Sept. 1, 2025

Unlearning Gen Z: The Secret World of Teenagers with Tanaya (Memphis College Student)

Unlearning Gen Z: The Secret World of Teenagers with Tanaya (Memphis College Student)

Send us a text In this candid conversation, host Ruth Abigail speaks with Taniya Adams, a college student she has known since third grade, about the unique challenges and perspectives of Generation Z. • Finding identity amidst social media's influence and the pressure to know your purpose early • Learning it's "okay to be not normal" and breaking free from the exhaustion of trying to fit in • The reality of cancel culture and how it affects young people's lives • Challenging stereotypes abou...

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Send us a text

In this candid conversation, host Ruth Abigail speaks with Taniya Adams, a college student she has known since third grade, about the unique challenges and perspectives of Generation Z.

• Finding identity amidst social media's influence and the pressure to know your purpose early
• Learning it's "okay to be not normal" and breaking free from the exhaustion of trying to fit in
• The reality of cancel culture and how it affects young people's lives
• Challenging stereotypes about Gen Z being lazy or always on their phones
• The importance of community in developing authentic self-understanding
• How older adults can support teenagers by having hard conversations without sugarcoating reality
• The disconnect between what high school teaches and what young people need for the "real world"
• Why Gen Z's ability to unite around important issues offers hope for the future
• Embracing difference: "We're born to be different. You're not supposed to be the same."

Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to share your thoughts about this episode. We're looking forward to the next time when we are able to unlearn together to move forward towards freedom.


00:00 - Meeting Taniya: A Gen Z Perspective

04:28 - The Identity Struggle In Youth

11:35 - Community Support and Self-Discovery

19:58 - Gen Z Fears and Pressures

28:17 - Cancel Culture's Impact

38:34 - Challenging Stereotypes About Gen Z

47:02 - Social Media's Influence On Identity

55:30 - Finding Hope In The Next Generation

WEBVTT

00:00:04.107 --> 00:00:08.153
Hello everybody and welcome once again to the Unlearned Podcast.

00:00:08.153 --> 00:00:16.946
I'm your host, ruth Abigail, aka RA, and this is the podcast that is helping you gain the courage to change your mind so that you can experience more freedom.

00:00:16.946 --> 00:00:32.972
And, as you all know, we're in our series Unlearning Generation Z, so we've been talking to people who have either who either work with younger people or are younger people themselves, and today is no different.

00:00:32.972 --> 00:00:46.115
This is actually a really special episode because this young lady that I get to talk to today, that y'all get to hear from, I have known her since she was in third grade and is that true Third grade?

00:00:46.115 --> 00:00:47.487
That's crazy, isn't it?

00:00:47.487 --> 00:00:50.146
Yeah, yeah, that's crazy.

00:00:50.146 --> 00:01:03.350
And we got connected through Angel Street and she has grown up into this incredible young woman and I just absolutely love her, and y'all are going to love her too.

00:01:03.439 --> 00:01:04.665
Her name is Taniya Adams.

00:01:04.665 --> 00:01:06.843
Everybody welcome, taniya.

00:01:06.843 --> 00:01:11.111
Woo, yay, all right, woo, woo, woo.

00:01:11.111 --> 00:01:12.073
Okay, that's enough of that.

00:01:12.073 --> 00:01:41.668
So, taniya, so we have we've been talking about just this next generation, right, your generation and really having to do some unlearning, about making some assumptions about who you are, what you can do, what you believe, all this stuff, and you and I have had a ton of conversations about this.

00:01:41.668 --> 00:01:52.203
So first of all, I'd love to just just kind of start off by asking you know you're about to go into your second year of college, so you just graduated high school two years ago.

00:01:52.203 --> 00:02:03.644
You, um, and so you're kind of you're entering into the world at this point, like you're kind of entering into the space where you're on your own.

00:02:03.644 --> 00:02:04.867
You're gonna be living on a college campus.

00:02:04.867 --> 00:02:16.050
All this stuff, um, what, what are, what is it that you've been seeing differently, even in this last year, since you've been out of high school?

00:02:16.050 --> 00:02:18.847
How have you been seeing the world a little differently?

00:02:18.847 --> 00:02:23.203
What, what, what questions have you been asking that maybe you weren't asking?

00:02:23.223 --> 00:02:38.014
before.

00:02:38.014 --> 00:02:49.324
I've always been prepared, I'll say, not like in the real world, but like.

00:02:49.324 --> 00:02:51.188
I had questions that like I'm now still trying to figure out.

00:02:51.188 --> 00:02:56.721
Um, especially like financial trouble, like I don't know how to do taxes I don't know how to do taxes at all.

00:02:56.721 --> 00:03:03.868
So I'm having those questions and um trying to like figure out, like my identity.

00:03:03.868 --> 00:03:09.995
Still, it's been like a roller coaster trying to find my identity.

00:03:10.895 --> 00:03:11.436
Interesting.

00:03:11.436 --> 00:03:14.167
Okay, well, that's interesting, all right.

00:03:14.167 --> 00:03:15.884
Well, now you've introduced a new topic.

00:03:15.884 --> 00:03:17.127
All right, let's talk about that.

00:03:17.127 --> 00:03:21.586
Let's talk about identity, and when you say you're trying to find it, what do you mean?

00:03:23.752 --> 00:03:30.882
Hmm, say you're trying to find it, what do you mean?

00:03:30.882 --> 00:03:50.116
I feel like there's like so many things that you can learn about yourself and you have like I want people say that it's like a little, you have a little time to like figure it out, but it's like I want to figure it out now, now, what I am now, before I get like older, because I want to have myself together.

00:03:50.800 --> 00:04:02.713
I want to be able to like find my purpose, figure out what I want to do in life, in order for me to like actually move on to what that's like, something that's bigger than what I am now.

00:04:02.713 --> 00:04:05.582
I'm just starting off, so yeah.

00:04:06.466 --> 00:04:06.566
What.

00:04:06.566 --> 00:04:13.288
So, yeah, what makes you, what makes you want to do it now, like, what, what, what is?

00:04:13.288 --> 00:04:22.730
Because I think that those of us that are older, I 100% had, I had, I had that same mentality.

00:04:22.730 --> 00:04:30.591
It's like sometimes it's hard to go back and be in that mindset, cause you're like you don't need to know now, you don't need to know now.

00:04:30.591 --> 00:04:47.857
And that's really easy for those of us who seem like we know right, like and let me just spoiler alert, most of us do not like but, but it seems like that because it's like you know we Like, but, but it seems like that because it's like you know we, you've gotten to certain places in life or whatever.

00:04:47.857 --> 00:04:51.329
So what makes you want to know now?

00:04:51.329 --> 00:04:55.267
Like, why is it like I don't want to wait, I want to write, write, like what's driving that?

00:04:56.961 --> 00:04:58.346
I feel like I have a purpose.

00:04:58.346 --> 00:05:00.187
I believe everyone has a purpose.

00:05:00.187 --> 00:05:09.949
Yeah Me being able to like understand that I've been been put on, put on this earth to have a purpose I want to explore more with the identity that I've discovered.

00:05:09.949 --> 00:05:11.620
That's why I want to find my identity.

00:05:11.620 --> 00:05:23.401
I think it's really important to find your identity, to see like the person that you actually are, and perfect that aligns with that what's hard about finding your identity right now, like why is that?

00:05:23.420 --> 00:05:25.442
hard.

00:05:25.442 --> 00:05:29.887
This is like so like controversial when it comes to Gen Z people.

00:05:29.887 --> 00:05:38.173
I think we get influenced by social media a lot when we're finding our identity.

00:05:38.173 --> 00:05:49.543
It's like so tied in together and I believe that's what's like hindering it, because we see something on the internet and we think, oh, that relates to me.

00:05:49.543 --> 00:05:51.649
In reality it doesn't.

00:05:51.649 --> 00:05:56.529
You just think that way because you're trying to be like socially involved.

00:05:56.529 --> 00:05:58.742
In reality, you're born to be different.

00:06:01.408 --> 00:06:04.494
That's hold on, we're going, we're going to pause, cause that was a, that was a bar.

00:06:04.494 --> 00:06:07.485
You want to be socially involved, but a reality.

00:06:07.485 --> 00:06:08.648
You're born to be different.

00:06:08.648 --> 00:06:09.790
That's good.

00:06:09.790 --> 00:06:11.661
That's good man.

00:06:11.661 --> 00:06:12.925
That's good because that's true.

00:06:12.925 --> 00:06:14.290
We're born to be different.

00:06:14.290 --> 00:06:15.540
You're not supposed to be the same.

00:06:15.540 --> 00:06:21.706
Well, how, how have you struggled with that personally?

00:06:22.966 --> 00:06:31.213
oh, um, uh, middle school, um, very different for me.

00:06:31.213 --> 00:06:43.872
I, uh, I fit the stereotype of most like uh kids that was in like a poor community and I didn't have those stereotypes.

00:06:43.872 --> 00:07:04.389
I, I think I was felt over educated, but but, um, actually, like I had to take a step in when I was in high school, especially in 10th grade year, when I found out that like hey, it's okay to be not normal.

00:07:04.389 --> 00:07:10.408
You don't have to fit in, and in middle school I always like, was taught to like fit in.

00:07:11.000 --> 00:07:14.451
So, being able to explore that out and not do it anymore.

00:07:14.451 --> 00:07:16.807
It's like a huge change for me.

00:07:17.048 --> 00:07:19.185
Wow, is it more freeing for you.

00:07:19.961 --> 00:07:21.410
It is more freeing actually.

00:07:21.410 --> 00:07:22.980
Yeah, I love doing myself.

00:07:22.980 --> 00:07:27.000
It was very tiring trying to uh fit the social norms.

00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:37.343
So being able to like not do that it's more, freer and I have like actual, true people that care about me so it's fun.

00:07:38.204 --> 00:07:54.701
Do you find that um and people, your uh, your friends and your peers you said middle school was when you were trying to fit in the most Tenth grade, you realize I don't have to fit in and now you're freer in your skin, is that?

00:07:54.701 --> 00:07:59.629
How long do you feel like it takes?

00:07:59.629 --> 00:08:10.108
Or, you know, takes people, that other people that you see, do you feel like a lot of your friends are still trying to figure that out, or they've gotten that way too about this time?

00:08:10.108 --> 00:08:13.504
What are you seeing as far as your peer group, as far as that journey for them?

00:08:14.406 --> 00:08:16.091
I think they're trying to still figure it out.

00:08:16.091 --> 00:08:19.624
People need to be more self-aware.

00:08:19.624 --> 00:08:24.713
I think it's because I'm more self-aware about how I feel and like what I'm doing.

00:08:24.713 --> 00:08:42.798
I think when people actually get the time to actually like realize what they're doing and take accountability for the stuff that that's not really them, I think it would be a great impact.

00:08:42.798 --> 00:08:42.899
Yeah.

00:08:42.918 --> 00:08:43.200
Why?

00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:45.001
Why were you?

00:08:45.001 --> 00:08:48.070
Why was the journey different for you?

00:08:48.070 --> 00:08:49.032
What made the difference?

00:08:49.032 --> 00:08:50.884
What made you more self-aware?

00:08:50.884 --> 00:08:51.706
Like why?

00:08:51.706 --> 00:08:56.062
Why do you feel like that was that's your story and not a lot of other people's around you?

00:08:57.004 --> 00:09:02.163
Because, even though I tried to fit the social norms, I was still different.

00:09:02.163 --> 00:09:03.289
Like the stuff that I did, I was still different.

00:09:03.289 --> 00:09:05.279
Like the stuff that I did, I was still different.

00:09:05.279 --> 00:09:12.724
And I had to like realize that, like, no matter what I do, I'm just going to be Taniya, I'm not going to be a.

00:09:12.865 --> 00:09:28.803
Rebecca or a Lindsay or any other people, it's just me yeah, and you just, you're just finding, you're just figuring out who you you figured, you figured out in 10th grade.

00:09:28.803 --> 00:09:35.995
I'm not like y'all, yeah, and and and I'm okay with that.

00:09:35.995 --> 00:09:36.900
I.

00:09:36.900 --> 00:09:42.772
It sounds like, though, a lot of people struggle with the second part.

00:09:42.772 --> 00:09:44.193
I'm okay with that.

00:09:44.193 --> 00:09:49.083
Of people struggle with the second part.

00:09:49.083 --> 00:09:49.466
I'm okay with that.

00:09:49.466 --> 00:09:53.403
Yeah, how did you get to the place where you were not just understanding that you were different, but understanding and just saying like, and I'm okay with that.

00:09:53.403 --> 00:09:54.806
Like, how did you get there?

00:09:56.330 --> 00:09:57.732
well, that's a that's a good question.

00:09:57.732 --> 00:10:02.346
I like actually have no clue.

00:10:02.346 --> 00:10:15.433
Um, I think me surrounding myself with people that cares about me and still like, still like me for who I am, I think that was like a huge key.

00:10:15.433 --> 00:10:31.635
Like me doing like the after school program, like angel street, and then me doing clubs in high school and doing theater and actually finding, uh, finding new friends and real friends, I think that's uh, that's what made me realize that it's okay to be different.

00:10:31.777 --> 00:10:37.628
I love being myself so community has made the difference.

00:10:37.628 --> 00:10:41.453
Yes, in that um huge difference.

00:10:41.453 --> 00:10:46.500
Huh is do you feel like you feel like community is hard for for your generation?

00:10:51.125 --> 00:10:54.288
it depends okay on what it depends.

00:10:54.288 --> 00:11:01.461
Um, I feel like a lot of gen z-ers are very different when it comes to things.

00:11:01.461 --> 00:11:11.826
Um, for community, for me, I was kind of born in it, but you know, you know I was born in it, but sure, yeah.

00:11:11.826 --> 00:11:33.533
But I think for gen zers I would say kind of actually, yeah, I would say, would say kind of it, okay, yeah, it's, it's hard to be in a community, but at the same time, no, actually that's a hard question.

00:11:33.533 --> 00:11:33.934
I'm sorry.

00:11:35.304 --> 00:11:36.240
It's a hard question.

00:11:36.240 --> 00:12:04.490
I, I think, a lot of like when we were one of the things I've heard a lot from particularly girls in their 14, 15, 16, when talking to them it's like I want to do this program because I don't really talk to anybody, I don't really have any friends, I don't need to get to know more people, that's like a common thing and it's like, why is that?

00:12:04.779 --> 00:12:05.115
And it's like I don't really do anything.

00:12:05.115 --> 00:12:06.139
I just it's like I don't really do anything.

00:12:06.139 --> 00:12:07.919
I just go home and I don't really do anything.

00:12:07.919 --> 00:12:10.000
Right, is this something?

00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:11.131
I mean, am I off?

00:12:11.131 --> 00:12:14.885
Like is this something that you hear, that you know to be true?

00:12:14.885 --> 00:12:17.668
Yeah, I'm just like why is that?

00:12:17.668 --> 00:12:18.966
Why do you think that is?

00:12:18.966 --> 00:12:23.379
Why is it that there is not a desire?

00:12:23.379 --> 00:12:31.144
Or maybe the desire comes later to really like connect with people?

00:12:32.366 --> 00:12:34.129
I think it's because of the nervousness.

00:12:34.129 --> 00:12:39.586
I think, being shy, I was very shy and I didn't want to talk to people.

00:12:39.586 --> 00:12:41.921
I was kind of like by myself, but fomo.

00:12:41.921 --> 00:12:42.945
Fomo happened, but like you're missing out.

00:12:42.965 --> 00:12:46.220
That's what made me want to like have friends, kind of like by myself, but FOMO, fomo happened, but like you're missing out.

00:12:46.220 --> 00:12:49.206
That's what made me want to like have friends.

00:12:49.206 --> 00:12:55.028
Okay, I wanted to be like oh, I wanted to be the teenagers that are in the movies.

00:12:55.028 --> 00:12:56.666
I don't want to be just stuck home.

00:12:56.666 --> 00:13:00.647
So I did that.

00:13:00.967 --> 00:13:03.386
Yeah, what movie were you?

00:13:03.386 --> 00:13:05.967
Were you wanting to be like High School Musical?

00:13:05.967 --> 00:13:06.730
High School Musical.

00:13:06.730 --> 00:13:11.966
I knew you was going to say that, golly, High School Musical, y'all love some High School Musical.

00:13:11.966 --> 00:13:15.460
Yeah, that's really interesting.

00:13:15.460 --> 00:13:28.465
So, kind of in that same vein, you said shy, make, just not you know what, what are, and you said, like the fear, fear of missing out, is real.

00:13:28.465 --> 00:13:36.748
Um, what other fears or pressures do you feel like your generation has to deal with?

00:13:40.313 --> 00:13:50.219
not, or do you deal with not fitting in yeah, not fitting in, or again, like I like trying to figure yourself out.

00:13:50.219 --> 00:13:57.846
I mean, we're teenagers, we don't know what we're doing and we haven't like matured enough to like understand what we're doing.

00:13:57.846 --> 00:14:06.033
We're just kind of like going with the flow of things and I think us being scared of like what the future has for us.

00:14:06.033 --> 00:14:07.576
That's.

00:14:07.576 --> 00:14:09.760
That's where the challenge is at right now.

00:14:09.760 --> 00:14:26.394
I've talked to like a lot of my friends and like people, especially like older people, about like even you I talked to you about these things that like I'm actually like we're actually scared of what would happen in the future, like I don't know what would happen.

00:14:26.394 --> 00:14:27.596
I mean, no one knows.

00:14:27.596 --> 00:14:31.994
But it's more scarier because I'm I'm actually in the real world.

00:14:31.994 --> 00:14:40.154
Like this is my first time being in the real world yeah, and it's scary, it is scary, it's scary.

00:14:40.595 --> 00:14:41.977
What scares you the most about it?

00:14:41.977 --> 00:14:42.719
The unknown.

00:14:42.719 --> 00:14:45.524
Is it you not being prepared for it?

00:14:45.524 --> 00:14:46.273
Is it like?

00:14:46.273 --> 00:14:47.871
What is it being?

00:14:47.912 --> 00:14:49.216
prepared, not being prepared for it.

00:14:49.216 --> 00:15:00.623
Okay, look, I'm used to knowing a lot of things and like they don't actually teach you in high school about the real world.

00:15:00.623 --> 00:15:02.596
That's like the sad part about it.

00:15:02.596 --> 00:15:06.418
Teach you in high school about the real world that's like the sad part about it.

00:15:06.418 --> 00:15:06.719
So it's like.

00:15:06.719 --> 00:15:07.562
It's like I don't, I don't know.

00:15:07.562 --> 00:15:08.505
I don't know what I'm doing.

00:15:08.505 --> 00:15:09.610
I don't know how to pay taxes.

00:15:09.610 --> 00:15:12.296
I don't know how to do none of this.

00:15:12.296 --> 00:15:15.682
I don't know how to budget yeah I do.

00:15:15.702 --> 00:15:19.322
You taught me how to budget, but, but you've never done it.

00:15:19.322 --> 00:15:20.707
You haven't done it in real time yet?

00:15:20.748 --> 00:15:21.860
yeah, I haven't done it real time yet.

00:15:21.860 --> 00:15:22.301
Right, yeah, that's real.

00:15:22.301 --> 00:15:22.586
Um, this is so interesting.

00:15:22.586 --> 00:15:22.865
You've never done it.

00:15:22.865 --> 00:15:23.203
You haven't done it in real time yet.

00:15:23.203 --> 00:15:23.725
Yeah, I haven't done it in real time yet.

00:15:23.725 --> 00:15:24.086
Right, yeah, that's real.

00:15:24.086 --> 00:15:26.196
This is so interesting.

00:15:26.196 --> 00:15:28.578
You've mentioned taxes twice and I find that to be hysterical.

00:15:28.578 --> 00:15:32.202
Like, I feel like taxes is like something that's on your mind.

00:15:32.490 --> 00:15:33.615
It's the most silly thing ever.

00:15:33.615 --> 00:15:36.717
I'm scared of taxes.

00:15:36.717 --> 00:15:38.096
I don't like money at all.

00:15:42.311 --> 00:15:45.398
You gotta learn to like money've.

00:15:45.618 --> 00:15:51.323
I've heard so many stories when it comes to like people going to jail for not doing their taxes and I'm like what if I?

00:15:51.323 --> 00:15:52.570
Forget to do my taxes.

00:15:53.131 --> 00:16:03.423
I don't know how that works oh no, I don't want that to happen to you.

00:16:03.423 --> 00:16:12.172
That's actually.

00:16:12.172 --> 00:16:12.754
It's a fair thought.

00:16:12.754 --> 00:16:15.003
Like I know, at some point I have probably felt those things Like what if I turn them in late?

00:16:15.003 --> 00:16:16.288
Or like what if I do them wrong?

00:16:16.288 --> 00:16:17.091
You know what I'm saying.

00:16:17.091 --> 00:16:18.774
Like that's real stuff.

00:16:18.774 --> 00:16:20.559
Like that's real, I mean shoot even.

00:16:20.559 --> 00:16:36.753
Sometimes a day I'd be like, oh, I don't know the answer to this question, but you have to like, I think I think this important for us to remember like, yeah, like y'all are, you're 18 and you said something really important earlier we don't know what we're doing.

00:16:36.753 --> 00:16:39.837
Like, we don't know what we're doing.

00:16:39.837 --> 00:16:44.125
What is it that?

00:16:44.125 --> 00:16:56.200
What do you wish you learned from adults outside of academics and school?

00:16:56.200 --> 00:16:57.221
Throw that away.

00:16:57.221 --> 00:17:05.121
What is it that you wish you learned from adults at an earlier age to prepare you for life right now?

00:17:07.174 --> 00:17:10.102
I I wish I've learned that everything took time.

00:17:10.102 --> 00:17:11.546
Like everything takes time.

00:17:11.546 --> 00:17:22.178
It's really important to like be patient, because everything is not, and then also, on top of that, like always have like a plan a and plan b.

00:17:22.178 --> 00:17:32.124
My mom taught me that, but I really didn't listen because, again, I'm a teenager, yeah, but, um, have a plan a and plan b.

00:17:32.124 --> 00:17:35.356
I think it's really important because you will never know what happened.

00:17:35.356 --> 00:17:54.211
And something that you actually taught me, uh, at a older age, is to like always be prepared and always like, even though you what you do, like what you want to do, and it doesn't go your way, you always have to have another plan so you can figure it out.

00:17:54.211 --> 00:18:00.202
So there's no such thing as this is not going to happen yeah and that that's like a.

00:18:00.363 --> 00:18:06.843
That's a big takeaway that I took from having a conversation with you that I wish I learned earlier, when I was in high school.

00:18:08.971 --> 00:18:11.032
I think that's, I think that's really important.

00:18:11.032 --> 00:18:35.076
I think that the the thing I might ask you to kind of do a deep dive into the world of an 18 year old, and what I mean by that is if, if an adult was a fly on the wall with a group of 10, 17, 18, 19 year olds, what are they going to hear?

00:18:35.076 --> 00:18:50.458
See, what, what's going to surprise them and shock them, and what is going to what's going to surprise and shock them, and what is going to, um, what's going to surprise and shock them, what is something that they're going to, not, they're going to be like I had no idea.

00:18:50.458 --> 00:18:51.220
I'm gonna.

00:18:51.220 --> 00:19:09.836
I want you to answer that, but first I want I, I would love for you to, because you, I think one of the things, then, that you've been alluding to is, um, having the benefit of adults in your life that you have learned from.

00:19:09.836 --> 00:19:16.445
Um, what, what is, what makes an adult easy to learn from?

00:19:18.473 --> 00:19:31.130
um, I think this is going to sound so weird, but them being older, like y'all experienced this before.

00:19:31.130 --> 00:19:32.615
I haven't.

00:19:32.615 --> 00:19:41.200
This is my first time, so having a conversation with an adult that experienced this before it can kind of like get me more ease.

00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:52.221
Like it won't be less stressful because I already know someone that did it yeah, yeah, what about adults?

00:19:52.501 --> 00:20:01.779
and maybe I, I, what, that's not what I'm trying to say what about, um, what makes an adult easy to talk to?

00:20:01.779 --> 00:20:04.723
Easy to talk to, yeah, like what?

00:20:04.723 --> 00:20:06.445
What characteristics, like cause I think?

00:20:06.445 --> 00:20:08.056
I think a lot of it.

00:20:08.056 --> 00:20:27.077
It can be intimidating on both ends for adults to communicate with young people and for young people to communicate with adults, right, so, but I think because we're older and they're, you know, the, the, the people who are older, I think, bear the burden of making sure that the connection is there.

00:20:27.077 --> 00:20:40.642
So how do you, how would you, advise older adults to approach or be approachable for young people so that they can have the benefit of connection and learn from them and learn from them?

00:20:46.230 --> 00:20:49.161
Oh, that's a, that's a question.

00:20:49.161 --> 00:20:57.680
I'm like I was gonna say don't sugarcoat things, but like I want you to like be nice.

00:20:57.680 --> 00:20:59.442
Of course you're approachable.

00:20:59.442 --> 00:21:20.037
Of course you're approachable, like I feel like knowing that okay, it's so hard to explain, but, um, as like a young, younger person, knowing that I have a mentor or a person that is there for me, it makes them more approachable.

00:21:20.037 --> 00:21:24.993
I don't want, I don't want the person that it's like I'm connected to to sugarcoat things.

00:21:24.993 --> 00:21:31.172
Yeah, the people, things I'm still going to be like, oh, this is going to happen, this is going to happen.

00:21:31.172 --> 00:21:32.655
In reality it's not going to happen.

00:21:32.655 --> 00:21:38.143
Just like, be real with me and tell me like how it actually is, so I can actually be prepared.

00:21:38.143 --> 00:21:42.476
It's all about preparedness that's real man.

00:21:43.096 --> 00:21:46.763
You think, yeah, I, yeah, I, um, we were just you and I.

00:21:46.763 --> 00:22:05.019
We just did a conversation with a bunch of new teachers, right, um, at, uh, at a class, a college classroom, like she, you already talking to college students, man, look you, you, look you going somewhere, um, but, uh, but one of the things that we talked about there was like tell young people the truth, right, like you need to.

00:22:05.019 --> 00:22:23.902
It's important to tell folks the truth, um, and I, I mean you, do you feel like there's been a lot of time, a lot of you feel like there's been moments in your life where you do feel like you were lied to or lied might be a strong word, but you weren't told the whole truth or you.

00:22:23.902 --> 00:22:28.960
It was colored in a way that's like it was too.

00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:30.423
It was colored up like you know.

00:22:30.423 --> 00:22:31.003
You know what I mean.

00:22:31.003 --> 00:22:34.035
Yeah, like what?

00:22:34.035 --> 00:22:34.234
What's?

00:22:34.234 --> 00:22:35.676
What's an example of that for you?

00:22:35.676 --> 00:22:41.633
An example oh, wow, what did you have to unlearn that?

00:22:41.633 --> 00:22:43.680
Somebody taught you that you were like that's not even right.

00:22:46.454 --> 00:22:50.037
Oh, the financial things Having a credit card.

00:22:51.351 --> 00:22:54.540
Like yeah, I know right, having a credit card.

00:22:54.540 --> 00:22:59.901
I don't have a credit card now, but someone had to actually say something to me about it.

00:22:59.901 --> 00:23:12.195
But my teacher he was was like having a credit card is going to be very hard, but if you want to, like, get a house and get an apartment or get a car, make sure you do these steps so you can have good credit.

00:23:12.195 --> 00:23:15.321
In reality, that's not true.

00:23:15.321 --> 00:23:16.990
It's not true at all.

00:23:16.990 --> 00:23:30.482
It was like, make sure you put, put, um, put like stuff that like bills that you'd pay for, that you normally pay for, on a credit card, so you can get good credit because you're technically paying for it.

00:23:30.482 --> 00:23:36.780
And I'm like no, please, no, that's not true I see your face, I see your face.

00:23:36.820 --> 00:23:41.419
It's like oh, no, well, because that stuff, like that, you know it grinds.

00:23:41.419 --> 00:23:43.827
It's like no, no, no, no, no, no.

00:23:43.827 --> 00:23:44.790
Don't tell people that.

00:23:44.790 --> 00:23:46.856
Please don't tell people that that's not true.

00:23:46.856 --> 00:23:59.417
Um, that's a great example because, again, the sugarcoating, like the reality is, is what he's saying do people do?

00:23:59.417 --> 00:24:07.625
Um, do people like get, do people get those things by doing it that way?

00:24:07.625 --> 00:24:16.263
Yes, but the other side of that truth is they get so deep into debt that you can't live.

00:24:16.263 --> 00:24:25.336
It's like, yeah, you, you know you have the car, you have the house, you have the things you want because your credit score is high, but then you can't't.

00:24:25.336 --> 00:24:29.471
You can't do what you really want to do, you're stuck and you gotta pay all these people back.

00:24:29.471 --> 00:24:30.394
So, like to your point.

00:24:30.394 --> 00:24:43.371
It's a great example of tell me both sides, like don't, don't just tell me this, like tell me all of it, right, um, yeah, uh, okay, so I, I want to pivot to this.

00:24:43.391 --> 00:24:55.820
This is something that I I really you and I we've had so many conversations and we were in the car and I was just kind of asking you about certain things I've heard about, but I was like is to educate a little bit.

00:24:55.820 --> 00:25:06.694
I read a book.

00:25:06.694 --> 00:25:08.796
It's an older book.

00:25:08.796 --> 00:25:19.439
I'm blanking on the name right now, but essentially it talked about the underworld of teenagers and how there is a world that teens don't let adults in.

00:25:19.439 --> 00:25:30.343
You're never going to know what's really going on, and I want, I would love for you to give a sneak peek, give a trailer to a movie.

00:25:30.343 --> 00:25:38.571
Right, if you want it, if you want it to get adults to come see a movie about the underworld of teenagers.

00:25:38.571 --> 00:25:42.721
What would be in the trailer that you'd want them to know?

00:25:45.549 --> 00:25:47.939
Oh wow, teenagers, what would be in the trailer that you'd want them to know?

00:25:47.939 --> 00:26:02.221
Oh wow, I think what's so hard I I honestly think a trailer, okay, trailer.

00:26:02.221 --> 00:26:11.259
Um, like friendship, love, like love life, all of it?

00:26:11.259 --> 00:26:21.058
There's no, I would never want my mom to know about my love life or what I have troubles with my friends.

00:26:21.118 --> 00:26:21.338
Myself.

00:26:21.338 --> 00:26:24.084
Okay, okay, um, all right.

00:26:24.084 --> 00:26:27.835
What about love, life and friends?

00:26:27.835 --> 00:26:38.517
Would be something that older adults would not necessarily expect for teens to go through, particularly teens in your generation.

00:26:43.392 --> 00:26:45.938
Oh, wow, I was like more.

00:26:45.938 --> 00:26:47.862
We're actually like very sensitive.

00:26:47.862 --> 00:27:14.442
I'm, I'm sensitive, I'm sensitive, but um, I think, yeah, like we're, we're actually like more sensitive than other people think I think it's because we show more emotion but we don't show it out as much, because I think we're put into a society that it's weird to show off emotion.

00:27:14.442 --> 00:27:26.659
So us being by ourselves showing that emotion and not telling other people about it, I think that's what makes a huge deal breaker.

00:27:26.659 --> 00:27:32.015
I know, like multiple times when my mom saw me like visibly upset, but I didn't say anything.

00:27:32.015 --> 00:27:33.478
I was like, oh, I'm fine, I'm fine.

00:27:33.478 --> 00:27:34.460
In reality I'm not.

00:27:34.460 --> 00:27:47.759
I mean, she knows me very well, but it's like I don't want to talk about it because, um, I don't feel like it's, I'm like comfortable enough to like actually tell you, because I feel like you don't feel like I'm comfortable enough to actually tell you Because I feel like you wouldn't understand.

00:27:52.674 --> 00:27:53.897
But you talk about it with your peers.

00:27:54.578 --> 00:27:54.839
Yeah.

00:27:55.500 --> 00:28:11.960
Yeah, yeah, and you all are going to figure it out in a way that together, yeah, what is?

00:28:11.960 --> 00:28:14.609
Figure it out in a way that together, yeah, um, what is all right, let's, let's go to um.

00:28:14.609 --> 00:28:20.758
Different things right now about your generation that you think are, are, are, are truly different, like, um, than other generations.

00:28:20.758 --> 00:28:21.961
What, what can, what can you?

00:28:21.961 --> 00:28:30.123
Can you say, like, hey, this is something that we go through, that generations before us just did not have to really deal with?

00:28:30.123 --> 00:28:37.594
Cancel culture, man interesting.

00:28:38.894 --> 00:28:47.144
Wow it's, it's horrible cancer culture and we put ourselves in that situation.

00:28:47.144 --> 00:28:59.698
It's like our generation is too sensitive for things and we don't understand that like people are human, like you're, you're sending like hateful things.

00:28:59.698 --> 00:29:06.570
You have to realize that like they're human too, like you, yeah, you, you sitting hate.

00:29:06.570 --> 00:29:08.015
It doesn't define.

00:29:08.015 --> 00:29:10.780
It doesn't define that you're a good person.

00:29:10.780 --> 00:29:12.090
It doesn't make you a good person.

00:29:12.090 --> 00:29:16.602
It still makes you, you know.

00:29:16.602 --> 00:29:17.744
It still makes you you.

00:29:17.744 --> 00:29:26.478
But it won't make you a good of a person if you're sitting hate because that person did something won't make you a good of a person if you're sending hate because that person did something.

00:29:26.498 --> 00:29:27.118
That's what's the.

00:29:27.118 --> 00:29:27.901
What's the last.

00:29:27.980 --> 00:29:28.883
Who's the last person?

00:29:30.817 --> 00:29:33.549
that was canceled, that you don't think it was fair that they were canceled?

00:29:34.530 --> 00:29:39.479
okay, oh my gosh, uh have you watched love island.

00:29:40.420 --> 00:29:43.644
you know, you know, I haven't, you know, I have never seen it.

00:29:44.593 --> 00:29:53.311
Love Island is a reality TV show that is based on people finding love.

00:29:53.311 --> 00:30:00.578
It's in the name and they're on this island, they're in Fiji, trying to figure things out, trying to explore connections.

00:30:00.578 --> 00:30:09.621
This one particular person her name is huda she's giving, she's getting a lot of hate right now.

00:30:09.621 --> 00:30:15.917
People are calling her a crash out because, uh, of how she responded to somebody.

00:30:15.917 --> 00:30:24.602
Uh, I won't say like basically love bombing her, but like being a little different and a lot of people are hating that.

00:30:24.701 --> 00:30:33.334
A lot of people like my generation, my generation this is what I don't like about my generation but like a lot of people sent hate to her.

00:30:33.334 --> 00:30:38.503
They like called cps on her, on her, they, they like they.

00:30:38.503 --> 00:30:50.115
And then, on top of that, it's like like they go to the extreme, like if you don't like a person, if they don't like a person, they'll do like more than that.

00:30:50.115 --> 00:31:01.633
There's like instance where people got CPS called on them, people got called, people got ICE called on them, when they're like actually like.

00:31:01.633 --> 00:31:19.375
They're actually like born in america, they're just a different race, like there's like stuff like that, that that happens, that like canceled culture cause, and it's like people don't actually see it until like you actually like live it so it's, it's really, it's really bad.

00:31:19.375 --> 00:31:27.218
And then they also like send like bad, like threats to people that they don't like and it's like there's no reason for you to do that.

00:31:27.218 --> 00:31:28.987
They're, they're actual.

00:31:28.987 --> 00:31:30.251
They're actual real people.

00:31:30.814 --> 00:31:43.891
My understanding of like the way cancel culture started is people making an attempt to call out bad behavior from people who we know and love and have, like you know, become famous for certain things, whatever.

00:31:43.891 --> 00:32:03.092
But it's like something came up from their past and that's and it was wrong, genuine wrong things, right, saying the N word, doing something inappropriate with women you know, truly bad things, like, and it's like they did these things, so everything else that they've ever done.

00:32:03.092 --> 00:32:04.897
We cancel it.

00:32:04.897 --> 00:32:07.035
They forget it, it doesn't, it doesn't matter.

00:32:07.035 --> 00:32:10.820
You've done, you've done these horrible things in your past.

00:32:10.820 --> 00:32:13.178
So all the things you're doing right now don't matter anymore.

00:32:13.178 --> 00:32:26.599
And we're going to, we decided, we're going to get rid of you, right, and that's the idea of this cancel culture and it's like an attempt to right a wrong in a wrong way.

00:32:29.064 --> 00:32:37.026
Like, do you feel like, do you feel like your generation?

00:32:37.026 --> 00:32:41.279
I think the beautiful thing about younger generations we all had this, we all had this.

00:32:41.279 --> 00:32:44.090
Um, what's the word I'm looking for?

00:32:44.090 --> 00:32:45.894
Energy, this.

00:32:45.894 --> 00:32:57.202
You know, we are zealous in a in a way, like you know, we're, we're all about whatever we're about, we're all about it, right, and that's a cool thing, that's a great thing.

00:32:57.202 --> 00:33:16.010
You need that, um, what do you think it's going to take to kind of balance this a little bit Right Cause people's lives have really been, I mean, ruined, uh, forever, and I'm not sure that that's fair, right, um.

00:33:16.010 --> 00:33:25.739
And but your generation, I mean you're right, like cancel culture is real and it's very prevalent and it's still prevalent and it's getting worse.

00:33:25.739 --> 00:33:27.761
I mean, it seems like I don't know, you feel like it's?

00:33:27.781 --> 00:33:28.222
getting worse.

00:33:28.884 --> 00:33:30.730
Yes, yeah.

00:33:30.730 --> 00:33:32.391
So what do you?

00:33:32.391 --> 00:33:37.534
What would you say would be a solution to that?

00:33:40.761 --> 00:33:50.210
um, good question, I think I.

00:33:50.210 --> 00:33:57.125
I think that that's actually a good question.

00:33:57.125 --> 00:34:04.347
Oh my gosh, I think it will, I think it would.

00:34:04.347 --> 00:34:16.659
Um, I think something that will fix it is when actually gen z people realize that people are human too and things happen, not saying that like they don't have they.

00:34:16.659 --> 00:34:29.838
They can like forget about the bad things that people did, but don't take it a notch, just um, just like, be like hey, that was bad, you should take accountability for this and then apologize.

00:34:29.838 --> 00:34:38.079
Yeah, not like actually like send like um death threats or like yeah doxing people.

00:34:38.260 --> 00:34:38.481
Don't.

00:34:38.481 --> 00:34:39.302
Don't do that.

00:34:39.302 --> 00:34:40.224
You don't need to do that.

00:34:40.224 --> 00:34:41.748
Just be like hey, you did this.

00:34:41.748 --> 00:34:47.882
Take accountability and say sorry and apologize to the community that you hurt.

00:34:47.882 --> 00:35:01.021
There's no sense or there's no need for people to dox people or send threats to people and harm other people's family because you don't simply like the stuff that they did.

00:35:01.021 --> 00:35:04.815
We have to realize that mistakes happen and we're all human.

00:35:04.815 --> 00:35:15.262
We just have to take accountability accountability for what we did yeah, what do you think that?

00:35:16.885 --> 00:35:18.829
what's something that adults assume about gen z?

00:35:18.829 --> 00:35:24.788
That's not true that were lazy, you sure I don't know.

00:35:24.788 --> 00:35:32.329
I don't know, I ain't gonna lie to you sometimes, sometimes you positive, because sometimes I don't know.

00:35:32.329 --> 00:35:38.980
I've been thinking that I think that sometimes, why do you say that like what?

00:35:39.019 --> 00:35:46.148
okay, back it up, okay um, this is going to be such a bad example.

00:35:46.148 --> 00:35:49.992
But example Example my mom.

00:35:49.992 --> 00:35:51.416
My mom.

00:35:51.416 --> 00:35:59.079
She'll say that like, oh, you forgot to clean up downstairs, and she doesn't even look.

00:35:59.079 --> 00:36:03.369
She doesn't even look, she just goes upstairs, she's tired from work, she doesn't look around.

00:36:03.369 --> 00:36:05.981
So she'll be like, oh, don't forget to take out the trash.

00:36:05.981 --> 00:36:07.306
And I'm like, oh, it's already done.

00:36:07.306 --> 00:36:18.824
And then she like sees, like when I get done cleaning up, like I clean up my room, it like helps me, like it keeps, like it keeps me peace when I clean up my room.

00:36:18.824 --> 00:36:26.527
So when she sees one sock on the floor that I forgot to pick up, she'll'll be like, oh, you're so lazy.

00:36:26.527 --> 00:36:29.463
And I'm like, no, I just forgot to pick it up.

00:36:29.463 --> 00:36:33.746
Like, give me credit, that's me, give me credit.

00:36:34.795 --> 00:36:37.521
That's fantastic, that's great.

00:36:37.521 --> 00:36:39.487
Yeah, all right, I get that.

00:36:39.487 --> 00:36:45.155
That's fair, and sometimes parents can go overboard um with that, but you said something.

00:36:45.155 --> 00:36:45.456
You said.

00:36:45.456 --> 00:36:47.141
You know she's frustrated or not frustrated.

00:36:47.141 --> 00:36:50.297
She's tired, right, tired from, yeah, from work.

00:36:50.297 --> 00:37:04.612
So she, yeah that that makes sense what, what other reasons out outside of um parents, like and what other reasons would you say, like it's important, like we're not lazy?

00:37:04.612 --> 00:37:06.056
Give me some other examples.

00:37:06.056 --> 00:37:08.603
How would you, how would you prove that out in an argument?

00:37:08.603 --> 00:37:15.938
Because I got some examples and I don't know yeah, I'm not.

00:37:15.958 --> 00:37:19.099
I'm not really much of a debater, uh, I think.

00:37:19.099 --> 00:37:27.885
I think, uh, the job industry I'll say we had this conversation before.

00:37:27.885 --> 00:37:47.159
A lot of Gen Z people are not getting hired for the job that they should work at, like the movie theaters or a grocery store and stuff like that, because we're simply just young and they don't know the potential that we actually have.

00:37:47.159 --> 00:37:50.806
You would never know that I, I, um, I actually one of my values are actually teamwork.

00:37:50.806 --> 00:37:53.177
You wouldn't know that unless you actually know me.

00:37:53.177 --> 00:37:59.179
But if you see me like around, like roundabout, you'd be like, oh, she's quiet and it's like, no, it's not true.

00:37:59.498 --> 00:38:04.166
I'm actually like very outgoing, I like talking to people, I'm actually really nice.

00:38:04.166 --> 00:38:09.143
Things like that you couldn't tell by a person.

00:38:09.143 --> 00:38:13.563
You only make an assumption based on how they look.

00:38:13.563 --> 00:38:16.340
You're not really thinking about the personality that they have.

00:38:16.340 --> 00:38:31.597
I think when it comes to jobs and stuff, having someone older, you'll think that they're more wiser, they know how to do things, except for like a gen z person who just got into the real world and not knowing what they do.

00:38:31.597 --> 00:38:36.856
Or you think, oh, they always be on their phone and they wouldn't do nothing in reality.

00:38:36.856 --> 00:38:43.434
People are people are not like that, and some gen z are actually very productive.

00:38:43.474 --> 00:38:44.405
Yeah they actually touch.

00:38:44.445 --> 00:38:54.420
Yeah, they actually touch grass, they actually touch grass we don't, we don't, you're not, oh, that's you know what, and I think that's another you're not always on your phones.

00:38:54.420 --> 00:38:55.322
That is very true.

00:38:55.322 --> 00:39:09.465
Oh for bet, I'll tell you, boy, I'll be seeing some and it's like yo, like like you gotta chill, you gotta chill, it's okay, it won't kill you to let it go, but everybody's not like that, right, um?

00:39:09.465 --> 00:39:10.867
I think that is.

00:39:10.867 --> 00:39:16.081
I think that is important, and I do think that that is something that adults have to unlearn about Gen Z that you know, always on your phone.

00:39:16.302 --> 00:39:20.960
I was just having another conversation with somebody, um, and what she?

00:39:20.960 --> 00:39:24.525
She was saying she bought her alarm clock.

00:39:24.525 --> 00:39:37.822
She bought a real alarm clock for the first time, and so she doesn't use the alarm on her phone because she's like I don't even want it by me anymore, I have to get rid of it.

00:39:37.822 --> 00:39:42.659
And so she bought a real alarm clock and it's like she's in her, she's 24.

00:39:42.659 --> 00:39:44.746
So she's, she's out here.

00:39:44.746 --> 00:39:46.762
She's like I don't, I'm not trying to be around my phone all the time.

00:39:46.762 --> 00:39:48.536
What's what's?

00:39:48.536 --> 00:39:53.402
Another assumption that people make about Gen Z?

00:39:53.402 --> 00:39:54.103
That's not true.

00:39:54.103 --> 00:39:58.190
In your opinion.

00:39:58.190 --> 00:40:01.041
They're lazy, they always want to be on their phones.

00:40:01.041 --> 00:40:02.739
These are not necessarily true.

00:40:02.739 --> 00:40:03.923
What's something else?

00:40:14.355 --> 00:40:14.815
They're not productive.

00:40:14.815 --> 00:40:15.378
I'm always productive.

00:40:15.378 --> 00:40:16.139
You know me, you are.

00:40:16.139 --> 00:40:17.041
I can say that I want to do things.

00:40:17.061 --> 00:40:24.583
I don't want to be in home like at home all the time I actually like picked up hobbies that I would never thought I would do, like crocheting, damn.

00:40:24.583 --> 00:40:36.614
I would never expect for me to say I, I had to like, honestly, I, I had to like be like oh, I don't want to be in my phone a lot of times, or I don't want to, I don't want to do something productive with my life.

00:40:36.614 --> 00:40:49.739
If I'm sitting at home and I don't have my phone near me, I'm just gonna like crochet and just listen to music or like be, be even in silence, be in silence and like crochet.

00:40:49.739 --> 00:40:54.596
Some some uh gen z kids, they like books, they like to read books all the time.

00:40:55.478 --> 00:41:04.887
To like be more productive, I like to go out with like friends or like help, help around a big thing that I did when I was in, uh, my senior year.

00:41:04.887 --> 00:41:13.635
I volunteered a lot because I wanted to stay productive, I wanted to do something, I wanted to get off, I want to get on my feet.

00:41:13.635 --> 00:41:20.644
I didn't want to sit down and layer around all day that's you.

00:41:20.784 --> 00:41:31.186
I think you really just help some people because, let's be honest, myself included, we definitely have put that stereotype on y'all.

00:41:31.186 --> 00:41:36.268
They don't want to do nothing, they just want to be on their phones.

00:41:36.268 --> 00:41:41.840
They lazy, they don't be outside, y'all just go outside and play.

00:41:41.840 --> 00:41:43.237
Y'all do be outside, you be inside.

00:41:43.237 --> 00:41:43.920
And they don't.

00:41:43.920 --> 00:41:45.925
You know they don't be outside, y'all just go outside and play.

00:41:45.925 --> 00:41:46.326
Y'all do be outside.

00:41:46.326 --> 00:42:12.527
Like you know you be inside too, and I think that's, I think that's really helpful for people to know like not maybe some are that way, but all are not like that, and I think I think it's like, hey, give, give them a chance, give them a chance to prove you wrong and to actually prove like it's not the way you think it is.

00:42:12.527 --> 00:42:16.306
It's a different understanding.

00:42:20.559 --> 00:42:52.146
I want to go back to the identity thing real quick, because I think this would help and I think a lot of older people have a lot of questions about the identity struggle, and you mentioned it earlier in the conversation about how a lot of the struggle is, because you see a lot of stuff on social media and you're it's like, maybe I'm supposed to be like this, maybe I'm supposed to be like that, maybe I'm supposed to like this, and you're having to kind of wrestle with that in your brain.

00:42:52.146 --> 00:42:58.382
How have you seen?

00:42:58.382 --> 00:43:04.289
No, let me reverse that.

00:43:04.289 --> 00:43:05.190
What?

00:43:05.190 --> 00:43:22.568
What do you think is one of the most important things for both, most important ways that adults can support teenagers in figuring out their identity?

00:43:27.356 --> 00:43:28.481
that's a good question.

00:43:28.481 --> 00:43:33.925
I honestly don't have a clue.

00:43:33.925 --> 00:43:38.641
I don't, I don't know.

00:43:41.338 --> 00:43:42.081
I love that answer.

00:43:42.777 --> 00:43:44.141
Ask the question again.

00:43:44.141 --> 00:43:45.045
Okay, all right.

00:43:48.536 --> 00:43:56.550
How can adults support teenagers as they find their identity?

00:43:59.476 --> 00:44:02.335
I think one is having those hard conversations.

00:44:02.335 --> 00:44:25.795
I think one is having those hard conversations, um, I think, honestly, people need to take a step back and realize that like, how, uh, how, like the um how the brain like can like trick you in so many ways.

00:44:25.815 --> 00:44:37.659
Uh, yeah, I think, I think, like, think, like, yeah, having those hard conversations, actually having a conversation, and being like, oh, how are you feeling, how, how, how this is you know that half of that stuff is not true right?

00:44:38.380 --> 00:45:01.766
There's like so many times that I compared myself to people that I see on social media because of, like, the fear of missing out and the standards that's, um, that's in society, and it's like I don't know if I should be that way because they're getting a lot of attention, because they're like, they're, they're, they're that way.

00:45:01.766 --> 00:45:09.989
But you see, like a bunch of you see a thousand people being the same way and it's you, it's.

00:45:09.989 --> 00:45:19.155
It kind of makes you, it kind of makes you think if you should be that way because it's popular, not because you like it, but because it's popular.

00:45:19.155 --> 00:45:50.440
And I think having those conversations with your kids would be a huge thing for them also, supporting them in many ways, being like, oh hey, even if you don't like it, because a lot of generations think differently, we just supporting them in any way, any cause, it will make them.

00:45:51.824 --> 00:45:56.585
You know, I don't know if I'm answering your question or not.

00:45:56.585 --> 00:45:57.626
You are answering my question I.

00:45:57.626 --> 00:45:58.168
I want to.

00:45:58.168 --> 00:45:59.556
I want to dive a little deeper.

00:45:59.556 --> 00:46:03.641
You said so.

00:46:03.641 --> 00:46:18.516
What is out there, or has been out there during your journey of growing up, that has had its popular or trendy moments, that you've seen a lot of people in your generation connect?

00:46:18.516 --> 00:46:21.101
And I have false identity too.

00:46:21.222 --> 00:47:06.815
We'll say it like that, um, and that also might be hard for parents to talk about yeah, um honestly, or other adults, not just parents, but older adults yeah, honestly, I think I've seen, like during during, especially during COVID, a lot of like aesthetics, the way like you present yourself and also religion, was like one of like people that are christian convert to spirituality, not knowing what they're doing.

00:47:06.815 --> 00:47:12.976
They just did it because it was popular and they thought it was cool because other people was also doing it.

00:47:13.195 --> 00:47:26.692
It was very popular at the time to own rocks and and evil eyes and stuff like that, not knowing the uh, not knowing this, the uh, the history behind those things.

00:47:26.692 --> 00:47:38.077
And then when it comes to aesthetics, it's it's like they, they I feel like a lot of uh, a lot of my generation.

00:47:38.077 --> 00:47:47.101
They're like more so when it comes to aesthetics, they don't do it because they fit it, they do it because it's popularized.

00:47:47.101 --> 00:47:52.221
Okay, a lot of things like also like the dark aesthetic, like goth.

00:47:52.221 --> 00:47:55.956
A lot of Gen Z people would do that because it's getting attention.

00:47:56.097 --> 00:47:59.726
They wouldn't do it because they actually like it yeah.

00:48:01.416 --> 00:48:01.918
Keep going.

00:48:01.918 --> 00:48:02.721
What else can you think of?

00:48:02.721 --> 00:48:05.498
This is good, I think this is going to help people.

00:48:05.498 --> 00:48:06.260
What else?

00:48:06.260 --> 00:48:06.740
What are there?

00:48:06.740 --> 00:48:16.461
Some trends that are like people have to unlearn is really a really real for people for a lot?

00:48:16.461 --> 00:48:30.905
Like it might be for some, but for most, sometimes it just is a a phase that they're having to kind of work Like I wouldn't say work through, but just like pass through, like, hey, this is just what, this is just part of it.

00:48:30.905 --> 00:48:34.503
And what are some other examples?

00:48:34.503 --> 00:48:36.983
You said aesthetics, religion.

00:48:36.983 --> 00:48:39.824
I think that's big yeah.

00:48:46.201 --> 00:48:46.302
Dang.

00:48:46.302 --> 00:48:54.164
I was going gonna say even like sexuality yeah, for sure yeah, like sexuality and gender.

00:48:55.661 --> 00:48:59.362
Yep, you wouldn't people think it's popular.

00:48:59.362 --> 00:49:02.298
In reality it's, you know.

00:49:02.298 --> 00:49:13.916
I mean, unless you want to like explore that out more, I understand that, but just doing it because people are getting attention for it, that that's what makes it a difference.

00:49:13.916 --> 00:49:20.588
I've seen like a lot of people that like it's like they didn't even explore it.

00:49:20.588 --> 00:49:24.204
They just been like, oh, I'm this, and I'm like how did?

00:49:24.204 --> 00:49:25.106
How did you?

00:49:25.106 --> 00:49:26.418
How did you find out that she was that?

00:49:26.418 --> 00:49:29.590
Yeah, and they're like oh, I just saw it online.

00:49:29.590 --> 00:49:33.599
Oh my gosh, I have a story for you, okay let's go.

00:49:35.784 --> 00:49:37.025
I was on the phone.

00:49:37.025 --> 00:49:38.989
I was on the phone with my friend.

00:49:38.989 --> 00:49:52.360
He's a boy and on social media he was getting like a lot of like LGBTQ content and it was like saying like, oh, if you do these things, then that means you're homosexual.

00:49:52.360 --> 00:49:55.880
And and then he called me.

00:49:55.880 --> 00:50:03.501
He was like Sanaya, I think I'm, I think I'm a homo, I'm thinking I'm a homosexual and I'm like how do you know that?

00:50:03.501 --> 00:50:08.023
And he was like, because he talked to me and I was like do you like boys?

00:50:08.023 --> 00:50:12.003
And he was like no, ew, no, like us now.

00:50:12.003 --> 00:50:18.985
But I'm like you're not, you're not, you're not homosexual, you're not, you're not.

00:50:22.456 --> 00:50:28.342
Because, TikTok told me yeah, that was like literally the phrase that he said.

00:50:28.342 --> 00:50:35.621
And I'm like dude, you've never talked to a boy, not once when I was, when I was friends with you.

00:50:35.621 --> 00:50:42.938
I've been friends with you for like five years, like but is that okay, that's like that's?

00:50:43.318 --> 00:50:46.327
is that story fairly common for people Like?

00:50:46.327 --> 00:50:52.969
Not necessarily for that same like topic, but for like because TikTok said it.

00:50:53.355 --> 00:50:58.384
This must be what I am or yeah, especially for the younger community.

00:50:58.423 --> 00:51:18.166
Yes, the younger Gen Z folks, the younger Gen Z folks yes, man, Um, that's scary, Honestly, like if I'm being like, that's scary, and and then you go and then you, like, you just live out those things that you don't even really want to do.

00:51:18.166 --> 00:51:21.862
Yeah, that's not even really who you are.

00:51:21.862 --> 00:51:24.675
How did um so?

00:51:24.675 --> 00:51:25.677
Yeah, that's not even really who you are.

00:51:25.677 --> 00:51:28.782
How how did um so?

00:51:28.782 --> 00:51:49.577
Talk a little bit about your relationship with God as a person in this generation, because I know that's been a journey for you and, like you know, yeah, I know it's been a journey for you and I I don't want, I don't want to put um.

00:51:49.577 --> 00:51:58.019
Would you say that having a relationship God has helped you with understanding who you are a little bit more?

00:51:58.019 --> 00:52:00.307
Yeah, Okay, Talk, talk to me about that.

00:52:00.307 --> 00:52:00.971
Why, Like, how has that helped?

00:52:00.971 --> 00:52:01.873
Okay, talk to me about that.

00:52:01.873 --> 00:52:01.954
Why?

00:52:02.936 --> 00:52:03.956
Like, how has that helped?

00:52:03.956 --> 00:52:10.463
Honestly, I've been in like so many situations where I honestly had him.

00:52:10.463 --> 00:52:17.851
Just I just have to say like, oh, just let him take the will and guide me to like an actual safe place.

00:52:17.851 --> 00:52:29.237
There's a lot of like instances where he did and it honestly I didn't think that he was actually guiding me to the right place.

00:52:29.237 --> 00:52:31.001
I just thought he was making it worse.

00:52:31.322 --> 00:52:40.972
But I had to realize that, like it had, it had to, like they had to make me show who I actually am and actually know my worth.

00:52:40.972 --> 00:52:42.425
I didn't know my worth at the time.

00:52:42.425 --> 00:52:43.530
I didn't know if I was, if I was, um, this big of a worth.

00:52:43.530 --> 00:52:43.960
I didn't know my worth at the time.

00:52:43.960 --> 00:52:47.628
I didn't know if I was, if I was, um, this big of a person.

00:52:47.728 --> 00:52:53.786
I didn't know that I I always look down on myself and being able for him to like take the will and be like you.

00:52:53.786 --> 00:53:05.003
Actually, you're actually worth something, you have a purpose that would make like a big change about how I feel about him and like everything else that's been happening in my life.

00:53:05.003 --> 00:53:20.496
I had to be grateful for what I had, because I didn't, I didn't know I was, that I was, um, I had such a amazing life, even though there's no such thing as being perfect, even though it's not perfect, it's still.

00:53:20.496 --> 00:53:28.157
It's still a life to live and it's good to like actually understand that and have that mentality now.

00:53:29.679 --> 00:53:34.067
Since then, yeah, that that's.

00:53:34.067 --> 00:53:35.248
That's honestly beautiful.

00:53:35.248 --> 00:53:43.222
Um, how, how would you?

00:53:43.222 --> 00:53:58.076
Um, so I, I, we got we're gonna have to stop this conversation because we, I could ask you questions all day, and you know this, because you know we'd be riding around the car for and I'd be asking questions all day.

00:53:58.076 --> 00:54:09.867
Um, so, uh, as we up, um, tell me what makes you hopeful about your generation.

00:54:09.867 --> 00:54:17.864
And for, for those older adults who don't have as much hope they're like I don't think we, I don't think I think we're in trouble.

00:54:17.864 --> 00:54:21.625
How, how would you encourage them about your generation?

00:54:27.855 --> 00:54:29.057
would you encourage them about your generation?

00:54:29.057 --> 00:54:31.525
Honestly, I feel like people need to realize that Gen Z, we're actually a good community.

00:54:31.525 --> 00:54:33.070
We're actually a good community.

00:54:33.070 --> 00:54:37.181
We come together for things and I think it's because we're younger.

00:54:37.181 --> 00:54:42.780
We see the troubles, we see how America is, we see how everything is around the world.

00:54:42.780 --> 00:54:49.083
We understand that and we try to do so much things to make it better.

00:54:49.083 --> 00:55:17.106
And I think people need to like actually like see that a lot of Gen Z um, they did protests, they even like tried to educate people that are that are not very much much educated on a situation and being able to actually have a generation like that, it should be very hopeful to know that, like, our future is going to be good.

00:55:17.106 --> 00:55:22.668
We know how we, we know the issues and we're trying to solve it the best we can.

00:55:22.668 --> 00:55:26.199
We want our voices to be heard.

00:55:26.199 --> 00:55:27.577
We don't want to be closed off.

00:55:27.577 --> 00:55:28.862
We want our voices to be heard.

00:55:28.862 --> 00:55:32.563
We want to be loud enough for bigger power to hear.

00:55:34.175 --> 00:55:41.164
Yeah, that's awesome man, I love that and I agree, I think I love that.

00:55:41.164 --> 00:55:42.922
You said we know how to come together.

00:55:42.922 --> 00:55:48.594
I think that's very powerful, um, and that's a very powerful trait for a generation.

00:55:48.594 --> 00:56:18.882
Like we know how to come together, we know how to rally and we know how to be loud for the things that are important, and we're going to be out here doing that and, um, a lot of people are too scared to do it, um, but I think, I think your generation has has has also in a lot of ways I've seen it like um created less fear in older people to do things, and I think that's beautiful.

00:56:18.882 --> 00:56:21.226
Um, man, that's good.

00:56:21.226 --> 00:56:21.987
Okay, all right.

00:56:21.987 --> 00:56:30.927
Last thing, if you had one other thing maybe that wasn't said or that you um want to like double down on what is?

00:56:30.927 --> 00:56:33.864
What is it that you want people to unlearn about your generation?

00:56:35.735 --> 00:56:37.018
We don't fit the social norms.

00:56:37.018 --> 00:56:42.862
Because we want to be different, we realized that it's okay to be different.

00:56:42.862 --> 00:57:01.943
A lot of gen z people are not trying to fit the social norm, so if you see a person that doesn't look like a model or a perfect person, it's because they want to be different and they know that they're different and that's what makes them perfect yeah, come on bars, I liked it.

00:57:02.445 --> 00:57:07.762
Yeah, okay, yeah, thank you, taniya, for coming on the show.

00:57:08.739 --> 00:57:09.181
Not really.

00:57:09.181 --> 00:57:10.514
It was my pleasure.

00:57:10.916 --> 00:57:15.605
I enjoyed it okay, this is your first podcast.

00:57:15.605 --> 00:57:18.588
Yes, yeah, look at you.

00:57:18.588 --> 00:57:20.304
You couldn't even tell you were so comfortable.

00:57:20.304 --> 00:57:22.365
I didn't even know, I wasn't even sure.

00:57:22.365 --> 00:57:28.336
Perfect, you had no reason to be nervous, man.

00:57:28.336 --> 00:57:30.701
This was great, all right y'all.

00:57:30.701 --> 00:57:44.108
Well, thank you again for listening and we will be back, but until then, let's keep unlearning together so that we can experience more freedom.

00:57:44.108 --> 00:57:53.099
Thank you once again for listening to the Unlearned Podcast.

00:57:53.099 --> 00:57:55.867
We would love to hear your comments and your feedback about the episode.

00:57:55.867 --> 00:58:02.588
Feel free to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and to let us know what you think.

00:58:02.588 --> 00:58:08.965
We're looking forward to the next time when we are able to unlearn together to move forward towards freedom.

00:58:08.965 --> 00:58:09.867
See you then.