[from @ratsandlillies.art]
Today’s header graphic comes from the Italian artist Ilaria Ratti, whose Instagram was recently passed along to me by a good friend after she purchased some of her prints. Ratti’s work focuses on the body and its connection to other beings, with the paintings’ most striking characteristics being highly detailed facial expressions (like the one above) or a complete lack thereof. In many ways, the emotionally-charged portraits with “relatable” captions reminds me of a Tumblr page with an art degree. What sat with me, though, was how these images capture the inner Gen-Z experience — finding identity in an online world, the cognitive dissonance of person and persona — ultimately serving as a reminder to remove the mask and return to self, to homeostasis.
I’ll admit it: Since the election concluded favorably, I’ve been a bit tuned out of the news, which I also attribute to my looming finals as my fall semester comes to a close. So, in the last few crammed-in editions of this newsletter, I want to steer the conversation away from summarizing hard news (we’ve had enough of that) and redirect it toward a few Gen-Z thought pieces to wrap up this unprecedented year. (I’m also getting tired of any phrase that involves the word “unprecedented.” Anyways.)
I’ve titled this brief entry “a generational breather” because I’ve felt Gen-Z (and a lot of the world, truly) let out a collective sigh of relief since Donald Trump lost the election. For the week of the election and every moment leading up to it, seemingly every person I knew was experiencing intense collective anxiety for the state of our world, and it felt impossible to do anything besides keep CNN on blast. I feel blessed to be surrounded by such socially-conscious, empathetic people (and I’d like to consider myself one of those individuals), but to feel that much all the time, well, it’s both rewarding and draining. Sometimes, I want to simply just be (but I know my overactive mind will not let me do that).
At this point, the results of the election feel like old news, though we’re all still impatiently waiting for Trump to formally accept that he lost. For now, we look ahead to an uncertain future, but it’s a Joe Biden future, at least (and I mean at least).
Let’s just openly acknowledge it: 2020 has been a difficult year, if not the most difficult year many of us in the younger generations have faced thus far. We deserve a breather, to hibernate under our covers for the last months of the year while winter begins its bitter course. We need to recover and reconnect inwardly. We need to reassess what we want 2021 to look like once we’re finally able to discard this godforsaken year for good. But regeneration left idle is the same as buying a bunch of new plants you’re excited for but then letting them wither up and die (guilty).
I’m not here to promote the toxic “productivity” narrative — frankly, I got over that a couple of months into quarantine — but I am here to remind us all that the fight isn’t finished, and I’m not just talking politics. The year 2020 is one we will painfully remember for the rest of our lives, sure, so our task moving forward is to incorporate the lessons from this year into our grander lives, not let ourselves be defined by it.
One of my favorite Instagram comedians, @jtfirstman, posted one of his iconic impressions reels, and this one of him over-enthusiastically mocking those who claim they’re “doing the work” hit home.
Good for those people, I guess.
As just one example, when the revitalized Black Lives Matter movement first started gaining traction back in June, I remember investing everything I could into learning about and contributing to the conversation, and I critiqued those who dared to think — or post, god forbid — about anything else. Obviously, BLM deserved the heightened attention it received, but as the grandiose hype died down, the next critical task became how to continually deconstruct the issue in our everyday lives, which is an arguably more challenging because it relies on self-motivation. The question then becomes: What are your values when no one’s looking?
That’s the beauty of social movements and life at large: There is no definitive end. Yes, our bodies technically decay and eventually die, but that inevitable end should not be entirely morbid. In the gradual erosion process, one thing broken down should uncover something better in its wake and plant seeds for more positive growth. If the body dies and the movement dies with it, the movement never had any true life to begin with. Keep it going, Gen-Z.
ON MY MIND
Something a bit more lighthearted for your day:
This video of CNN’s Don Lemon mocking Trump’s refusal to concede the election has been living in my head rent-free.
Right before I wrote this newsletter, my friend Terry Nguyen, a reporter for “The Goods” by Vox, wrote an article titled “How brunch became political,” which (better) elaborates on complacency following a major political event.
I’m re-reading Ottessa Moshfegh’s My Year of Rest and Relaxation, one of my favorite books, for a final research paper, and the narrator’s spiral inwards while secluded to the walls of her apartment is something we can all relate to.
I watched The Wolf of Wall Street for the first time and unashamedly liked it, despite its heavy association with the stereotypically demonized white hetero business major frat boy.
When Kamala Harris first posted her cringey “We Did It Joe” video after they won the election, I knew the Internet would have a grand time making fun of it. I was right, and the recreations, like this one, have been golden.
I’ve been playing Billie Eilish’s new single “Therefore I Am” on repeat, and it makes me feel a lot cooler than I am.
That’s all! Until next time, see you online.
xoxo, Rowan <3
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twitter: @rowan_born // instagram: @rowanborn