Re: COVID effects on youngins voting trends

[robert <http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert>]

Agree with the below.

Also, like I said in the kitchen, there's the whole issue about whether
people 18-21 vote at all -- they usually don't.  They don't really start
voting until later in life.  So, they may change their minds by that time
(as mentioned below), in addition to other factors (e.g., the economy)
could change attitudes.

 > From: Noelle <noelle>
 > Date: Sun, 4 May 2025 08:36:33 -0700 (PDT)
 >
 > some reactions to this from e-v.com readers:
 > G.M.K. in Mishawaka, IN, writes: You wrote about how Generation Z 
 > appears to be made up of two distinct cohorts. Your points are well 
 > taken. However, do consider that there may be a Gen Z 3.0. My own 
 > son is currently 16, so when COVID-19 hit, he was in sixth grade. I 
 > asked him over dinner tonight, "What's the difference between a 
 > 16-year-old and a sixth grader?" He wasn't sure, but when I brought 
 > up your item, he mentioned that he didn't mind so much being told 
 > what to do as a sixth grader. And none of that would fly now.
 > 
 > According to him, there are great many of his cohort in his classes, 
 > on the buses and such, who are absolutely not Trump supporters. A 
 > great many of his ilk detest the current president, as I did when I 
 > was 16 and Ronald Reagan was in office. Of course, this is purely 
 > anecdotal. But, perhaps, there is hope yet for the youth of America.
 > 
 > M.B. in Granby, MA, writes: Kids change, and it's hard to prove how 
 > and when that happens. But the table in your "COVID Is Still With 
 > Us" post reflects my experience in the high school classroom.
 > 
 > After the pandemic, my Gen Z 2.0 students are much more anxious and, 
 > to be honest, much meaner. They are less apt to do school work (for 
 > a year or so, we didn't give homework). Kids are less apt to go to 
 > school. At my school, attendance has rebounded. Elsewhere, it lags.
 > 
 > On average, GenZ 2.0 spends more time on social media than GenZ 1.0. 
 > Mostly TikTok. I think GenZ 2.0 kids also have a shorter attention 
 > span than GenZ 1.0 kids. This year, one of my students remarked that 
 > he couldn't sit through a movie. Several of his classmates seconded 
 > that notion. "Movies are too long!"
 > 
 > For several months, my GenZ 2.0 students had limited face-to-face 
 > interaction, due to the pandemic. I had them write journals during 
 > that time. It was heartbreaking.
 > 
 > After talking to some of my male students, I learned about the 
 > toxicity of their online culture. They have enormous group chats on 
 > SnapChat where they try to outdo each other in outrageousness. They 
 > have take screenshots of some of the more outrageous statements and 
 > sometimes use them against each other.
 > 
 > I'm very concerned about the way technology is transforming them. 
 > They smoke marijuana in school now without a tell-tale cloud of 
 > smoke. Kids who would never have picked up a cigarette, now are 
 > addicted to nicotine because vapes come in candy flavors. Ten to 
 > fifteen percent of my boys gamble online.
 > 
 > GenZ 1.0 may be different than GenZ 2.0, but the next cohort of kids 
 > may be even more different.