Each generation has their own unique identity and is subject to criticism from the previous one. This is true of author Bret Easton Ellis who defined the current generation in Vanity Fair as “Generation Wuss”. Ellis argues that the youth of today is entitled to recognition when none is due and incapable of hearing critique. This belief among the older generations that generalize our youth as easily offended is common yet completely inaccurate and misunderstood.
I’d argue though that our flammability is due to us being the generation that upholds moral values the most. We’re taught from grade school to share, to stand up to bullies, speak up for the defenseless and being the generation that pursues those integrities the most, we intimidate the older generations. We are the far from “Generation Wuss”. We are the generation of critical thinkers, selflessness and the generation exercising the most humanity even at the expense of traditional thinking.
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Us so called “Generation Wuss”-ers are unlike anything seen before. We are a children of an age in which we must question everything. We are hyper aware of misleading information and bias. We value truth and undeniably seek it. Looking at the public reaction to pedestrians shot by police officers alone is a good example of our ability to think critically. Today it is not uncommon for the demand of body footage from police to prove the innocence of the officer. We understand that bad people can be anyone including some police. Contrary to the attitude just 20 years ago, there is a lack of blind trust in the law that once ran rampant. We are beyond the belief of accepting things for face value. This is seen clearly in websites arising in our generation as well. Politifact is an example of how we don’t simply believe everything we hear. Though the term “crooked politician” has been around for decades, we are the only generation that has dedicated themselves to creating and using a service to determine if a politically charged statements are true. In general, our generation is that of not accepting things for their superficial value and constantly trusting those around us but rather formulating our own opinions and researching beyond the presented.
It is irrefutable our generation is defensive. But when analyzed, a person will find this results from a generation that is unaccepting of the judgemental, the racist and insensitive. We are a diverse youth and our values reflect that. An article from Huffpost titled “Conservative or Liberal? For Generation Z, It’s Not That Simple” estimates Gen Z to be 55% Caucasian, 24% Hispanic, 14% African American, 4% Asian and 4% mixed race or other. Because of this we tend to be less tolerant of discrimination and supportive of minorities and other under represented groups. In addition we are accepting of all walks of life. When transgenders, disabled and even those of mixed races were made a spectacle of just decades earlier, the current generation embraces individuality and self love. When gay marriage had not been legal just three years ago, the current generation pushed for equality among those in the LGBTQ community and got it for their fellow youth. Even looking at the bullying rate from federal data, one can see a decline among those age 12 through 18 from thirty-one percent in 2007 to twenty percent in 2015. This reflects the new generations changing view on acceptable behaviour. We are a youth of sympathy, open mindedness and defensive of the basic truth that all people deserve basic respect regardless of their identity.
Not only does the Millennial and following generations speak out against adversity, they also speak up in times of crisis. Mental health has been stigmatized for years yet this set of young people openly talk about issues involving it. This shift in value is present in a variety of pop culture platforms from music to social media and even implemented into new technology developments. We are a generation not only aware of the seriousness of disorders like depression and anxiety but we are actively fighting it to get help to the people who need it. An example of this would be today’s popular songs. Even across genres, this trend is apparent. Logic a famous rapper titled his song focusing on suicide, the number for the Suicide Prevention Hotline “1-800-273-8255”. The rock community is currently debuting a collaboration on an album called “Songs That Saved my Life” for suicide prevention month. Our mainstream music found on the radio candidly talks about heavy subjects and this echoes the importance this generation puts on mental health which many others before have shied away from. New apps and online platforms are arising each day with the advancement of technology. This is creating more places for people to find help when they so desperately need it. This even seeps into our social media in the form of warnings on Tumblr with automatic messages that arise when a user searches for suicide related images on the website. In all the ways that this concern has been implemented into our modern life, it speaks to the fact that the new generation is interested in helping those around them.
Some like Ellis say this generation is delicate and lacks the ability to hear genuine critique. This stems from the entertainment the youth now finds on their phones and social media rather than from authentic human interaction. Likes are a sign of status among teens and comments are limited to praise alone and otherwise is simply deleted by the user. Options to block other users and report them allows people to avoid completely listening to another person’s criticisms. Though there is a lot of focus put onto these new social media mediums and young adults are using them to no end, this is not what should define the new generations.
The Millennials and Generation Z grew up on technology, yes, but should not be reduced to mindless screen junkies obsessed with likes by anyone. This would completely undermine their unique and frankly courageous attitude in the world. They are not opposed to hearing criticism, they are opposed to misinformation and opinion presented as fact. They don’t crumble in the face of adversity but rather demand better treatment because they believe that themselves and everyone else deserves it. They are a generation of improvement of “we can do better than that” and reform. Entertainment has evolved overtime and the millenials are not just using their phones to check their feed but utilize it as a tool to organize widespread marches like those seen in January of 2017 for the women’s march. Their technology allows them to access information and make informed decisions that carry into important processes like voting. Although they are privileged to have their technology and may hold it a little too dearly, Millenials and Gen Z’s are capable of amazing things with them.
Creation Of Serial Killers – Nature Versus Nurture
There is a difference between a serial killer and a murderer. What exactly defines a serial killer? According to The National Museum of Crime and Punishment, “A serial killer is conventionally defined as a person who murders three or more people in a period of over a month, with ‘cooling down’ time between murders. For a serial killer, the murders must be separate events, which are most often driven by a psychological thrill or pleasure.” Psychologists have tried to figure out what causes a child to grow up and become a serial killer. Are they born this way, or did their experiences and environments shape them into the monsters they become? The topic of nature vs. nurture in serial killers is constantly being debated in the professional psychological community; “Sociologists have been dealing with this issue for years, especially in the analysis of serial killers. The question is: does nature, nurture, or a mixture of both make a serial killer?”
David Berkowitz is a serial killer commonly referred to as Son of Sam. Given the information about his childhood and later his violent crimes, he is a perfect example of a killer being created by nature. When Berkowitz was a child, he was polite and raised in a loving home. Berkowitz was adopted, and from the outside, it seemed as though his upbringing was mentally healthy and stable. Although Berkowitz was able to flourish in a healthy environment with his adoptive parents, he still became a violent serial killer. While there is not much information about his biological parents, it is safe to assume that some history of mental illness or predisposition for violence could have been inherited from one or both of his parents. Berkowitz confessed that his killings were committed to silence the demons in his head, proving that some kind of mental disturbance was present. The older he became, the more his mental health began to deteriorate. Berkowitz was paranoid that his landlord was part of a demonic conspiracy and that the neighbor’s howling dogs were telling him to kill women. When looking at his unraveling and violent crimes paired with his seemingly healthy upbringing, it is clear that David Berkowitz suffered from psychological disturbances that lay hidden in his genes, propelling him to infamy as one of America’s most volatile serial killers.
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Richard Ramirez was a serial killer who ran wild in the California suburbs in the 1980s. His crimes were gruesome, and his childhood was plagued by equally disturbing events. Ramirez had spent a lot of time with his cousin, Mike, who was in the Vietnam war and bragged about raping and killing numerous women while fighting overseas. Young Richard was exposed to photos of the mutilated women and was even present when Mike brutally murdered his own wife. Ramirez also claimed that his father was both physically and mentally abusive to him. Due to the awful things that Ramirez experienced in his youth, he gravitated toward drug use and satanic rock music. Ramirez eventually dropped out of school and committed himself to his life of crime and other deviant behavior. In 1984 Ramirez committed his first murder and was eventually convicted of 13 more, on top of over 43 other charges that accompanied his killings. It is unclear what would’ve become of Richard had he not experienced so much childhood trauma. It is evident that in the case of Richard Ramirez, nature played a significant role in his becoming a malicious serial killer. While in most cases of serial killers, there is evidence supporting either nature or nurture, and it is clear that a combination of the two is what makes these killers so deadly.
According to criminologist Dr. Adrian Raine, both biological and social factors contribute to the making of a murderer. Raine explains that more than 100 twin and adoption analyses showed that approximately 50% of the variance in antisocial behavior is attributable to genetic influences. There is also evidence that there are people with a genetic predisposition for violence that may never be triggered, but those who experience abuse or other childhood traumas are more likely to act out violently and experience violent thoughts. So while a person may be born with this evil in their genes, it takes a trigger for most killers to become serial killers. David Berkowitz’s case strongly supports nature being the main component of his behavior. With Richard Ramirez’s case, however, it is possible that a genetic or even brain abnormality was simply triggered by the extremely disturbing events of his childhood, which then led him to become the serial killer known as The Night Stalker. This essay on nature vs. nurture has explored what makes a serial killer.
