By Farah G. Decano

 

AUTHENTICITY is the language of the Gen Zs.  People belonging to Generation Z are those born in the years 1997 to 2012.  They generally advocate truthfulness to oneself, one’s values, and one’s spirit, regardless of any surrounding pressure to act otherwise.

These youths of today easily speak their mind and have less consciousness of the hierarchy of power based on age and position.  They commonly say, “TBH” which is an acronym for “To Be Honest.”  At times, they simply say, “Be authentic.”

Is authenticity an exclusive Gen Z trait?  Actually, individuals born from 1965 to 1980, or Generation X, have their own way of saying the same thing. They utter, “Get real,” “Ito ang tunay,” or “Magpakatotoo ka.”  These quotes trended during their growing up years.

Whilst these two generations may articulate these same words that advocate genuineness, there are still some profound differences between them.

Unlike Gen Xs, Gen Zs are less forgiving of pretenders.  Gen Xs would have easily excused people who exhibited anything less than true as merely pressured by need, threats, or debt of gratitude.  The young people of today, however, consider the fakery of people as a reflection of their depravity.  They cancel anyone who appears to be inauthentic.

This does not mean, however, that Gen Zs are rude. It is just that they are not afraid of expressing their disagreement or disappointment.

Is this anything good? For as long as the youth are properly guided and not misinformed, then their quest for, and show of, authenticity is good.  As we have seen during elections, Gen Zs were outspoken and were the ones whose votes could not favor dancing politicians, nor politicians who lied through their teeth.

It is the cancel culture of the Gen Zs that is problematic. Though this is not a new behavioral reaction in societies, the indiscriminate withdrawal of support from a person who merely does not conform to popular beliefs is easier to muster nowadays because of the availability of social media.  If this collective response is not tempered, this may be considered as bullying and, therefore, becomes counterproductive.  This intolerant deed could easily cause the downfall of many companies and the end of careers.  Victims of cancel culture may find themselves facing mental health issues, as well.

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President Rodrigo Duterte is now probably telling Vice President Sara Duterte, his daughter, “I told you so”. 

Then Mayor Sara was a strong contender for the presidency in the 2022 elections.  In fact, the surveys then favored her.  The woman mayor’s popularity was much higher than that of the former senator, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.   While the senator was courting the presidential daughter to be his running mate, the older Duterte lost no time in bashing the former senator as a mere bum.    

As to why VP Sara agreed to run for a lower position was a surprise to many.  How could she have forsaken this opportunity when succeeding her father would have been just a walk in the park?  Her father was the sitting president and his minions were still very well entrenched in office.

Was VP Sara merely exhibiting delicadeza when she refused to run as president?  Or, was she really just a little girl, unsure of herself when Tatay would no longer be in power? 

Tatay Rodrigo is probably hurting for VP Sara because she is presently the most bashed politician.  The block aligned with her former running mate has denied her request for confidential funds and is believed to have launched a demolition job against her.

“I told you so.”  Tatay Rodrigo is most likely shaking his head.  He knew from the start that the vice-presidency would be powerless against the president she helped campaign.

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