where we the audience learn a little about annabeths past, instead of changing her character, who's supposed to be very guarded, so tell percy her whole life story after knowing him for like a week). and THEN, the fact that they just skipped from the betrayal to percy leaving? no emotions? no discussion with chiron?? no annabeth realizing she's lost her brother??? i don't understand it.
also, percy and grover. we didn't see enough of their bromance. i don't have specific recipts for this one, just a feeling. i missed their friendship.
anywho.
MY FINAL STATS FOR PJO SEASON 1:
Episode 1: 9.5/10 (would be 10, but gabe wasn't right)
Episode 2 AND 3: 10/10
Episode 4: 6/10
Episode 5: 8/10
Episode 6: 4/10
Episode 7: 7/10
Episode 8: 9/10
writing this was exhausting. if you're still here, tysm, love u
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I wanted to make a post about how I'm hurt that millenials and gen z and whatever the fuck y'all are calling yourselves now in the depths of your lack of joint pain and good speaking relationships with your non-alchoholic parents consider generation x to be the evil ones now just because we're older than you and managed to get into the housing market because our parents didn't treat us like commodities (except when they did) or shoved us into the workforce before we were ready but I realised that generational conflicts are manufactured because i only got into generation x in the last two decades because they didn't know what the fuck to do with my generation that grew up actually using computers and understanding telephone banking but not knowing how to floss any way we are actually the same pls just talk to each other
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"Ohh boo hoo zoomers don't know so many basic skills we're so doomed" do you realize how stupid you sound. Do you realize how much of a hypocrite you are. Does the phrase "millenials don't know how to sew or clean or cook for themselves they're so lazy we're doomed" sound familiar? Because that's exactly what you're saying, except new and fresh.
What zoomers don't know is what the earlier generations didn't teach them. Everyone was talking about how "gen z was born into technology they're going to know how to use a computer before they know how to talk" and never bothered to actually teach them anything. And now you're surprised that many if not most of them don't know how file directories and online piracy work?
The evil boomers aren't an isolated incident by any means; it becomes your job as you get older to stop yourself from recreating the harm they do. Don't sever the links between you and the younger generations, you used to be there. The kids are alright when you teach them how to be.
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honestly, one of the worst group job interviews I ever did (minus the one where I accidentally made a vague sex joke in front of 60 people mid assessment day) was when I applied for a youth clothing store that also has a spin-off quirky millenial and gen z hipster stationery store (aussies will know exactly what retail chain im talking about lmao).
anyway. first of all, for this shitty retail job, I had to go all the way to southern sydney (where I don't live- specifically the suburb of Miranda) to go to the assessment centre at the local RSL club (which meant I had nice food at the end which was a win).
but GOD. when they filed us into the assessment room to split us into groups, we had to file in in a CONGA line where the people leading the interview had party poppers and streamers and we had to show our "party loving vibes and down to have fun boss bitch attitude!!!"
like gina and ross, for the LOVE OF FUCK. we're selling shitty over-priced clothes that should be really be sold at $5 a piece (ie what we make them for in bulk in bangladesh) instead of $50 for a pair of fucking yoga/activewear leggings (even if they ARE really comfy). we harass people at the counter to buy a $2 enviro canvas bag for our charity.... and back in the day, it was the bottled water. like hell I'm dancing into an interview in a fucking conga line, for the LOVE of god.
and plus, ironically, NEVER have I once had someone be this horrendously PERKY in store. hell, half the time there's only EVER one store clerk in the ENTIRE mega store or separate store, depending on which shop you're in. or maybe there's two people, but the other person's in the back. very occasionally, yes, they'll ask you about your day and help you style an outfit. but other than that, they never talk to you until you get to the counter.
WHY must we prance around in a CONGA line with streamers and be our "best perky selves" to sell FRIENDS or h**** p***** or some other 90s/2000s branded shit??? to sell strawberry scented spray hand sanitiser and face masks???? to sell a mini desk vacuum or a laptop stand??? to sell shitty jeans that rip after one wear (a testimonial from my friend that used to work there while we were in uni)???
like I obvs didn't get the job at this store bc my feedback on the day was "you're just not PERKY enough to bring the *insert the business here* brand alive in store to give our customers a positive, energetic, down to earth, spontaneous and fun loving immersive experience for our brand and charity!!!" like no shit. you made me travel nearly 2 hours by car, and go to my wits end with sydney parking and driving (I accidentally made my dad go up a one-way street..... the wrong way).... I'm tired as ALL hell just getting here.... for an interview that could've been SO EASILY conducted at my local fucking shopping centre for the local stores in my area. of course I'm not going to be too thrilled about acting like a fucking clown during this assessment centre.
like I get this brand did this assessment centre in sydney bc like "it's where head office is" or whatever the fuck. but my god. travelling to sydney from where I am, is a pain in the fucking ass. just conduct it locally, in my area, so I have more chance of being perky. but also. this "be perky and fun loving, dance in a conga line" bullshit for an interview, just feels like a spectacle that I have no energy for. just conduct the outfit selling and styling portion and make me watch the BS brand/company video and call it a day.
#life#about me#shut up ilona#ilona's job hunting thoughts and woes lol#ilona's work thoughts#ilona's work dilemmas
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I feel that while day to day life has gotten more vocal about actively keeping "disturbing" topics out of the public sphere, going so far as to push us to self censor topics like death into d*ath and 'unalived', while crying to protect the children from even talking about disturbing things lest they get hurt (as if they all haven't gone through a pandemic right now, anyway); the more then we collectively are doing what in Germany is called heile Welt spielen, pretend that the world is safe and whole and nothing hurts, the more disturbing mainstream art seems to get. I mean, 2005 ambiguously gay was House and Wilson, not Will and Hannibal. And while Euphoria and The Breakfast Club were both about teen issues, I would say that the tone is quite different. Bend It Like Beckham vs Yellowjackets? Let's go, I am very much not saying not to tell these stories, but the discrepancy to what we want to feel in a scary world (Not. Disturbed!) what we acknowledge (insert this is fine.gif) and what stories we choose to tell (what feelings we're actually working through) is staggering. The millenial experience is Jess from Beckham finding herself in Yellowjackets and Gen Z, for all I can glean, is looking at a dystopia, feeling "looks like Wednesday" and laughing at ancient memes to get some second hand sense of safety. Meanwhile the Boomers are like: you know what we should do to fix this? Join the Nazis!
In the late 90's we had to make up aliens to fight to whip up some tension. Now the tension comes from the fact that since 2016 at the latest, we have been clinging to our sanity with our fingernails.
I personally would prefer if we just freaked out in normal life a bit more, but I do feel some comfort in looking at pop culture and going: nah, we're not fine. Nuhuh.
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This morning at work i had to go do something in the store adjacent to my job (i needed to use a machine that they have)
And while i was using it, i heard two of the employees talking about how like... No one wants to join the military anymore
And complaining about the "nintendo generation" (which is not even gen z lmao, i'm pretty sure that's millenials - but they were talking about gen z... My point is these dudes are idiots but anyway) and "entitled kids who don't wanna work"
Like of fucking course they don't wanna go to war you fucking nimrod
Oh and the best part
Since i was there and am visibly young (21 but i look a lot younger), one of the guys looked at me and said "oh, we're not talking about you, you're hardworking" and i just didn't answer - and he said "it's a compliment" and i just went "mmhmm" and left
(ps that is the literal definition of a backhanded compliment in this context - like "yeah you're wardworking for gen z" - fuck off)
Anyway
Other than that my day was good
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You wanna know what the absolute worst thing is about gatekeeping in the goth subculture when it comes to goth millenials & older VS. gen z goths & younger?
Babybats look up to older goths.
Why? Because we're their proof that self-authenticity evolves over time. That it gets easier. They see us & feel validated.
I never expected to be someone that a babybat would look up to. But then one day I was in a waiting room with teased hair and black lipstick, and there was a younger person there (late middle school or early high school age maybe) waiting with their mom.
They were obviously very shy, and instead of engaging with me, they started talking excitedly (yet quietly) to their mom about M'era Luna festival and Black Moon Cosmetics. I'm not sure if they brought up any bands but they could have called Slipknot a goth band and I still would've been overjoyed to be in that room that day.
It goes both ways. It's inspiring for younger goths to see older goths in the wild, and it's an absolute gift to see kids and teenagers getting into alternative subcultures.
It doesn't matter if babybats don't recognize the band on your shirt or don't resonate with your very specific denomination of style, they're just happy to see adults who get it and who aren't going to give them the redundant leer that they probably get from most adults all day.
These kids already likely get the soul crushed out of them in their social lives by people who care way too much about picking someone apart over shallow bullshit like how someone looks or what music they like.
Why would you crush them even further? How dare you.
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I still don't believe piracy is the real reason the raven boys books didn't do well. Do I love the books? More or less. I think they're certainly good if you're 13-15 year old dealing with the angstiest period of your life. I don't think Goodreads is a good place for primary marketing. I don't think 2013-2016 was a great time to be releasing teen fiction as every teen dystopia was dying on the vine. I don't think she wrote a series that would ever be marketable as a TV or Movie property. I don't think the books are even possible to translate to a visual medium. I think presale of The Raven Boys movie rights before the book had ever really hit shelves meant that there was a big initial cash flow before they realized the movie would never really be made. A bunch of teens walking around and talking about relationships? Most of the book happens in internal monologue. Not really gonna move numbers for the age demo, Nicholas Sparks is one of the few guys who can pull that off. The cover art is very... Not edgy enough to attract the alt folks. Six Of Crows sold most of it's copies by being so edgy they had to read it, no matter what bs was between the covers. If Stiefvater had dropped this during the 90s comic book boom of holofoil covers we're in now with special store exclusive fomo only editions and sprayed edges to sell style over substance, I think it might have helped. But she published during possibly the deadest time I can remember to do anything for teens or in fantasy in general. I do think her demo was teen girls with no money so there would be piracy. I do not believe for an instant that she found more than five comments total of people saying they'd choose piracy over purchasing. The authors drive to embellish how much hate they receive is legendary. I think blaming piracy is a great scapegoat for poor sales, poor follow through, and poor publisher support. Maggie Stiefvater was not Stephanie Meyers. There was no leak of her book before it could be published. There was a two year wait for book 4 to drop. People age out of books and the years 2013-2016 was a marked end of the young millenials and a confusing pause as gen Z kids started working their way into older mediums. She was unable, mid series, to find a new audience as the old audience moved on. I was around and actively buying her books from 2012 to 2014. About four different life changes happened in the faze from me graduating, living at home with no plans, and then enlisting. I guarantee college kids didn't have the money to keep up with the last series they read in high school. Gen Z was not angsty enough to find their way en masse to her works. So her books dropped in sales because of a cultural shift, a dead zone in publishing sales, and a gap in age group carry over.
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baby boomer rhetoric is so prevalent that even after people proved that millenials and gen z-ers arent lazy, it's still one of the main things you'll see people talk about when looking up the differences between the generations. i even hear conversations from gen x-ers or millennials where they say, 'kids these days are so spoiled/lazy/ungrateful,' and they don't even realize that's exactly what boomers said about them.
im trying to write a persuasive speech about how we can prevent/reduce homelessness and poverty and why it would help everyone if we did, and one of the things i cant stop thinking about is how expensive everything is these days. (im sure a lot of you have seen the graphs and comparisons that show how bad the economy is in america rn.)
and im thinking, yeah, baby boomers probably had a similar experience where they were coming out of high school and going into college or the workforce and they were worried about their future. it was stressful because now they have to take care of themselves and they have all of this new responsibility and pressure on their shoulders, same as us.
but back then, college was affordable for most people and they would generally be ensured a good job once they graduated. and if they didn't go to college, if they went straight to work, a lot of boomers still had options and ways to grow in their field and make decent wages. whether or not they went to college or went straight to work was a hard decision because both were usually decent options and they had to figure out which one was right for them.
these days, going to college is a gamble for pretty much everyone. we have to bet on ourselves and pray that there's a career at the end of it. we know this as teenagers when we're trying to make decisions about our future and it's terrifying. some of us are forced into decisions and careers we dont want because we see the world around us and we know that we dont have many options if we want to live comfortably. others try to go into their dream jobs and struggle to find someone who's hiring. a lot of us are struggling to pay bills and get by, no matter what decision we make.
it doesnt really matter how many times we tell them that we're struggling, they still dont understand and this mindset that kids are lazy is being passed down to gen x-ers and millennials and i hope to god that i dont start saying this shit about Gen Alpha and whoever comes after them.
#venting#generational differences#american economy#correct me if im wrong of course but this is what ive noticed
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I kind of just want to talk about nothing. This is a diary, after all. Lengthy personal ramble up ahead, if anyone dares or cares to read it. CW: suicidal ideation
So. I'm 20 now. It's been probably six years since I last actually used this blog, until a couple days ago when I checked the email I made it with and saw that it had accrued a bunch of bot followers. So, I logged on, started purging them (and probably some real people too, my bad,) and realized I might be able to start doing this again. So I started following a bunch of people.
For some reason, this blog's url was changed to -blog, and then someone else took the zdiariez url, and I'm not sure I'm willing to confront someone for a url I might end up dropping again in a few months anyway. It does suck, though. I don't like having dashes in my usernames.
I'm not sure I ever talked about this on this blog before, but my mom used to be a massive TERF. Part of the reality of millenials raising gen z is that millenials and gen z are both WAY too online. She got sucked into her toxic circles, I got sucked into mine. I guess in a way, we both saw each others' toxicity and not our own.
At the time (six years ago, freshman year) I was dating a girl who had me on my phone literally whenever she could get my attention. I got in trouble in my computer-something class multiple times because I would constantly check my phone to talk to her. If I didn't, she would get very upset with me. I remember her telling me that it wasn't fair when I was tired, because she lives on the east coast and I live on the west coast, and for her to talk to me she has to stay up really late while it's relatively early where I am, and when I go to bed at a reasonable hour, she doesn't have anyone to talk to.
My mom recognized in me a growing anxiety of being away from my phone or computer, and quickly realized it was because I was being emotionally manipulated. By a fourteen year old girl. Of course it's possible when you're both fourteen. That entire relationship was an absolute dumpster fire. I'll never forget how her ex would treat me like a demon and misgender me simply because she didn't like me. Or how she would cut herself on call with my ex to guilt her. I honestly don't understand how we could have so much drama.
So was being fourteen, to be honest. Again, not sure how much I've talked about this, but right when my middle school years ended and I entered into high school, my friend group kicked me out - right after my cat died - and basically told me that I was a bitch and to get lost. "We're tired of walking on eggshells around you all the time." I didn't get the memo that being emotionally volatile after the death of my beloved cat was unacceptable. I think I'll always be pretty fucking salty about that whole situation. It was the seed that grew into a big, strong, healthy Fear of Abandonment and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria tree.
So I lost my cat, my friends, my girlfriend is suffocating me, my mom won't accept me for who I am, so what am I to do? Obviously, I'll hang myself from the catwalks in the school theater with a rope I was given as a prop for a play.
Saying it now, it's melodramatic and needlessly traumatizing for anyone who witnesses it. Back then, it was so comforting to think that I was finally going to be done with it.
Making this blog in the first place was a way for me to cry for help. I didn't ask for help very well, that's something I've never been good at. I kind of wish I was, then maybe I wouldn't have been in such a dark place to begin with, or maybe someone would have noticed the way i was talking on here and reached out.
I feel forever grateful for an interaction I had on this blog when I was fourteen, two years after I came out as nonbinary, unsure if I was allowed to call myself trans and relate to other trans people. An adult (or at least someone older than me) came in to tell me that I am just as trans as anyone else, and my struggles matter. Thank you, blog I've forgotten the name of. You genuinely did help me. You restructured my neurons in the right way where I can tell myself and other people, of course I'm trans! I'm not cis, am I?
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TW: mentions of de@th, su!c!de and s3lf h@rm. (this is a bit of a vent, there's no g0rey descriptions. just relating to the song.)
i don't quite know what it is about this song that makes me so.. happy? i guess it doesn't really make me happy, but it's pleasant to listen to. it's relatable, i guess. as somebody who has been surrounded by de@th and su!c!de for the past few years, it's nice to listen to. i'm not saying that's what the song is about, but i think that's why it's comforting to me. the line "the living need attention too" hits a little too hard, as sometimes it feels the only way people would care about me is if i threaten to off myself. hell, the only reason i got help with my mental shit is after i almost s3lf h@rmed.
"gun against your head, you like them better dead."
"Dead girls are the best, that's why we're on every show" God, this is exactly how it feels. with all the mental health shit and news reports of the rising percentage in teen su!c!de. this may be me just spewing shit, but they don't actually do anything about it. just show the statistics in their stupid little suits, and paste the su!c!de hotline everywhere. Sometimes it feels like it's for publicity. And even then, its not brought up often. its not even good publicity. it's treated as just a sad by-product of school. that it's normal to constantly feel so overworked and overwhelmed all the time. I remember talking to my mom, and she had said her generation was the generation that treated feelings as a real thing. that normalized therapy. (for context, my mom is currently in her thirties, so shes a uhhhhh... millenial? not sure. somewhere around that.) if this is true, i really hope that Gen Z can work on dealing with those emotions more. not being overly sensitive, not cancel culture, but any of the bad shit. while most of us seem to have matured far faster than we should have, whether that be from their parents or from their friends, that also means we're emotionally intelligent. most of the time. i hope that since we're getting closer to being able to process our emotions well, that means we'll be able to treat others better. hopefully.
Honestly, as i'm sitting in class in front of dozens of others highschoolers; hearing them giggle and laugh, i can't help but wonder if they're giggling at me. pointing at me. now, i've never been bullied. and i've, sadly, always been one to judge people at face value. i don't know why i did it as a child, but i've always shied away from the "popular" types. maybe all those underdog nickelodeon, PBS kids, and Disney XD shows got to me a little bit too much. i've always seen myself as an easy target for bullying. I'm queer, loud, have a hard time shutting up, have never been with the times, and was "sheltered". i hate that i'm constantly worrying about what people are saying to me. that the moment i say something strange, i'll be shunned. and it's.. i don't know. i think i'm done talking now, this just turned into a tangent- god i need to learn how to stay on one topic. if you stayed through the whole thing, thanks for listening to me. i appreciate it.
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Me vs We: The philosophy of monetization of creator content and how it falls on the pendulum of society...
So this might seem a little bit different from my typical paywall rants in relation to the sims, but I want to get a bit philosophical today, and share with you a very interesting consceptual theory that I believe shows why platforms such as tumblr and twitter have been moving lately towards the route of monetization of content for creators.
It's a bit of a read, so I'll leave it below the cut and if you want to read further in your spare time you can. It's just a bit of geekery on my part.
First, let's talk about the Pendulum Theory. This theory is shared in this amazing book, called Pendulum, written by Roy H. Williams and Michael H. Drew.
To save you a smidge of time and money on it, I'll summarize the basic premise and concept of the book. The idea is that the authors looked back at human history, and found a repeating 80 year pattern that to them, represented a prendulum. On one side is "ME" and the other side is "WE".
Now it is important to note a few things:
First, EITHER side taken to the VERY EXTREME is bad.
Second, different countries/societies can be at different "places" on this pendulum. (For example, China and the U.S are inverse of each other right now.)
Third, this pendulum is often reflected most in our artistic, literary, and advertising media. {And I would argue social media, for those living in the 20th-21st centuries.} Those are the most obvious places to see this pattern play out.
Fourth, this pendulum "swings back" towards the other side every fourty years. Currently, we are due to start swinging back the other direction in the US in 2023.
So let's talk about what these ends of the pendulum mean, exactly:
ME: [Individually-centered society]
Can be summed up as "I'm not okay, you are okay."
It is up to ME to change MYSELF so that the world becomes better. Emphasis on personal freedom and expression, materialism, personal goals, etc.
The extreme end of this however, can lead to self-centeredness to the point of hurting others. A prime example of the "extreme end" of ME being America's "Manifest Destiny" expansion, which resulted in thousands of tribes of Native American peoples losing their native lands and being killed. Can also lead to hollow and phony people suffering from burnout as they try to chase the material and personal goals they have set for themselves.
WE: [Community/Group-centered society] {USA is currently in WE, due to switch back towards ME in 2023.}
Can be summed up as "I'm okay, you're NOT okay."
WE can work TOGETHER to change the world for the better. Emphasis on responsibility to others beside ourselves, authenticity and transparency, and group conformity for the common good.
The extreme end of WE however, can result in Witch Hunts where those who do not conform to the standards set by the group as a whole are determined to be problems. The Salem Witch Trials being a prime example of "WE" playing out, along with the rise of regimes such as Hitler and his Natzi party.
Again, want to remind you all that BOTH of these are bad when taken to the very extreme. A healthy "middle" of both of these tends to be the best place for a society to be, but we rarely stay in that healthy middle for long. We normally are swinging one way or the other. I'm attaching a graphic that was attached to a review for this book that illustrates what I just spoke on.
Now how does this relate to tumblr's post+ and twitter? Easy. These companies, without realizing it, are starting to see that we are at the peak of WE right now in the US and that we will be shifting to ME very soon. "ME" culture is a prime place for content-creators and side-hustlers to blossom, and this is only compounded by the fact that "Gen Z" is a very material generation. They like their money, and nice things, and they fully embrace the side-hustle culture. {Again, like most generalizations, this doesn't apply to everyone, but does seem to show an over-arching trend.}
Meanwhile, Millenials like myself are here dumbfounded because we aren't as material as this upcoming generation. It's very easy for us to be pissed off and want to protest Post+ and other forms of "monetization" of our social media, because we aren't here trying to build up a follower base for profit. We're here trying to connect to others, and for some of us, maybe be able to make a small profit while sharing our content with others we connect with.
But, looking at things from this lens, it's hard to 100% blame Twitter and Tumblr for going this route. All they are trying to do is stay ahead of the eight-ball and follow the trends they are seeing. And while it make certain generations that aren't wired up that way pissed, it will certainly fit the upcoming culture shift that will occur.
Sad to say for those of you who are {like me} generally pissed with the constant monetization of everything in our lives, that if this theory holds true, things will get worse from here. The only way that this can be "stopped" is if somehow, the monetization of content gets to the point that it starts trampling on the rights of individuals...leading to copyright issues and lawsuits. This is why accounts like @postplus-protest are out here trying to get Post+ stopped, is they can see this occuring with Post+, especially with how many fanworks are on tumblr.
It is the same for the Sims 4 CC world. Until 3D modeling sites/creators, and EA start defending the rights to their intellectual property, we will see the paywalling and monetization of sims 4 content get worse as we swing back towards ME. The "I have a right to do things my way and express my individual choices" defense will continually be used to try to sway people to support paywalling content. Only if the people who actually are having their OWN individual rights to their content such as EA and model creators who are victims of converters speak up, will those who are on the side of "ME" be appeased. Because the individual will trump the collective every time as things swing back towards that end of the pendulum.
It'll be an interesting show. That's for sure. I'm not very much looking forward to it. :/
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. :)
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oooop and another rant!
I've been thinking about it for a little bit now, but sometimes I really do hate the weird superiority complex some ~elder millenials~ have against the later mid to late 90s kids (like 1995 babies- eg me), meaning "younger millennials".
so, last year at my old work's staff christmas party, I stumbled into a convo with one of the ladies in the finance team, and the new guy in customer service (who wasn't really new by that point, but still) who was into mid2000s emo/pop-punk like me. they were talking about the differences and similarities between (elder) millennials and gen z and also younger millennials.
the finance lady was all like "OH! I'm soooo glad I'm an ELDER millennial (just on the cusp off 1989 and 1990)!!! I'm so much better than you, I lived through the 90s and early 2000s!!!!! I used a landline phone for 10 years!!!! for most of my life, actually. then me and emo guy were like "uh sadie, so did we???? like I was born in 1995 (me) and I was born in 1997 (emo guy).... so we both used landline phones and went through mobile phones becoming computers in your pocket. having to carry both ipods and phones in our pockets. computers going from chunky af boxes to super sleek and shit..... like the list goes on and on???? we HAD THE SAME LIFE sadie, what the hell???"
then the woman was all like "uh NO. nuh-uh. you DID NOT live it like i did. you did not have to go through what I did.... like overplucked sperm looking eyebrows!!! those were so awful!!!" etc etc etc to invalidate our experiences.
like I'll admit that for trends such as the sperm brows and disgustingly low-rise jeans, I was just that bit too young. but that doesn't mean I didn't witness those fashion faux pas'es ALL THE TIME on celebrities and on TV shows!!!! or even on my older cousins!!!! one of my year 5 disco looks in 2006 was a business casual look, but ALL hello kitty... with a full popped collar t-shirt, mini skirt, and newsboy hat with light up shoes. it was utterly garish and ugly. I had a mizzundastood (tween clothing brand here in aus) like edgy girl phase with baggy, ugly street style clothes that were all ripped/distressed in weird places for the ~urban, edgy lewk~, obvs paired with stupid oversized skate shoes (my sister's) to complete the look.
I had ugly ass lace motif shirts from mary kate and ashley olsen's girls' clothing line from like 2003. i had those ugly ass like weird stringy tie-up belts (from supre or paired with some jeans as a set), with ugly embroidered jeans, and wore those with a tie and a skinny scarf; to be all avril lavigne and/or hayley williams pop-punk princess in 2007. i played the original mid-2000s xbox and playstation 2. I had gameboys. and the original nintendo DS.
obvs given that I wasn't doing the trends in nightclubs or in school, properly, like little miss 1989 was. but that shouldn't invalidate my experiences of living through the late 90s and the 2000s all bc im a "younger millennial or early gen z"??? I was obviously a child. but again, that doesn't invalidate my experiences. bc I used a landline up until about 2008 or 09, when I was in early high school..... bc that's when all of my friends started to get mobile phones (bc I got my first phone in 2005 in year 4 at 9/10 years old- long story). I used fuckin MSN (bc AOL didnt work here in aus), late stage myspace and early facebook. just like you, sadie. why the actual fuck are you so fucking smug about being born in 1989 and "not being a younger millennial baby and not being a 90s kid"????
and of course, the all-important 9/11 stuff from the states that was ALL THROUGH aussie news for years, bc we're besties with the US..... even if i didn't really understand it all, bc I was like literally nearly 6 years old when it happened.
but yeah. the fucking weird ass smugness from this woman that she's a REAL millennial bc she's a 1989 baby, just like 2 days shy of being born in 1990.... whereas me and emo guy weren't REAL millennials (although he is gen z as 1997 but I don't care really) bc we were apparently "born too late in the 90s" for her liking, to be millennials.... when I AM THE CUT OFF AT 1995.
like what the fuck is this??? why be so stupidly fucking pedantic about this utter bullshit anyway???? stop fighting over some fucking dumbass marketing scam classification, just for an inconsequential asf superiority and power complex, over someone whose literally only 6 years younger than you (me).... or 8 years younger than you (emo guy).
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Hi, so this has just been floating around my head all day long and I need to share it with someone.
So, like, the Traveller comes from another world, right? Right. We all know this. But like??? No one ever said what world they came from. And, moreover, they never said what era that world was in, right? Like, even if time travel wasn't involved, I imagine that different universes progress differently, right? So basically, where I'm going with this, is imagine a traveler who's just... A gen z or millenial. And they just make all sorts of meme references constantly and no one knows what the FUCK they're talking about. Like:
Traveler: Beesechurger.
Kaeya, a little drunk and crying: What does that mEAN?!
--
Traveler: Look at all those chickens!
Diluc: For the last time, those are pigeons.
--
Traveler: Why are we here? Just to suffer?
Jean: No we're having a meeting. Are you okay??
--
Traveler: Hey, Zhongli, how much Mora do you have?
Zhongli: Oh. Uhhh, 69.
Traveler: Oh! You know what that means!
Zhongli: It means I have 69 mora, I don't know what you want from me here.
And then, Venti, who knows just as much as the others, gets in on it and has the traveler teach him their ways bc he just thinks it's hilarious
hahahah! These had me rolling!!
Traveler: *Stares into the camera just deadpan* I sure hope it does
All other party members: .... WUT
--
anytime the traveler walks by the steps of Mondstadt: and they were roommates
Katherine, visibly concerned
--
Traveler: *whispering as they move toward a group of treasurer hoarders* Two bro’s chillin in the hot tub ...
Jean: ... there are more than two ... what is a hot tub?
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Boomers love to talk about how "sensitive" millenials and gen z are, but I think we're better off for it. We should be sensitive. We should be compassionate towards others. We should be compassionate towards ourselves. Yeah, they were "raised in a different era," but they (generalizing) never learned how to truly love themselves, or be gentle with themselves. If they were hard on themselves or cold towards others, that doesn't mean that's a healthy behavior to emulate. That's an example to learn from and do better than. Anyway. That's my rant for the day.
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