Who, or what, is “this” generation?
“This” generation (of which I am inextricably a part myself), also sometimes broadly referred to as the “current” generation and/or, as the Bengali may refer to it, aaj kaaler chhele meyera, comprises those ever-fortunate group of human beings who were born in between the early 1980s and the late 1990s.
There, of course, exist significant sub-generational differences between those belonging to the earlier part of the generation -- the millennials who, oft-mocked, spend their hard-earned unpaid internship money on hazelnut lattes instead of “savings” or “investment” -- and the latter -- Gen Z, birthed by human beings, raised by the internet, digitally recorded since birth, are ideologically passionate, fervent warriors on the path towards social justice.
But they are both “this” generation, between their late teens and early 40s, blessed with the gifts of technological advancement, but cursed with a route to school that, alas, did not require a 10-mile hike; depending on who you ask, they also attract descriptors such as “spoilt” and “matbor”, “farm-er” chickens and empty by-products of Western influence; some also see them as disgustingly promiscuous and depressingly nihilistic.
That is, at least, how I, in my limited capacity, understand the generation to which I belong. Vaguely defined, the reference to the “current” generation is further complicated by region, sex, status, religion, ethnicity, etc. Privileges and disadvantages galore collide to create complicated human beings who are further forced to survive and expected to flourish in an increasingly complicated world.
But, setting that aside, what is oftentimes, if not almost entirely, lost in the conversations about “this” generation is the irony of burdening them with the responsibility of ensuring that the world has a future in which human beings are not annihilated by natural disasters or war or whatever version of doomsday has become the most popular prophecy of the ever-changing zeitgeist.
The irony lies in the fact that this is simultaneously the first ever generation in history to be financially worse off than the generation that had preceded it, which, in turn, affects their access to everything else, from education to healthcare to nutrition.
The greatest irony, however, lies in how they hold themselves responsible, believing that they are empowered enough to (and, thus, it is their solemn duty to) prevent the inevitable crises that faces future generations, crises which will lead to some man-made apocalypse. Ignorance is no longer an excuse, the elite amongst them blindly lecturing themselves and others on local and global experiences and the impacts their actions will have on the environment and people around them.
Cut down on fossil fuels, don't litter, treat every person equally, reduce consumption, meat is murder, meat is global warming methane, fight for freedom, stand up against misogyny, check your privilege, participate in democracy, protest the dictators and the fascists, champion equality and equity, reduce, reuse, recycle.
Little wonder then that the villains of the zeitgeist are the exact opposite, gravitating towards religion and tradition and conventional concepts relearned from history, finding comfort in scripture and contemporary prophets of antique truths.
With each passing year, as they voraciously devour new information, the list expands and contracts and evolves, through addendums and amendments and assertions, creating something not unlike a generational constitution. Self-inflicted self-righteousness makes victims of their generational bedfellows, each fighting for some delusional concept of objective morality.
How did we get here?
Who made the decisions that led the first ever generational black sheep? Who over-consumed so that we are forced to under-consume? Who continues to make the decisions that prevent our journey towards further suffering?
How can a generation be held responsible or claim responsibility when it has no discernible power that would make a difference? Yes, every now and then a Malala Yousafzai or a Greta Thunberg is paraded in front of the world, but they are nothing more than the Harvard dropouts of the previous generation, dressed up in diversity and purpose, so that we may believe we too can make a difference.
There may be wisdom to be gleaned from those who came before us, but most of it has been negated by relentless and frivolous exploitation and ignorance, leaving as inheritance a world too wounded, more a burden than an asset. They sold us voting rights and called it democracy, and we believed that our collective votes could affect policy. And we were so easy to manipulate as well: divided by our values, but united by our desperate need for virtue and purpose.
Bengal couldn't be united by language and Pakistan couldn't be united by religion; “this” generation suffers a similar fate, infinitely fragmented by its infinite identities, unable to belong anywhere. What, then, is the common thread that can run through this chaotic generational tapestry?
At a time when we are more connected than we have ever been, we are perhaps united by a shared inheritance of the world and a future that continues to slip away from our hands. Overworked and underpaid, bastard children of anxiety and self-doubt. Forced to function within socioeconomic and political systems that enhance the differences in our circumstances by leaving little of the outcome in our own hands.
Authority figures are all our collective parents: In childhood, little did we question the contradictions inherent within holding a child responsible for their wrongdoings while, simultaneously, condescending to them every time they dare to think independently or challenge the status quo.
“This” generation is no different.
They are told off for being spoilt, lazy, complaining consumers while global corporatist behemoths lobby our governments to ensure that the most popular of policies, shared across all spectrums of self-identification, remain on the floor of institutions of pretend representativeness, or on a banner in some panel discussion involving overeducated and disgustingly overpaid pseudo-intellectuals sitting in pristine European cities at the headquarters of some non-profit international organization that claims to “unite nations” (they champion democracy while having five nation members with the power to veto all decisions).
History may very well have its eyes on us, but it must temper its expectations. However my fellow generational comrades may feel (their views and values and the different viewpoints they offer warrant respect), in the same way that a baby born in a slum cannot be held responsible for its upbringing, “this” generation cannot be held responsible by anyone other than itself.
Governments and trillion-dollar corporations make decisions on a scale most of us cannot imagine. A one-cent hike in wages for an employee translates to billions in lost revenue to the giant corporate machine. Our choices were limited when we got here, and they will most likely become more limited as time goes on and we run divisions between us based on values and ideals that were never meant to be the same to begin with.
At the end of the day, those who gave us life are the same people who run our countries and the corporations that have the most impact on the world we live in. Their blunders and myopic visions have led to success stories such as the Iraq War and the 2008 financial crisis and the current Russo-Ukrainian conflict. If anyone should be looked up to for wisdom and direction, it is certainly not them. We may indeed find more wisdom amongst our own or those who come after us.
“Your children,” Kahlil Gibran wrote, “are not your children.” “This” generation owes nothing to anyone but itself, belongs to no one but themselves. If one day we save the planet and broker a peace treaty between Israel and Palestine and discover systems of government which foster true equality and free speech, history may very well remember us as heroes for doing so, for becoming what we needed when we were younger (for it was nowhere to be found).
But the villains would undoubtedly be the generation that preceded us, whoever that may include for you. We may decide to forgive them, but we cannot allow them to guilt us into gratitude for a world which has left us broke and broken.
History is a mirror best avoided. The last thing we need is to recreate the mistakes of history. We must make new mistakes and, through them, discover new solutions. The only way we can do that is to venture into the vast unknown of our future.
SN Rasul is a former member of the Editorial and Op-Ed team at the Dhaka Tribune.
