The Dangerous Mindset Spreading Across America: Cultural Nihilism Among Gen Z
Young People Are Losing Hope: Understanding Cultural Nihilism
A German thinker named Friedrich Nietzsche had a word for this feeling: "nihilism" (say: NYE-ill-ism). It means believing nothing really matters. But this feeling is now so common among young Americans that experts call it "cultural nihilism."
Warning Signs
- Fewer young people trust democracy than ever before
- Young people don't trust big institutions like government
- Entire online groups are built around being super negative
- Young people have stopped believing things can get better
But before we blame "kids these days," we should ask why. Here's the truth: it's not because they don't care. It's because they cared too much.
Why Young People Feel This Way
Imagine this. Your whole life, adults tell you that you can "be anything." Then you grow up. You find out that houses cost too much. Healthcare costs too much. Everything costs too much.
The world Gen Z got came with lots of problems. The economy is shaky. The climate is changing. Politicians can't agree on anything. Social media often feels like watching the world fall apart.
What Gen Z Got
- Houses they can't afford to buy
- Healthcare that costs too much
- Worries about climate change
- Politicians who can't get things done
- Social media that makes everything seem worse
Many young people blame older generations. They watched big problems happen. They saw leaders make excuses instead of fixing things.
They watched every debate turn into a fight. Every compromise became a betrayal. Getting angry became normal. Politicians do it all the time.
Social media makes things worse. It creates constant stress. It's an endless stage where people scroll through bad news all day. Being real gets punished. Being mean gets likes. Being hopeful seems embarrassing.
When young people look at democracy, what do they see? They don't see a place where problems get solved. They don't see leaders keeping promises. They see a big argument where everyone yells. But nobody listens. At that point, it's easy to wonder if democracy even works.
Nihilism isn't about not caring. It's heartbreak. It happens when you hope for things. Then the system keeps letting you down.
When Bad Feelings Turn Dangerous
Research shows something scary. More young Americans are losing faith. They're losing faith in politics. They're also losing faith in peaceful change.
Scary Numbers
- Nearly 1 in 5 adults under 30 say violence for politics can sometimes be okay. That's twice as many as older Americans.
- 40% of Gen Z think a "strong leader" who ignores Congress would be good. Only 27% think it would be bad.
This doesn't mean young Americans are bad people. It means they feel hopeless. The system feels unfair. It feels like it was never meant to be fair. When nothing changes, "burn it all down" starts to sound like the only answer.
This isn't just about politics. It's about whether young people still believe in peaceful change. It's about whether they still believe in democracy.
How to Fix This
A researcher named Rabhya Mehrotra has hope. She studied this problem with her team at More In Common. They found something important. Gen Z isn't rejecting democracy. They just don't think our democracy works anymore.
"To make Gen Z care about our democracy, we need to listen to their problems. We can't just dismiss them." —Rabhya Mehrotra
That means fixing the things they care about. Things like healthcare access. Mental health support. Making college affordable.
But fixing these things needs people to get involved. Here's the question: How do we get people involved when they don't believe in the system?
A Different Way to Think: Optimistic Nihilism
- If nothing matters, then WE get to decide what matters
- If the system is broken, then WE can fix it (because people made it)
- If life feels meaningless, we have a blank slate to work with
- If institutions are broken, they're ours to change
It's a way of thinking that accepts the absurd. But it doesn't give up. Instead of feeling sad about emptiness, treat it as creative space. If no meaning exists, your choices matter even more.
Here's the hidden hope: if everything's falling apart, nothing is permanent. Democracy only dies when we stop participating. Meaning only dies when we stop creating it.
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The Dangerous Mindset Spreading Across America: Cultural Nihilism Among Gen Z →
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