by Natalie Dundas
Note: This article is part of a series of student editorials submitted to the annual New York Times Editorial Contest. If you submitted an editorial and would like to be published on The Helix, please contact the Co-Editors-in-Chief.
Teenage girl using her cell phone. (Credit: Plann/Unsplash)
Teenagers today use words like “identity” and “unique” so commonly, even frivolously. These words seem to carry such little weight, and their overuse is driven by the need to stand apart, or even another way to fit in. We have scrambled to put words to our feelings — the chase is incessant; exhausting; and to many degrees, futile.
In some ways, humans have always attempted to sort themselves into groups- in its most primal form categorization is a survival tactic. People are restless, seemingly more than ever before; their reasons are not incomprehensible, however, the animosities forming between current marginalized groups is discerning. Hostility of this nature is also present on social media- a commonplace for different groups of people to congregate, has become an influential factor in the competition for uniqueness. For example, there are rising tensions between women, as many biological women are now forcibly labelled as “cis-gendered”- a label often rejected. Another circumstance is that people who question their sexuality often feel pressure to conform to a certain label, even if they may not benefit from its use. Hyper labelization fosters self-indulgence and a lack of true identity.
As people, we are too obsessed with superficial means of identification. In many cases, this does not allow for a genuine sense of identity, but a sheer layer of narcissism.
As the most diverse generation, there is bound to be more differences, so it is understandable that people want to find things that they can subscribe to - everyone’s rights are important- but is constantly branding your own individuality conducive to universal acceptance? On some level, not everyone can be an individual, and there comes a point in categorization that you can either deduce to an atomic level, or lump everyone into one box. As my generation continues to rely on labels, we are, by definition, categorizing and limiting our own identities in binary terms. The crime is not being a member of a certain sexuality, aesthetic, gender, etc., but the overemphasis on these external qualities, as some people make face-value characteristics their entire identity.
Despite being the most “inclusive” generation so far, we are simultaneously intolerable toward questions, and unfashionable views. People who are too “normal”, or who simply do not subscribe to a plethora of labels and aesthetics are often outcasted in similar ways minority groups are. It seems we are in competition with each other. And it seems we have forgotten that people really are made up of what’s on the inside. “Straight,” “indie,” and “basic” are all beautiful things to be, but what does that actually say about you? At your core?
Why can't we focus more on just being?
Sources
“900 Voices from Gen Z, America's Most Diverse Generation.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 Mar. 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/us/generation-z.html#21.
Levin, Dan. “Generation Z: Who They Are, in Their Own Words.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 28 Mar. 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/28/us/gen-z-in-their-words.html.
Parker, Kim, and Ruth Igielnik. “On the Cusp of Adulthood and Facing an Uncertain Future: What We Know about Gen Z so Far.” Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project, Pew Research Center, 1 Apr. 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/05/14/on-the-cusp-of-adulthood-and-facing-an-uncertain-future-what-we-know-about-gen-z-so-far-2/.