Tag

millenials

Browsing

With the human population doubling up in just a few decades, the millennial generation is opting stop human procreation. 

Anti-natalism is a philosophy that dates back to ancient Greece. The main idea behind this philosophy is that human beings are cruel and selfish, and people should not have babies that shall eventually lead to the extinction of human species. 

The movement surfaced on Facebook and Reddit recently due to the deteriorating conditions of the planet. Anti-natalists provide reasonable justifications for following this movement by stating that if the population keeps increasing at the same pace, all the species will eventually go extinct. It is better for one species to face extinction rather than having all species to suffer due to the selfish nature of human beings. 

Anti-natalism believes that life is full of suffering and children are born against their will. This means that they have no say in the matter. This voluntary human extinction movement claims that giving birth to children is immoral. Most of the ideas of this movement have been picked up from ancient Jain and Buddhist texts.

 People have been actively following this movement for a number of reasons. Firstly, some claim to be extremely fearful of the effects of global warming and climate change. They believe that by producing more children, they will be adding to the burden of the issue. Their love for children is what gave birth to this movement and this love is often mistaken for hate. Anti-natalists simply do not any suffering for children. 

Secondly, anti-natalists do not want their children to suffer from mental health disorders as they run in the family and will eventually affect their children as well. These illnesses are genetic and may lead to the suffering of children born into the family. 

Moreover, the older generation is highly concerned about this movement as it goes against their principles. Also, adoption rates have gone higher because people are now sceptical of producing children as they do not want to add to the burden of the Earth. 

 

Feature image credits- Huckmag

Suhani Malhotra

[email protected]

On this ‘International Day of Tolerance’, here’s an understanding of the term ‘generation snowflake’ and the diminishing tolerance in the society.

“You are not special. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same organic and decaying matter as everyone else,” said Tyler Durden in Fight Club.

Snowflake, literally meaning frozen rain is a term used to describe oversensitive individuals who melt at the slightest increase in temperature just like an actual snowflake. They feel a sense of entitlement and believe their opinion to be right all the time. They have a hard time accommodating conflicting opinions and get offended at the drop of a hat.

Today’s generation of oversensitive millennials and post-millennials are commonly categorized as ‘generation snowflake’. It is widely believed that this generation is more prone to taking offence than any other previous generation. While every generation takes offence at some or the other things, our generation seems to be more vulnerable and sensitive.

As the famous feminist saying goes ‘Personal is political’, the current generation seems to have started taking everything political as personal resulting in high emotional responses.

Researchers argue that university students today are overly self-entitled, averse to any form of criticism and lack resilience to accommodate conflicts. While this is a debatable argument, the increasing trigger warnings before articles and social-media rants make it difficult to eliminate the term altogether. The tolerance level seems to be at an all-time low as even the most insignificant issue arouses aggressive emotions from the youth on social media today.

‘I see my social media filled with overly emotional and at times, aggressive responses to every new political or social news. Many times I feel that such reactions are overstated and serve no purpose,’ said a student of Gargi College.

While according to Sakshi from Kamala Nehru College, “This is derogatory to assume because our generation is much more active and socially aware.”

The generation today is, undoubtedly, much more enlightened about the various ills and discrimination plaguing society. They speak up for their rights and tolerate no injustice. But, the term ‘snowflake’ is for those individuals who, masking this activism, use the opportunity to whine at every matter.

Cynicism and Nihilism are the ‘it’ words used by the generation today as optimism and hope seem to have exited their dictionaries. A large number of NGOs fuel this thinking by presenting an exaggerated dystopian worldview. Parenting is largely responsible for how a child will grow up to be. Thus, it becomes essential to see through the ‘snowflake’ traits of their children and inculcate tolerance and humility.

While, as much as this generation is believed to be intolerant, narcissistic and entitled, it becomes important to reflect that this term ‘generation snowflake’ is also coming out of older generations’ inability to accommodate this opinionated generation.

Instead of dismissing the current generation’s every argument as immature and branding them as ‘sensitive and intolerant young people’, people need to be more open to accepting this evolving generation who take no injustice. Also, the Gen Y and Z need to be more tolerant of opinions which don’t match theirs and decisions that don’t go their way.

On this ‘International Day of Tolerance’, let’s pledge to be more tolerant and accommodative of conflicting opinions and views and take dissent as disagreement and not disrespect.

 

Feature Image Credits: Scopio

 

Shreya Agrawal

[email protected]

 

Extraness is a prized practice, and nothing gives you wings, not even Red Bull, as does a finsta account.

All tales that make sense will tell you this: nothing is as sweet as liberty. Simply because it allows you to be yourself. Social media is highly glitzy and glamorous, and the epitome of all elitism  seemingly reflects on Instagram. And in all that is glitter, the most promising gold is a finsta account. In the aesthetics and outfit of the day posts, a finsta account is really a wild, wild country of your own. The ‘close friends’ list was definitely helpful, but it is another thing to have a close friends list on your finsta.

A screenshot depicting a finsta user. Image credits: Kartik Chauhan for DU Beat
A screenshot depicting a finsta user.
Image credits: Kartik Chauhan for DU Beat

Nowadays, connectivity is supplemented by the exchange of Instagram handles. As a result, in a sea of ‘followers’ and an ocean of ‘following’, the users are left to fend for personal glory, presenting the most refined moments of their life. It makes no matter to most, but as many of us shying sheep will agree, self-consciousness and number of followers are directly related. Quality of the followers, factors in secondarily. For instance, if you have a lot of followers from a serious organisation you once interned with, you are likely to be more hesitant before you post a picture of yourself in your truer, and crazier element.

Image credits: Instagram screenshot by Kartik Chauhan for DU Beat.
Image credits: Instagram screenshot by Kartik Chauhan for DU Beat.

“Analysing my Instagram feed made me realise that despite its aesthetic, it did not suffice to please me. It felt strangely mechanical. It was then that I opened my new account. And although I initially started posting (or spamming) my crazy pictures, 15 posts later, it felt truly liberating. That I could share my crazy days with my own select few crazy people, and not be judged about having fun, that truly felt just the opposite of mechanical.” said a third year student of literature from Hansraj College.

Many people would argue that our need to create a finsta account is really derived from an unhealthy habit of self-criticism and consciousness. Consciousness is really derived from the deeply internalised sense of insecurity that we have been made to feel, by the regression of our surroundings. After a while, it just becomes a part of you, this insecurity and uncertainty about your self. You do not wish to seem too eager, or too enthusiastic, or too pretentious. All our social insecurities are put to test in a space that allegedly aims to ‘connect’.

Image credits: Instagram screenshot by Kartik Chauhan for DU Beat.
Image credits: Instagram screenshot by Kartik Chauhan for DU Beat.

Undeniably, every post on social media is subjected to discussions. But the consciousness that hogs our decision-making, that shadows our identities, it becomes a challenge. And though this problematic obligation to present the best on social media is worth our concern, it is irrefutable that finsta accounts have offered a wondrous respite.

It is as Avnika Chhikara, a student of literature from Maitreyi College says, “The way I see it, your finsta is a state of mind. It’s your own aesthetic. There are good, bad, terrible photos and videos. Where would they go, if not for others to get ‘spammed’?” Having said this, and being a pro at suggesting the best hacks, Avnika owns the idea of finsta when she says, “I say replace finsta with the first letter of your name and there you go, personalized to your taste.”

So get on with it. Embrace that wild side. Channelise your inner wild/philosophical/ditzy self, and rule the spam, because being extra is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Feature Image Credits: Study breaks magazine

Kartik Chauhan

[email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

 

A derivative of what the 21st century’s social media holds, let us figure out what truly is this FOMO.

As we swung in a fast forward motion to the world of social media and the smartphone, making our life buzzing (pun-intended) and also distanced in a way. It was a strange discovery after going through a workmate’s personal text to me, that while I declare myself as a millennial child, the bearing of FOMO in the lingo intrigued me, and here is how it goes.

FOMO stands for the Fear Of Missing Out. What really captivates me is its uncanny rhyme to my favourite street food ‘momo’ and the tenacity of the mind to control the urge to have some. Keeping this digression aside, let us focus on the coinage of this slang. The surge of this term grew somewhat in the phase when Instagram rocked the entire globe. Not even one celebrity post or any major event has the comments section missing out on this “FOMO”.

We all come across some of these things, “I didn’t read this tweet that was posted by xyz celebrity”, “I haven’t posted a story of this breaking news on my Instagram!”, “I can’t believe two of my workmates are dating, their pictures say otherwise”, “I wish I could’ve gone to this party”, “I wish I had a dressing sense like her, it’s amazing” and much more.

The FOMO is a feeling of being left out or having a tendency to feel insecure upon realization that one misses out on a particular event or a story or any other happening which influences their life. In the words of Annie Rana, a literature student from Maitreyi College, “FOMO for me arises definitely upon scrolling through my Instagram feed, that too when my weekends are spent in my house, as opposed to going for a night-out with my friends or missing out on something in my social circle’s calendar.”

Studies conducted by different research groups suggest a binary approach to understanding FOMO. While one research group asserts it is a general anxiety over the idea that others are having a more content and fulfilling time without you, whereas the other research groups states it to be a social anxiety which revolves around a continuous urge to be connected with the activities of one’s friends or other people.

We all can admit that we have all felt this fear of being left out once or twice (or more for some), especially if we are to believe in the delusions of conventionality. Taking the case of the youth, FOMO arises especially if we witness someone, who we are connected to socially having a great time around, probably a fancy lunch, or a weekend party, as opposed to our plans, which might be to laze around in the company of our bed and duvet, making us feel that we are ‘boring’ or have no ‘social life’.  It is also believed that the people, who experience FOMO, are in fact very active on social media, accrediting to the constant exposure to others’ lives and being up to date about it, creating an unnecessary feeling of being bothered and having bouts of self-doubt in you.

Heena Garg, a second year student of Maitreyi College comments, “I have witnessed the feeling of FOMO quite a lot. My friends who are outstation students have more access to partying or ‘chilling’ around frequently, due to the state of their accommodation like PGs or apartments, as opposed to me, who usually prefers weekends as time to spend with the family. It bothered me a little at first, but I think I have accepted this fact and in fact it makes me more joyous. It is about knowing what makes you really happy and to really stop doubting yourself as a person, because everyone has different interests when it comes to spending their time.”

Due to its widespread use, the word is now a part of the Oxford Dictionary, ever since 2013, making it as valid a term, as any other word from the language.

The feeling of FOMO also hints at a hidden desperation or a need to be validated by the others. Most online shopping sites also use this tactic to a fine advantage. Social media handles which portray the quirkiest and eclectic collections become online favourites among users quick due to their different approach and also because the FOMO factor which is targeted in the users, making one believe what they are buying is definitely the next big thing or definitely something which will make them look much more cool.

The question which we should ask ourselves is, how do we get rid of this online disease? The answer is simple. Opting for a social media detox. While others may chide it as useless, or something which comes off as very ‘first world-ish problem’, a social media break, in fact helps you to focus better and to stop consuming much of your time lingering around others’ feeds or stalking them and then feeling worse about yourself. Taking this break will help you to find time for yourself and most certainly give you time for the much needed introspection. Why a lot of people have now started opting and recommending for a social media break is because we all need it at some point ot the other. It is exhaustive and it is impressionable. It makes us want to blend in better, making us thus feel detached from our true identities’, resulting in this feeling of being as lost and clueless as ever.

Hence, FOMO, as hideous as this acronym may sound, is in fact much more a grave thought. I suggest, we all take a step back from this incessant need to be involved into other people’s lives and invest our time to better causes.

 

 Image Credits: giphy

Avnika Chhikara

[email protected]

Have you ever felt that the possibility of being many things is too much of a burden? Does it ever occur to you that the career choices in your path offer opportunities, but act as a trigger for fear, anxiety, and sadness as well? Then, read on to understood why too many choices restrict your freedom.

The new millennium is not only the time non-millennials, and other adults, refer to as a time of social media vernacular, Netflix, and frivolity from behind our gadget screens, but it is a time where mental health and other issues are seen to find a dialogue. This dialogue is no more censored to be inclusive of the misrepresentations around these tabooed themes, and the older generations are right when they call us growing angrier. The millennials are angry, because the millennials are tired of being at peace with the wrong kind of humour, the insensitive form of living.

With the strength in the relative kindness of the millennial age, there comes a certain sense of baggage as well. One has a thousand choices, and there is the age-old question- ‘how far does free will extend’ brewing in intensity, waiting to explode, in the heads, and starting a mentally unhealthy chain reaction. For instance, one eighteen-year-old experienced two episodes of anxiety within eight months, despite being in one of the most renowned educational institutions in the country, because she could not decide her career path. There appeared to be options so many and wide-ranging that it scared her, making her feel anxious about making the right decision at the right time.

The discourse around the current scenario of choices is positive in its outcome as well. In India, it is no more a dichotomy of the engineer and the doctor to be viewed as the barometer for success. Local artists and non-mainstream occupations are acquiring the centre stage. Three decades ago, being a full-time artist would have required either a whole lot of courage or an immense privilege but today a person from a middle-class family can choose his art as a profession to support himself. Choices have always had that going in their evolution. But this situation is often the half-informed, misunderstood picture as well.

There is often a motivational air while saying, ‘Find your passion and do what makes you happy.’ This takes one fact for granted- everybody has an inherent passion, and that skill is what would make them happy in their professional lives. The truth is that there is a very rare chance of being born with the knowledge that there is a burning need to do one particular thing, and then love it, your whole life. Passions are, for most ordinary people, extraordinarily evolutionary in nature. Rahul Dravid may have known that 22 yards were how far he wanted to run to be content, but most people chase many failures and options before realising that one goal probably works a little better than the rest. It is pessimistic, and not something Dead Poets’ Society would tell you, but it is true for most people. The fear of exploring and choosing the wrong option is extremely real, and dangerous beyond the extent for many people today.

One can aspire to be an actor and live the dreams of many lives, but one may also have a love affair with medicine that makes them want its stability and familiarity. The lines between wanting to break free from the script, and finding your own sense of joy within that script become blurred. The romanticism of Ved breaking away towards freedom can then be dissected from another lens, because if there are these many choices one has to make, then one is not probably as free as they think. An argument could be that one can live many dreams, and does not have to be doing the same thing all their life. This may be true for some, but is often associated with a blue perspective for many. Uprooting entire lifestyles, taking off from a long-known familiarity, and starting afresh are big decisions with serious implications on one’s mental health. But the very fact that there is a necessity to do this, and one has to make that decision, can cause a trigger for anxiety, and may even descend into sadness.

Sylvia Plath was sad and ill for many reasons, but one reason that triggered her depressive anxiety was the problem of too many choices. She understood the millennial dilemma before the millennium. In her deeply personal work, she summed up the rather ugly sadness of deteriorating mental health in a rather poetic manner- “I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn’t quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn’t make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.”

 

Feature Image Credits: Design You Trust

Anushree Joshi
[email protected]

Our generation is accused of being fickle minded and afraid to commit. Is there any truth to these stereotypes, and if yes, why is that a problem? Read on to find out more.

Our generation gets a fair amount of backlash for having a dicey stance on commitment. Making generalisations regarding a number of people would be problematic but most of us experience some kind of commitment issues, especially in school and college. We are accused of hopping from one partner to another, while not making the effort to stick to one. However, we are not the most commitment phobic generation to date; we are just the ones who have the luxury to be most vocal about our commitment issues. Greater social acceptance of casual dating and exploring our options has given us a sense of liberation that our predecessors did not have. With greater permeability of the media, we can see how even the most seemingly perfect relationships can fall apart.

A greater understanding of the world and its mechanisms gives us the privilege of speaking out loud about our issues. The idea of love and its universality are not thrust on as vigorously as they were on our parents and grandparents. We are free to fall in love with someone, but equally free to fall out of it; we are free to be drawn to someone but equally free to not be chained to them. The kind of liberation that comes with this knowledge, allows us to question narratives that have been forced on people through religious doctrine and social norms.  The idea of “forever”, “soul mate”, and “sacrifice” are actively questioned and challenged today.

Therefore, what some have tried to describe as commitment phobia is actually a greater understanding of human behaviour and the emotional needs that come with it. The hesitation towards being tied down to one person is aggressively portrayed as undesirable. It adds to the narrative that projects this generation as fickle minded. It makes us shy of getting attached to one person.

All in all, millennials are not people who are more commitment phobic per se; they are simply more self-aware. We have seen things like public breakdowns of the most seemingly stable celebrity marriages, and with access to resources like the internet, makes us question anything and everything; the idea of “forever” is another notion that is effectively challenged.

The fear of commitment comes from the knowledge of understanding what commitment takes. This generation does not tend to make life decisions based on glorified ideas written in scriptures, but, by using rationality and logic; we try to find what suits us best and work along with it.

 

Feature Image Credits: Optimum Performance Institute

Kinjal Pandey

[email protected]