Growing up as an American teenager I bore witness to an intensely irritating barrage of questions from media, and family alike. Questions such as “Why don’t young people want to work? Why is everyone “Quite quitting”? Why are you so depressed?” The answer was obvious to anyone who has grown up in the post-911 world that I’m sure even you as a reader could explain quite well.

No one wants to work jobs that don’t allow you to earn a living wage, and if you can live off your wage, forget about savings with housing costs across the globe rising exorbitantly, all the while renting becomes increasingly unrealistic, let alone buying a home.

 And let’s say you succeed in paying the outrageous education costs, and carve out financial stability in the long term. Both retirement ages are increasing and pension funds are running dry. Furthermore, let’s say you are lucky enough to both buy a home and retire safely, the climate is heading in such a catastrophic direction that even the fundamental security of you and your potential children are in jeopardy. 

This precise phenomenon is one that is felt by a generation, and ironically, its expressed near perfectly in the new “anti-trend” of something called “Core-Core”. Prevalent on TikTok, it’s best experienced rather than put into words. It rests in between the noisy ever infinite claws of content consumption. Serving as a visual example, and by and large experience, of what it feels like to live in the clutches of a world that is painfully devoid of meaning. One where, oceans of consumptive habits crash against each other, spitting novel trends, products, and influencers out like seafoam onto a plastic beach. Its infinite ability to create novelty, in turn, creates a constant distraction. Limiting our attention spans and increasing the ever-present anxieties of the modern world: Am I good enough? Pretty enough? Rich enough? Fit enough? Smart enough? Can I make it? Do I have the energy? Is it even worth it to try? 

Our world has only one answer to these questions, buy more, consume. Earn more, consume. Maybe then you will find your freedom, and maybe then you will find the meaning of it all. 

These are the cards my generation and I have been dealt, created by a megalithic neoliberal hegemony, that has achieved all of its success off of exploitation. Powerless, we wander looking for purpose and desire, hoping for the mantle to be passed down. So maybe, in the nick of time, we can change the course of the world. For those who are able to remain undefeated against all odds, they will have our support. But to those who rightfully view the battle to carve out a meager existence as too harsh, considering the wealth that remains ever compounding away from them, maybe the best option besides exiting the world themselves is to ask the questions: Am I happy with who I am? Am I happy with the people around me? Am I happy with what I am doing? Am I happy with the way my life is going? Do I have a life? Am I just living? 

These questions, that I face, and I assume so do many others tickle the philosophical side of my mind and bring me to the famous thought experiment in regard to the hedonist tradition: 

“The game consists of you flipping a fair coin. If the coin lands on heads, then you immediately feel a burst of very intense pleasure and if it lands on tails, then you immediately feel a burst of very intense pain. Is it in your best interests to play the game?” 

What this game encapsulates, arguably by mistake, is the exact nature of our society. In order to climb the rungs of both social and economic orders you must play the game, and by extension become the “Economic (Wo)Man” capable of living with all the others apart of the “Economic Race”. Although, what if the coin has become weighted? Then the game is no longer playable, and it’s in your best interest to escape it. 

The keyword here is: “Escape”, Gen Z is overwhelmingly likely to use social media at about 94%, and millennials are spending more and more time online compared to previous generations. Yet, the “Why are you always on your phone” argument is misunderstood. Gen-Z is often for this reason, referred to through the lens of Folk-Hedonism, shamed for lack of self-control and overconsumption. I argue that this idea both misses the point and invalidates the all-encompassing issues our generation faces. 

The popularity of the “Core-Core” trend is this precise signal. Yes we are escaping, and yes we do bury our heads in the sand, but it’s not because we started out like that, it’s because we have watched our world rot. And without the power to change the direction and no longer wishing to see the forests turned to dust in order to satiate the beast that consumes all in favor of economic profits. We do bury our heads in the sand, but the generation is not silent. It screams for a reconsideration of what it means to be alive. 

I believe this is especially prevalent in Gen-Z’s mind and according to YSI an Ireland bases non-profit geared towards supporting young people: “We are witnessing an evolution in empathy and social consciousness amongst this younger generation.”  Which would align itself with the definition of Hedonic Utilitarianism: 

 “Hedonistic Utilitarianism is the theory that the right action is the one that produces (or is most likely to produce) the greatest net happiness for all concerned. “ Which then again, can be used to explain Gen-Z’s approach to Government, Family, Friends, and class consciousness. Yet even this falls short when it comes to defining Gen-Z’s  Zeitgeist in simple terms. Often leaving us grasping at straws trying to explain ourselves. Terms such as “Angst, Anxiety, Apathy, Loneliness, and Alienation” are necessary starting points but not sufficient to grasp the concept as a whole. 

Therefore, I propose a new term to help categorize the “Zeitgeist” of Gen-Z. I propose Neo-Hedonism. While it lacks true academic research, even queries on the web bring about nothing aside from one blog justifying rampant consumerism as self care. I do believe it will become useful to put an actual definition to “Neo-Hedonism”. Therefore, Neo-Hedonism to me, and likely my generation is categorized as “A critical evaluation of what it means to be happy, successful, and “Virtuous” in the modern world. While simultaneously rejecting traditional norms of work, family, and respect.” In other words, Hate your job? Then quit. Hate your boss? Work for yourself. Paying taxes into a system that justifies dehumanizing people in foreign lands? Reap the benefits of unemployment. Respect for Gen-Z is overwhelmingly earned, and the traditions that lead us to the place we are at, are by and large unworthy of worship.

Therefore, it is ok to try your best to carve out an acceptable standard of living, and if you can’t escape the economic tendrils that ever pull you inside the cogs of a great machine, it is ok, you’re still trying your best. This is why, to us,  it is imperative to provide the necessities for all, because the rat races of previous generations have left our world scared, burned, and broken. So turn off the TV, turn off your phone, and spend your time with those you love, because at the end of the day, we don’t know how much longer we have. In the face of insurmountable problems, maybe the best thing to do is to take time to discover what creates your joy and virtue. Once you do, I’d wager it would be hard not to find others with similar sentiments.