Generation Z’s Reaction to the Iranian Conflict
According to CNN, on the third of January, Qasem Soleimani, the top general of the Iranian military who was also the second most powerful person in the country, was killed by a U.S. rocket strike near Baghdad International Airport. This attack drastically heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran, with Iran making retaliation threats to avenge Soleimani’s death. Soleimani’s death led many to fear that World War III could potentially happen be upon us.
Generation Z took to social media apps like Twitter and TikTok to react to the recent events. Instead of expressing concern over the potential war, teens were quick to post memes and jokes regarding avoiding the draft, distracting Iranian soldiers with their dance moves, and playing music in military tanks with their friends. Many posts about the potential war went viral, gaining millions of views.
In the first week of the new year, the hashtag “WWIII” was on Twitter’s trending page for two days in a row, with over a million people tweeting with the hashtag. The majority of teenagers in the comments of these posts found the humor in the situation, but there were also comments that did not quite agree with the sentiment of the younger generation. Some felt that these jokes were insensitive and inappropriate.
Those against the posts say that teenagers are making jokes of a very serious situation because they have never personally dealt with the atrocities of war and do not have to deal with the affects of it. Those posting the jokes were quick to defend themselves, claiming that this is how they are able to cope with a very heavy situation. For many, it is difficult to come face to face with the fact that the U.S. has placed themselves in a serious situation with many negative consequences for Americans.
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