It’s no secret that pesky Gen Zers on social media love mocking their elders – in particular millennials.
And for Iliza Shlesinger, a 40-year-old comedian, it’s time for them to stop.
The performer is done with the younger generation picking apart millennial humour, skinny jeans and awful slang, and has taken to TikTok to speak her truth.
On 13 November, she posted one of her standup performances, where she asked members of her live audience if any were Gen Z.
A small cheer went up, and Shlesinger responded that they are not “so bold outside of a TikTok comment section”.
She went on to recount some of the things Gen Zers have called millennials in recent years – “cheugy”, for example, which describes what they see as outdated fashion.
But instead of going for all-out war, Shlesinger wants the enmity to stop, pointing out that both generations are at the mercy of the housing crisis, and that both lost out more than Gen X and boomers in the pandemic.
She said: "You're angry, and I get that. We are angry too, but we have heartburn and our backs hurt, but we are right there with you."
She added that the only reason the two generations are at loggerheads on TikTok is that they are the only two that use the app. It is “violence by proximity,” she said.
The video went viral, with millions of views and thousands of comments, including many Gen Zers who said they completely understood millennials’ plight.
One said: "It's the younger Gen Z that hates on millennials older Gen Z stands proudly with millennials."
Another added: "Love you millennials!"
Shlesinger summarised it neatly: "Never forget, we forged social media. Never forget that we walked on Instagram so you could run on TikTok."
Never a truer word was spoken.
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