does anything matter anymore?
An introduction of the work to come and a glimpse into the mind of a girl from the misunderstood generation.
Tired of scribbling nonsense in my journal at night or jotting down ideas in the notes app, I present you with my first published personal essay. Confused by which path I should take to discover my literary voice. Whether or not to even call myself a writer. Instead letting the imposter syndrome settle in as I second-guess my ability to write. Something I’ve oriented my entire aesthetic, personality, and academic life around.
But what does that really mean in today's society … to box ourselves into a niche that can only perform well by an algorithm standard? How often are we devaluing the power of our own words and thoughts? I may not have a ton of experience with technical writing in media, but neither did Maya Angelou or Truman Capote. Not that I am of the same caliber, but to reinforce the idea that anything is possible.
but does that even matter?
Right now it feels like turbulent times, every scroll feels like an opera song or the band that was playing at the end of the Titanic. The need to express just the tiniest ounce of intellectual thought is an itch that must be scratched. Since there's not a corner of the internet that isn’t in a state of panic, I offer this space as your happy medium – a place where you can go down with the sinking ship laughing.
As a proud and sometimes embarrassed member of Gen Z, it feels like we take nothing seriously. Not in the way that we don’t care or understand, but that everything must be digested as a quip. Reporting about the news can feel like an inside joke, something which is lost on traditional media since our colloquialisms are deemed to be disillusioned or “delulu.” How do they expect us to react when we are the children who read dystopian tales in our passing periods between school shooter drills? If I may speak for my peers, it isn’t that we don’t take ‘danger’ seriously, rather memes represent the layer of tough skin needed to endure the oppressive acts imposed by old institutions.
We may be a punching bag for Fox News as they cherry pick through our darkest humor – whether it be attacking our lustful remarks for white boy of the month, Luigi Mangione, or calling us lazy in the workforce. Most likely the latter. Unbeknownst to them we do recognize urgency and call to action. Our critique of politics and cultural issues isn’t to present as nonchalant or fear mongering – but to unite us through a common dialect. A tool, if you will, of relatability. A way to identify commonality and protect our algorithms against enemy territory.
At the end of the day Gen Z is just a group of kids trying to survive the technopoly, so let us crash out in peace, please.
But I digress.
I’d like to think that my writing will echo the voice of my generation – an ounce of angst, a shot of hope, and a whole lot of sass. If anything should inspire you, let it be the thoughts evoked from my writing or others. Again, I am not saying I’m a messiah of writing, some takes might not even be remarkable or original – since I’d argue nothing can be these days. And improvement will only come with practice.
Anywho, let this be your reminder that your voice does matter especially during such a transformative time as this. Besides, why shouldn’t we be proud of our small accomplishments, maybe instead of beating ourselves down we practice self love and appreciation.
Motivating me to commit to this small feat of publishing my writing is the old saying, “the cost of your procrastination is the life you could have had,” so I urge you to also do what you love and take back any ounce of agency lost.
After all, good or bad, what's the worst case scenario if you pursue the thing you’ve always wanted?
Besos
xxx