Gen Zers are turning to ‘radical rest,’ delusional thinking, and self-indulgence as they struggle to cope with late-stage capitalism
Gen Zers are turning to ‘radical rest,’ delusional thinking, and self-indulgence as they struggle to cope with late-stage capitalism
Financial nihilism, worrying TikTok trends, and a bleak outlook. Here's why Gen Zers are cashing in–and checking out.
“Young Americans are upset that the economy is tanking and stacked to exploit them for their masters’ benefit as their planet boils in real time for the rest of their lives.”
Wow, yeah, that’s so hard to understand! Who would have guessed that would result in cynicism regarding capitalism? Shocking!
Bartender: You really think the world's gonna end?
Ford: Yes.
Bartender: Shouldn't we lie down? Put paper bags over our heads or something?
Ford: If you like.
Bartender: Would it help?
Ford: Not at all.
Cut to the whole bar lying down with bags on their heads.
This article very much feels like that shot just before we’re all blown up to make way for the bypass.
Last orders please
What the fuck is radical rest? Is this from the same corpo double speak school as quiet quitting? Imagine just doing your job and chilling on your free time. Absolutely radical.
I did a quick Google since this article is click bait: it's resting before you burnout to avoid it.
I imagine the article would also call out someone for avoiding excessive sugar before they are diabetic, based on the title, then the article explains that it makes sense actually, which is what they did.
I looked it up too, but the title put me off the article.
The whole thing is boomer and genx double speak for "genz knows we fucked them over and they're not doing what we need them to do for our cushy retirements to work out."
I'm an genX with 2 adult kids, waiting for my parents to die so we can alter our house so our children will have a decent place to live.
We got fucked by the morgage-dealer and in a few years our morgage is no more valid and we have to get a new one. I doubt this will work out.
Growing lifestyle practices like radical rest promote the importance of disconnection with traditional ideals of success and reconnecting with your own well-being by way of self-care and repose.
As opposed to "Hussle culture" or busting your butt thinking it is actually going to get you anything worth having.
Radical Rest might be Fortune speak for vacation time…
They don’t like that European idea of vacation time
"OH NO THE LABOR CHATTEL ARE--" [checks clipboard] "RESERVING LESS THAN HALF OF THEIR WAKING HOURS FOR THEMSELVES INSTEAD OF INFLATING OUR BANK ACCOUNTS!! PANIK!!!1!11"
Examples of this “radical” ideology include…refusing to work extra hours…”
I’m glad they put “radical” in quotes, but “extra hours” belongs in quotes too, since it seems to be a euphemism for free labor in this context.
Any salaried employee who works voluntary, unpaid overtime on a regular basis needs to take a hard look at their life. If my pay is based on a forty hour week, then my boss isn’t getting one minute more unless we renegotiate my salary.
Then by definition, it's a wage, not a salary.
not completly, with salary it is calculated based an average of whatever they use for it, generally it is the 5 days a week at 8 hours a day 52 weeks a year. Additionally upon entering the job you are given your expected hours and weekly workload, and that is how you judge if the pay is worth it. Signing up for a job saying they are going to work you 8 hours a day 5 days a week and they're going to pay you 40,000 for it, that is about 19/h
However if you agree to that wage and then you find out that you're expected workload is actually 10 hours a day for 5 days a week that brings your estimated hourly wage down to 15/h, a wage that you might not have accepted if they were honest right up front with it.
On top of that, not all salary positions are considered exempt positions, surprisingly few are when you look at the requirements, so if you agreed for that position face off the average work week of 8 hours a day 5 days a week, and you start averaging higher than that but they don't change your salary to match it, if your position is not considered exempt you are still obligated for overtime.
Of course this is based off the US not sure how the rest of the world is
Can't blame them.
I'm struggling but my coping methods aren't as elegant and definitely don't sound as fun. Doing nothing, giving up, distracting myself, spending indulgently, and chasing the ability to just feel something are all on the docket. Delusional thinking comes hard and often but not as intentionally as this journalist seems to think it does.
I'm not gen z but anyway I gave up delusional thinking after reconverting from religion. But hey there's always alcohol. /s
Yeah, I’ve got a shot at owning a house and I’ll know in a year or two if I can or will never be able to. If the answer is no I’ll spend like there’s no tomorrow because my retirement plan will become a suicide pod in Norway.
Fortune? I'll pass, I don't really need to know what the article says to know it's bullshit.
I mean it just says that young people are "checking out" of traditional "work, save, start family, retire" and doing other things, like not working if possible. Because they know the economy and everything's fucked. It's not that bad but also not revelatory.
WTH is "late-stage capitalism"? This phrase implys some kind of end of the capitalist econome. I can't see it.
Meeee
"Smoke 'em if you got 'em; shoot 'em when the cops come." -- That Handsome Devil, "Rob the Prez-o-dent"