I'm thinking about switching to a side part. What about you?

 

Gen Z has spoken.  Side hair parts, skinny jeans and laughing crying emojis are out.  Oh.  And you can call them Zoomers. (Bansal, 2021)

Each generation has to follow its own path if only to differentiate themselves from those older and less cool.  And right now it's game on between Gen Z and Millennials.

But where do these directives come from, who issues them and why?

Apparently it's the folks on TikTok.  And they think that a side part makes someone looks old. 

Maybe that's true. 

But another person posted this - "As a teen on TikTok I'm going to say it's because we've noticed that Democrats have middle parts and Republicans have side parts."

Now that's unexpected.  Or is it?

The polarization of politics in America has taken a frightening new turn as the need to belong to a tribe has become so intense that people are willing to believe and do just about anything to stay in the tribe.

In a poll taken earlier this month, 23% of Republicans say they will definitely not get vaccinated, and another 21% says they will probably not get vaccinated.  That adds up to 44%.  Meanwhile only 7% of Democrats say they will not get vaccinated.  (Beer, 2021)

Why is there such a big difference?  Because people with different party affiliations rely on different sources for their news. According to Pew Research, 93% of Republicans get their news from Fox, while 95% of Democrats get their news from MSNBC. Adults 18-29, 29% prefer the New York Times.  (Grieco, 2020)

And then there are those that get their news from social media - 18% of Americans are willing to admit it - they are less engaged and less knowledgeable than those who use other sources. (Mitchell, Jurkowitz, Oliphant & Shearer, 2020)

What have you seen people do to belong to a tribe?  What tribes do you belong to?  What have you done to bond with the tribes that you belong to?  Anything you regret? 

What determines how willing someone is to follow the dictates of the tribe?  Will you change your hair to a middle part and switch to yoga pants and skull emojis?  Why or why not?

 

Bansal, S. (2021, February 5)  Gen Z is Roasting Millennials for Their Side Parts and Skinny Jeans.  vice.com.  Retrieved February 22, 2021, from  https://www.vice.com/en/article/5dp4w5/genz-millennials-skinny-jeans-generation-wars

Beer, T. (2021, February 10) Nearly 1 in 4 Republicans 'Definitely' Won't Get Covid-19Vaccine, Survey Finds.  forbes.com.  Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2021/02/10/nearly-1-in-4-republicans-definitely-wont-get-covid-19-vaccine-survey-finds/?sh=53897ea2b68f

Grieco, E. (2020, April 1)  Americans' main sources for political news vary by party and age.  pewresearch.org.  Retrieved February 22, 2021, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/01/americans-main-sources-for-political-news-vary-by-party-and-age/

Mitchell, A., Jurkowitz, M., Oliphant, J., & Shearer, E. (2020, July 30)  Americans Who Mainly Get Their News on Social Media Are Less Engaged, Less Knowledgeable.  Pew research center. Retrieved Feburary 22, 2021, from  https://www.journalism.org/2020/07/30/americans-who-mainly-get-their-news-on-social-media-are-less-engaged-less-knowledgeable/

 

Should we be shaming people into doing the right thing?

 

We all know the power of peer pressure.  Research shows that 2/3 of us will conform in public.  And no one wants to be the dumb one.

 

Given the persuasiveness of those feelings and the reach of social media is it any wonder that public shaming is on the rise?

 

Perhaps it started with the Karens.  The pattern is predictable.  First the bad behavior is captured on video and posted on social media.  Then the person is identified by name.  Shortly thereafter they are fired while protesting furiously that their actions have been misunderstood.

 

Last week the law firm representing Donald Trump in his bid to overturn the election results in Pennsylvania resigned after the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of the lawyers involved were published on Twitter by The Lincoln Project.  One has to wonder how many calls and emails they received.

 

This week the advocacy group Fossil Free Media has launched a campaign targeting advertising and PR firms, designed to pressure them into discontinuing their work with fossil fuel clients.  The Clean Creatives campaign will seek to expose relationships between shops and clients that mysteriously don't seem to appear on the companies' websites and sustainability reports.  

 

They are also reaching out directly to high-profile players in the industry and running targeted ads on LinkedIn seeking people willing to sign pledges to discontinue work with fossil fuel companies. (Faw, 2020)

 

Apparently the inspiration for the campaign came from Amy Westervelt in her podcast "Drilled."

https://www.amywestervelt.com/

 

What do you think of this approach?  Does it make you uncomfortable to shame people in public?  Should people be held accountable for their actions?  What about the actions of the companies that they work for? 

 

Have you ever contributed to any advocacy groups that promote shaming?  Have you ever called or emailed someone to pressure them into doing something?  How would you feel if someone did that to you?

 

 

Faw, L. (2020, November 24)  Advocacy Group Seeks To Shame Ad Agencies, PR Shops Hyping Fossil Fuel Industry.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved November 25, 2020, from

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/358053/advocacy-group-seeks-to-shame-ad-agencies-pr-shop.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=120543&hashid=ybq2buULrntyGS6NfbELk0afrrI