For those of you who have been living under a rock, Rick Sanchez is a twisted protagonist for the popular Adult Swim TV show, “Rick and Morty.” To Rick, things like national pride, morality, family values and democracy are all jokes.
Growing up, these things seemed like no-brainers to me.
But, nihilism is an infection that leaves calluses on the psyche of every millennial.
When did it become cool to not care about anything?
I first noticed this when I was a kid. You know, that kid who listens to Blink 182, wears hoodies and pretends not to care about anything? That’s adolescent, angsty nihilism.
I didn’t think I’d see this in college.
Why is my generation so nihilistic?
A study by Daniel Cox and Robert P. Jones titled, “A Generation in Transition: Religion, Values, and Politics among College-Age Millennials” shows:
–Almost half of the millennial population (45 percent) don’t believe in the American Dream, the idea that if you work hard you can get ahead.
–40 percent of millennials describe their own generation in a negative way
–Half of adult millennials (48 percent) are living with their parents.
I highly encourage fellow millennials to check this research out.
These data points are interesting, because it shows that my generation is suffering. Due to inflation, things are more expensive and we are paid less than our parents were. College is overpriced, and is sometimes not worth it since many of us can’t find jobs after graduation.
So, many of us have anxiety and depression. We divide into sections based on broad identities such as race, gender identity and sexual orientation.
Many of my peers don’t believe in things that everyone believed in when I was a kid, like the value of voting. I was always told that it is our responsibility to vote. However, many students believe that their vote doesn’t matter and that elections are a sham.
Capitalism is another sacred cow slain for burgers and fajitas.
Many fellow students completely reject capitalism as a concept, preferring systems such as communism or syndicalism.
Millennials are certainly not openly prideful of America as other generations. We’re the generation who calls out the white supremacy in the national anthem, who wants to take God out of the currency.
Many of us don’t believe in an objective morality, either. We see it as outdated religious concepts. To many in my generation, morality is subjective, a social construct. Voting? Capitalism? National pride? Moral realism? These concepts are dying.
I mean, what’s the point, man? I think I’ll just stay home and watch “Rick and Morty.”
Or maybe.
We shouldn’t be so negative. We are the generation of the Internet. We are the most open-minded, scientifically literate generation to ever exist. We are the future, so let us be the leaders I know we can be, and kill this apathy.
