Is the Gen Z the new Lost Generation ?
100 years later, we are the ressurection of the Lost Generation
I’ve always been fond of the Lost Generation, you know my love for Fitzgerald.
I have always felt close to it. Without knowing why, something about these writers and this generation always captured me and I can’t get away from it.
I just effortlessly understand… For the longest time now, I have been drawing parallel between us, the Gen Z, and the Lost Gen. The more I think and compare the two generations, the clearer it becomes :
We are the New Lost Generation.
History repeats itself. 100 years later…
The Lost Generation is a term that Stein refers to in Hemmingway’s book A Moveable Feast.
All of you young people who served in the war. You are a lost generation…
The Lost Generation (1883 to 1912), is a generation especially characterized by the trauma of WWI.
History lesson time :
WWI had profund consequences, to this day, near 9,3 millions of soldiers died. Cultural shift unmatched.
After this war, the USA became the first global superpower. Even if the USA gained an important notoriety on the public scene. The citizens were left with significant physical and psychological damage.
Through various laws (Espionage Act of 1917, Committee on Public Information…) American citizens have seen their rights from the First Ammandment (liberty of speech) regress.
This regression of their rights, brought a new wave of socialism.
It’s the ennemy…
The patriots became the opponents.
They saw that being patriotic brought them no benefits. On the contrary, it brought intolerance and oppression.
It’s a generation wavering between conservatism, and freshness, lightness.
Rebelling against the authority of their parents (the Missonary Generation, aka the Post Civil War gen),standing up to their government and losing faith in the future of humanity…
Somehow, they still hoped for brighter days, losing themselves in parties, alchool, living life like tommorow didn’t exist.
Age of Jazz, freedom of the decade.
Women with their bob cut, men in their pinstripe shirts.
Art Deco and opulence.
The American Dream is dead.
A group of writers, exiled in Europe (Stein, Dos Passos, Fitzgerald, Hemmingway…) perfectly represented this generation, through their eyes we heard an entire sacrificed generation looking for some hope, a new meaning to life.
It was an age of miracles, it was an age of art, it was an age of excess, and it was an age of satire
Fitzgerald, Echoes of the Jazz Age
Most of the writers of the Lost Generation came to France and Europe because they were ruining away from the false idealistic society that America had became after WWI, looking in the Old Continent something more realistic, purer.
That is something I came across reading Fitzgerald. All his books seem to adress the same themes : love, disillusionment, downfall and salvation.
What I noticed in his books, is, the characters, often, fall for the belief of the American Dream (even though they often come from money).
When they realise that the American Dream is a fraud, they lose everything : money, status and whole personnality…
Who are you without all the glamour ?
“You were born in the wrong generation”
No, I was not.
I’m so happy and feel so connected to my generation and its ups and downs.
I love how politicised and welcoming we are, how we put our lives first, work second…
I love living in the same era as Lana Del Rey, Substack, Pinterest, Spotify
Sweet internet jokes.
Moreover, I’m glad that I escape the raging racism, sexism & co of the 20s.
But, how can I talk about the Gen Z without mentioning our fear of the future ?
Just like the Lost Gen, we have been robbed of our futur : climate, economic, political crisis.
Covid.
Apart from the Lost Generation, The Gen Z seems to have the biggest existential crisis the existence of humanity.
Not that the other generations did not have challenges, they all did, but not as big, impactful and tough as us. It’s a fact (I read that in a scientific review, it’s real).
No one else had to give up the idea of having children, because of climate change.
No one else had to buy everything, own nothing’s mentality.
And without forgetting we are not taken seriously by our different government.
No one cares.
This is tragic.
Life becomes meaningless and we all just try our best to find some answers in some philosophical, spiritual, psychical movement.
We numb ourselves by becoming far too sarcastic.
What is my motto already ? Life is unfair, kill yourself or get over it.
We can’t even lose ourselves in partying and alcohol, it’s too expensive.
Sometimes the only way to stay sane is to go a little crazy
Susanna Kaysen, Girl Interrupted
The Lost Generation had to deal with the aftermath of the war and society changes, it must have been hard.
Yet, we keep daydreaming (which is nothing but avoiding reality) about past times that were no better.
Whereas those past time, were also dreaming of the past.
Past appear to be the solution.
And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past
F.S Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
100 years earlier, he tried to warn us : the past is not the solution, never has been, never will be.
It seems like humans always tried to found their place… Failing it over and over, using art to sooth their own existential crisis.
The Lost Generation was not afraid of life
When I talk of fear of living, it is not in the literal sense, it is about being afraid of trying, making mistakes, putting your life at risk, gambling your life.
Playing safe.
Because our future is too delicate, uncertain. We can’t afford to make mistakes.
They were afraid of themselves, war was too traumatising, too real for them to connect with themselves on a deeper level. They had to trade reality for booze, lightness and artificial happiness.
We trade reality for romance and daydreams.
100 years later, history is repeating itself.
We, the Lost Gen of this new world, trying our best to sort out our little lives.
I see you, I see us, and in the hope of brighter days all I can say is you’re doing great, keep trying.
With love,
Maëlle