Gen Z yearning for fascism? It's grim — but I'm not surprised
Gen Z yearning for fascism? It's grim — but I'm not surprised
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It used to be that Millennials were the great generational shame. We were accused of killing off everything from golf to the diamond industry (really), and generally being woke snowflakes that were too sensitive. Gen Z, on the other hand, were the saviour generation, waiting in the wings to swoop in with climate activism and to bring about a better world.
Over half of people in the UK aged between 13 and 27 want the country to be a dictatorship, according to a new poll from Channel 4. Not only would they prefer to do away with democratic institutions such as elections and parliament, the gender divide is particularly stark. Of the young men surveyed, 45 per cent agreed with the statement that “we have gone so far in promoting women’s equality that we are discriminating against me” and “when it comes to giving women equal rights, things have gone far enough”.
Fascist is not a word to throw around lightly, but embracing authoritarianism and machismo, corresponding with a rejection of the modern and disdain for women, are core components of this far-right ideology. Fascists are not just coked-up middle-aged Tommy Robinson fans rioting in London’s streets, they are people on the cusp of adulthood. Almost 150 of the people arrested during last summer’s anti-immigration riots were literal children, some as young as 11.
This surge in fascist ideology is not an aberration, but a part of well documented phenomenon. Social psychologists and behaviour scientists understand culture in terms of social norms — behaviours that a group of people, deem acceptable. In times of plenty, social norms are often more relaxed, contributing to a “loose” culture that is more permissive. But in times of threat — war, famine and disaster, but also economic hardship and now climate change — social norms become far more restrictive and culture becomes “tight”.
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