Filipino boomers think that Gen Z Filipinos are all just kids who are obsessed with TikTok or are still taking their first steps. That’s their first mistake — a handful of us are already in the workplace or are already living on their own.

While that’s perfectly fine, what we don’t appreciate are these labels old people love giving us to dismiss what we have to say. What they don’t know is they’re the ones who end up looking like fools because picking a fight with someone half their age just makes them look insecure.

Here are six of the worst things we keep hearing about Gen Z Filipinos that need to be put to bed.

1. You don’t know anything.

While wisdom does come with age, it doesn’t mean that we don’t know what we’re doing or saying. Filipino boomers love to claim that we don’t know anything when we speak about something remotely political. But when our opinions are backed up with facts or simply consider basic human rights, then maybe they should listen to what we have to say.

It’s just a universal truth that you aren’t treated seriously the younger you are. So imagine how tired we are pointing out valid and research-based arguments but having them fly over people’s heads because we have a little less wrinkles on our face.

2. You get offended too easily.

I’ll be the first to say that this is true to an extent. Twitter and Instagram are a cesspool of eager Gen Z Filipinos cancelling people over the smallest of things. But most of the time, we are offended when someone does or says something which reinforces a culture of hate and oppression.

Trust us, we have better things to do than to tweet about what’s offending us for the day. But when activists are getting killed left and right for simply fighting for what we are owed, the worst thing a person can do is to sit back and watch things happen. Have you ever thought that maybe we wouldn’t be offended all the time if there’s nothing to be offended about?

We’ve already pointed out why calling us snowflakes is not a good idea. And if you don’t see anything wrong with what we’re ranting about, maybe it’s time to educate yourself.

3. You’re wrong because back in the day…

It’s hard to accept that the world has changed so much the past years. Filipino adults should realize that their values and traditions aged along with them. Not everything that was taboo back then is still taboo now. For example, same-sex relationships and premarital sex are more widely-accepted now than they were back then.

Being vehemently against children for supporting or engaging in these things because they didn’t fly in society back then is a lame excuse. Just say you’re judgmental and move along. The Philippines is still a country dominated by religious beliefs, and there’s still a lot of work to be done in terms of truly “accepting” these so-called taboos. But we don’t have to shun anyone just because of what society back then thought.

It’s 2020. If you have access to the internet, then you should know why it’s so easy for Gen Z Filipinos to accept people from different backgrounds. We are constantly exposed to diverse views from all over the country and world.

4. You’re overreacting.

This line can pertain to a lot of things, but let’s shine a light on how some older people just disregard mental health so easily. Depression exists and suicide rate is increasing in the Philippines. Yet there are those who still can’t get it in their heads that these issues do happen to more people than they think.

When you tell someone who is experiencing anxiety attacks or fighting a silent battle against suicidal thoughts that they’re overreacting, what do you think they’ll feel? Do you think they’ll be comfortable confiding in you next time?

It wasn’t an issue back then because people didn’t have a name for it; hell, I didn’t even know what mental health was until I was in college back in 2016. But now that there is more awareness around the idea of mental health, there is no excuse for someone who has heard about it to dismiss it completely. When a parent doesn’t believe a child who says that they may be depressed, it’s just blatant disregard on their part.

5. You have it easy.

Listen, we totally understand why you may think that everything is easy nowadays. The advances in technology from the moment we were born have been nothing short of amazing. We are appreciative of the fact that we can have a message sent over instantly, and be able to watch a show we choose anytime we want.

But it’s unfair to think that our life is sunshine and rainbows. Gen Z Filipinos face problems which are unique to a generation that grew up with the internet. Cyberbullying springs to mind as a prevalent example. Catphishing, sexual harassment in dating apps, and death threats sent through the internet are also things that some of us have fallen victim to.

Additionally, our late teens and twenties are supposed to be some of the best years of our lives, yet we are growing up in a world that’s doomed to fail. If you think we’re overreacting again, then you probably haven’t educated yourself about climate change even if its effects are staring you right at the face. The intense typhoons will kill us if not gunshots from policemen.

Guess which generation our current leaders are from. Now, guess which generation will have to clean up the mess in the future while taking all the blame.

So no, we do not have it easy. And even if we do, you are not a better person for having it harder.

We have a lot to say about older generations looking down on Gen Z Filipinos. Read our open letter to boomers. Never miss out on anything by following us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The post 5 Things Gen Z Filipinos are Sick of Hearing from Adults appeared first on Zoomers Corner.

Okay, Boomers and Baby Boomers: we’re turning the tables on you — you’re the reason why we’re living in a hellhole right now. If it weren’t for your dated values and submissiveness, then we’d probably be living in a better world.

If you think the world sucks, take a look at the people running the world.

Well first off, how about we start with the fact that most of the leaders in the world are either from the Boomer Generation or from Gen X, the sneaky little generation who precedes millennials but are also to blame? Some of the powerful men ruling right now include United States’ Donald Trump, Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and of course, the Philippines’ He-Who-Must-Be-Named (literally, because of the Anti-Terror Bill). What do they all have in common besides the fact that they’re men? They are all part of your generation.

If you live in one of those countries I mentioned and you do support your leader, then you really have no right to think lowly of the other ones. One is not better than the other, and trying to play that game is like deciding between eating cat piss or horse manure for lunch.

They shove their old-fashioned values down our throats where it’s actually become questionable if their decisions were actually made using a brain. And unfortunately, this has led to more chaos than anything. The only response they know are ad-hominem attacks, underhanded diversion tactics, and violence. All this while suppressing the voices of the minorities, critics, and dissenters.

You settle for scraps. We don’t.

There was this really heartbreaking Twitter video that I couldn’t finish because it hit too close to home. It shows a girl named Marissa, who couldn’t hold back her crying because her mother kept on telling her that it was hopeless to protest, and that she couldn’t change the world. Do you really think we’d want to spend our time fighting for basic human rights, when they should have been given to everyone in the first place? This is just one of many instances that shows how people from your generation are hammering us with the idea that we should just sit down and eat our food. Our idealism is being scoffed at for being unrealistic when history has shown that what we’re asking for is within reach.

As a Filipino, I actually don’t know where you get the audacity to tell me that collective action is useless when the most important we literally overthrew a dictator as a nation. Look, I get that for most of y’all, it’s your maternal instinct kicking in. You tell us these things because you’re looking out for us. But why not try a softer approach that doesn’t involve destroying what’s little left of our hope? Sometimes, whether or you hate it or not, we actually have a point. And speaking of…

You can’t accept that you’re wrong.

The #HijaAko hashtag trended in the Philippines due to a controversy where 19-year old Frankie Pangilinan, or Kakie for short, spoke against an ill-advised, now-deleted Facebook post by the national police that told women to wear less revealing clothes unless they want to be raped. Kakie fought back by accurately saying that rapists should be to blame for rape, and not the survivors. Of course, heterosexual male boomer Ben Tulfo tells Kakie that she doesn’t know what she’s saying, as he condescendingly calls her hija: a term older Filipinos use to refer to a little girl.

Unfortunately, this is one of the annoying problems that we zoomers face every day. You don’t seem to treat us seriously just because we’re younger than you, and I say this as a working adult who has already graduated college. Sometimes, older people look at me and think that I’m crazy for opposing them even if I do bring up valid points. This is most likely a trait predominant in Asian families, but I can’t get one rebuttal in without being told that I’m fighting back (sumasagot ka na ngayon?). Like, no. I’m merely disagreeing with you and telling you why. Let me speak!

If there’s one thing I’ve learned though, it’s that when a boomer resorts to using age as an excuse to end the argument, it means you have won

Your traditions don’t hold up anymore.

Please retire the line of thinking that the way your generation perceives the world is how everybody else does too. The “issues” you regarded as taboo during your time are most likely just normal for us now. Just take a look at the shows being broadcasted in your television and streaming platforms, then you’ll see what I mean.

It’s normal for homosexuals to be in a public relationship. It’s normal for women to get abortions. It’s normal for teenagers to have sex. It’s normal for women to raise a baby by herself. It’s normal for people to smoke. It’s normal to get into open relationships. It’s normal to be atheist. It’s normal to get into an interracial relationship. It’s normal. And the only people making them abnormal is you!

The only reason why they get depressed is because of judgmental and pretentious members of society who think that their morals and virtues are spotless. If you’re a Catholic or a Christian, then even better! Can you stop using Bible verses to rationalize your hateful behavior? You’re not much different from the people who partook in Jesus’ suffering. Here’s a reality check for you: God told His people not to use His name in vain, which in simple terms, means that you should not use God in arguments to justify actions and words that go against His teachings of love.

Stop dragging God’s name through the mud, ya weirdo. I went to a Jesuit high school for twelve years, so I think I know what I’m talking about.

So I know my tone wasn’t particularly friendly here, but I grew up in an environment where I was discouraged to speak up. Regardless, I still do not feel comfortable saying my opinion in front of boomers and baby boomers, because time and time again, they wouldn’t listen. And that’s all I want you to do: listen. It just so happens that most of you don’t listen when we say it calmly.

If your kid or student isn’t telling you these things, then it’s probably because you’ve groomed them into submissive, obedient members of society. Is that something you should be proud of? I don’t know. But if the world is still alive (no thanks to climate change) in forty years, I don’t want my grandchildren thinking that we just went with the status quo.

And to all my fellow Gen Z folks & zoomers reading this, I hope you become better than me and continue standing your ground.

Featured Image: Alev Takil on Unsplash

The post Boomers and Gen X are Ruining the World: An Open Letter appeared first on Zoomers Corner.