Little Sister: Generation Z Is Watching

Generation Z

May I introduce you to Generation Z:

“Gen Z are loosely defined as those born after 1995 and who are now 18 and under. It’s a big group: two billion worldwide, and one-quarter of the North American population.” They are said to be, “…a stellar generation: educated, industrious, collaborative and eager to build a better planet.” ( Anne Kingston, July 15, 2014 http://www.macleans.ca/society/life/get-ready-for-generation-z/ )

All three of my children fit into the Generation Z demographic.

Generation Z listens, watches, reads and thinks…

Big Brother Is Watching

I grew up in a culture that (in general) feared big government—North America in the last half of the twentieth Century. The novel 1984 by George Orwell sums up my cultures’ greatest fears: big government spying on the people and controlling the people by limiting their intellectual and physical freedom. Big Brother Is Watching You.

Times have changed. The newest generation seems to have little fear of government; they’ve dismissed the government as ineffectual. With Generation Z marching towards voting age, it’s the government that should now be worried.

Government Gone Amuck

I live in a province in which the school teachers have been on strike since mid june 2014 and show no hopeful signs of returning to work this September. The current provincial government has done a poor job of negotiating with the teachers’ union. They’ve also done a poor job preserving British Columbia’s natural environment. The recent Polley Mine tailings pond leak is only one small example of the destruction that is becoming a common occurrence in our province. In their recent disastrous attempts at governing, the government has made one big mistake:

The government has ignored one very bright and very young demographic—Generation Z.

This may be their biggest mistake to date.

Little Sister Is Watching

My youngest daughter is eight. She loves to write and often hands me descriptive paragraphs and editorial style paragraphs that’s she’s written simply for the fun of it. She is one of those children who loves to read and write.

She handed me a paragraph she’d written the other night. I was astounded by her political philosophy on government. She is only entering third grade (if the teachers’ strike ever ends) and yet she is able to critically analyze the political climate that she is a part of and mentally construct and then write about her philosophical ideas.

The teachers’ strike has left a mark on Generation Z.

The environmental destruction has left a mark on Generation Z.

If Pippi is a representative of her generation, perhaps Generation Z will be the generation to rise above the fear and make the government truly work at bettering the planet for everyone.

Generation Z is Little Sister and She is Watching You.