I've been saying for a while now that Gen Z is just not fucking around. My generation (upper X) got sold so many bills of goods, starting with the idea that if you follow the prescribed school -> college -> job path, a satisfactory life will follow. We were encouraged to pursue liberal arts degrees because "employers" liked people who could think critically/write/whatever. No one mentioned the growing number of targeted tech or business degrees. We were told there's be all these great jobs as the previous generation retired. No one told us that the Boomers would keep a stranglehold on those management positions through their 70's and 80's, and that when they finally did retire, what was needed were tons of healthcare workers.

I'm glad that GenZ is pushing back against this. Meanwhile, my kid is coming home nearly distraught that the debate club was sticking to weird topics like, "Is Taco Bell's chicken taco sandwich or a taco," because, and I swear this is true, "That kind of debate won't help me get into college."

Please keep in mind, she started high school ten weeks ago. And it kills me, because she's not doing debate for a line on her CV. She's doing it because she likes to argue (and you can stop looking at me like that right now, and because she WANTS to engage the big issues that teachers are so worried about. I see a future where she and like-minded peers just pinch the bridges of their noses, heave a collective sigh, and tell the rest of us to just get out of the way, already.