When Kim Dungey asked 2011 Class Act recipients — tongue firmly in cheek — what annoyed them about the younger generation, they mentioned everything from TikTok to Generation Z’s dislike of skinny jeans.
However, they also gave them credit for their social awareness. Below is a selection of their answers:
- Their disrespect for Harry Potter — Saasha Bruce
- The negative influence social media has created — Dayna Turnbull
- They make us look bad. So many of them care about issues that are bigger than themselves and use their voice for change — Holly McGrouther
- They have better haircuts than I did at their age — Giles Graham
- Zoomers is a cooler name than millennials — Douglas Wood
- They don't seem to know how to communicate effectively unless they are on their phones — Samantha Dickie
- They’re not perfect, but no-one is, and in general I’d say they’re less annoying, more kind, and better aware of the world than I was at their age — Patrick Dawson
- The inflated sense of entitlement that you could live your entire life having your opinions embraced everywhere you go. This makes me wonder if we peaked as a species some time ago — Callum Geddes
- The culture of immediacy ... I wonder if Gen Z are not as challenged to practice patience because they can get what they want quicker with the help of technology — Courtney Sanne
- I have nothing bad to say about Generation Z. They certainly haven't destroyed the housing market or caused a climate emergency — Lisa McCraw
- Generation Z doesn’t annoy me on principle as people have doubted the younger generation in the past, from Aristotle to today. They will rise to challenges no less than generations before — Will Steenholdt
