The Covid-19 outbreak is world wide, but not everyone is taking it as seriously as others, that everyone being Gen Z. 

Now, is this because they don’t believe it will affect them, or is it just a way for them to cope with this new information being thrown at them?

“None of them are taking it seriously, they’re making jokes about it. Everyone’s like, ‘We ArE dYiNg,’” said Kyra Caldwell, a freshmen at Agua Fria High School. “I mean I myself am doing the same thing but maybe we should take this a little more seriously than we really are.” 

There are many teens that are a part of Gen Z that have the mindset where life is never promised so they’re going to live it to the fullest even if that means going out with the risk of a virus that’s potentially deadly.

There are many adults that believe that the Gen Z teenagers and really young adults (in their 20s) think that they are better than everyone and that’s why they’re going out. Many adults also believe Gen Z has the mindset that this epidemic is fake, but that’s not necessarily the case, some of the young people grew up with the mindset that “living a good life is better than living a long and boring one,” said Annaliese Lewis, a teenager of Gen Z.

On another note, there are a lot of Boomers who are upset that younger generations are going outside, but it was never said that we shouldn’t go outside. Medical officials have said that we should “socially distance from each other,” and with that being said, quarantine and social distancing are two different things.  

Quarantine is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as, “a state, period, or place of isolation in which people or animals that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infectious or contagious disease are placed.” Social distancing on the other hand, is “a term applied to certain actions that are taken by Public Health officials to stop or slow down the spread of a highly contagious disease,” according to cidrap.com

There has always been a deeper meaning for jokes when it comes to Gen Z. Gen Z is known for its uses of jokes as ways of coping for things, big or small. Although, it isn’t always the healthiest way to deal with the situation. In the end it never has come to other generations’ minds’ that Gen Z does this for a reason.  

However, looking at this with a more positive mindset, this is probably the best time for Gen Z to relax as many of their life pressures have been put on hold, such as long school days that have been reverted to simple online classes and overworking hours at jobs. It’s still a good opportunity for them to chill.