Author crosses the finish line in the Get In Gear 10k. Photo: Colin Peterson
Next time in a running event I will take along my phone/camera. If I had done so for the annual “Get In Gear” 10k in Minneapolis recently, I could have taken a photo of Josh, my new Gen Z ‘friend’.
With the age gap being so wide I don’t have many friends in the 15-29 age group, or so-called Gen Z (the age range varies). My attitude toward them has bordered on disdain. They don’t read books. Their faces are glued to their phones. They don’t want to work. Too many of the comparatively few who did vote last fall helped elect a person who is trying to destroy the institutions that help young people get a start in life.
Josh, who looked like he was in his twenties, was riding his bike along the course around the 5-mile mark. He was playing loud, upbeat music blaring from a mobile speaker. He shouted at runners asking for any music requests. I yelled back, “The Final Countdown, by Europe.” A nearby runner agreed, shouting, “Yeah!”
Since he wasn’t born when the song came out in 1986 by the Swedish band Europe, Josh took a minute for a little research on his phone. Soon we heard it:
We’re leaving together, but still, it’s farewell
And maybe we’ll come back to Earth, who can tell?
I guess there is no one to blame
We’re leaving ground (Leaving ground)
Will things ever be the same again?
[Chorus]
It’s the final countdown
The final countdown
The song was on one of my old workout mixes. Of course, the ‘final countdown’ thing is inspiring either before the start of the race, or near the finish. The energetic tune and iconic synthesizer riff saw it frequently used in films, sports events, and advertising. Joey Tempest, Europe’s lead singer, said: “It’s a song about leaving Earth, moving to another place. It’s about a sense of adventure, not knowing what’s going to happen.”
Hearing it blasting through the sunny spring morning air as I struggled to find a final “kick”, it gave me the push to finish the race several minutes under my goal. Josh followed along on his bike. Approaching the finish line I shouted ‘thanks’ and we exchanged first names. And I did not hear him say, “OK Boomer,” which I understand would not have been a good thing.* Who knows, maybe in talking with friends later he may have mentioned this old guy he saw in the race and the song? Of the 1,500 men and women participating in the 10k, about 250 counted in the Gen Z range.
Perhaps another Gen Z ‘friend’ might be Brandon, a high school student and part-time barista at our local favorite Caribou. His bright smile appeared in the local newspaper recently in a story telling about his first-place win in the duo interpretation championship at the 2025 state high school speech tournament.
Seeing him some time ago at the drive-up window, I could have reached for my sunglasses to help shade his smile. Logging into our ‘perks’ account, he said he recognized my name. He had seen it on the website of the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council listing the names of artist grant recipients. I had received a grant for work on my forthcoming novel, Beyond All That Matters. I was flabbergasted; clearly this kid was on the ball. I was happy to see the story about the speech team in the newspaper but not surprised.
If our nation survives the next four years, it will need greater political involvement from young people. While Gen Zers are disdainful of institutions, the traditional workplace, and politicians in general, they seem to care deeply about such trifles as truth, honesty and decency. They understand and live diversity, equality, and inclusion.
In contrast, many of our old Baby Boom politicians seem to have caved in to the current authoritarian onslaught. With the perks and pay of higher elected office, dulled by the narcotic of political power, they are being steamrolled by a megalomaniac and his cult.
After the 2024 election some pundits cast blame on the Gen Z group for the outcome. A story in The 74 newsletter, “Gen Z Has a Complex Relationship with Democracy, Survey Reveals,” provides a more accurate picture. “While a majority agree on democracy’s importance, many feel unsure how to effectively participate in it or preserve it.
“Young people crave bipartisanship and compromise,” states the article by Jo Napolitano. “Nearly 4 out of 5 say leaders of opposing parties should work together and 65% believe people with deeply opposing political views can find common ground.”
That sentiment aligns with the mission of the national group Braver Angels. I had not been familiar with it until attending one of its events recently and writing a news story for MinnPost. It would seem that the Braver Angels mission, “Bringing Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic,” would resonate with Gen Zers.
To segue into a favorite theme of cultural paradigms, I hope that Gen Z and even Gen Alpha (15 and below), will lead the way from the Postmodern morass to the Metamodern Era where above-mentioned values are strengthened, while at the same time maintaining a healthy skepticism about corporate economic power and political wishy-washiness, if that’s even a word. I’m guessing Gen Zers would say, go for it!’
Except for tattoos. I sometimes cringe seeing all the art on young people. They are very nice, creative expressions of individuality, but don’t they know that 50 years from now the images will look much different, much less aesthetic? Then again, by that time medical technology may have found a suitable remedy. We can hope for that, and for a political revival among young people to restore trust, accountability, and truth in government necessary for the survival of democracy.
*OK Boomer, a Gen Z pejorative directed toward members of the Baby Boomer generation, used to dismiss or mock attitudes typically associated with baby boomers as out of date.
