We all love BuzzFeed, but what is there obsession with twentysomethings? It seems that twentysomethings are on a one-way journey to nights-in alone with pizza and Netflix, doomed to mourn their lost teenage years forever. Vickie Hesketh looks at how they’re not always right about us.
Two of Buzzfeed’s popular posts: 27 Decisions That Twentysomethings are Really Bad at Making and 20 Reasons A Twentysomething Would Never Survive the Hunger Games. It appears like the juries out, twentysomethings are hopelessly idiotic and can’t survive in everyday life, never mind a fight to the death in a specialised arena.
For 27 Decisions That Twenty Somethings are Really Bad at Making, some of the examples given by BuzzFeed are: “Number One: Go to bed at a reasonable hour, or keep watching Law and Order SVU until 5am.” But BuzzFeed, what is wrong with staying up till 5am as long as you have a nice lie-in the following morning? It’s all about balance.“Number Two: Actually save money this month, or buy more unnecessary shoes and alcohol?” Well, thanks for over-generalising, BuzzFeed. It now feels like their website should be renamed to 27 Decisions That Twentysomething Women are Really Bad at Making. And, who is to say it would be “unnecessary alcohol”? If you can go out and you want to drink why should it be a bad decision?
If we are honest, everyone has to have been guilty of Number Four in their lifetime: “Wake up when your alarm goes off, or snooze a billion times and forsake your breakfast and shower.” And this decision would not have to be made if dry shampoo and antiperspirant deodorant had never been invented. Do not blame the twentysomethings for this decision BuzzFeed blame the companies which makes the products to allow us this luxury of a lie in.
“Number Seven: Listen to informative podcasts on your commute, or to Yeezus?” Yeezus, for all the “ignorant” people, is Kanye West’s album. Again BuzzFeed is stereotyping and conforming every twentysomething by believing they all listen to rap. Please BuzzFeed give twentysomethings a break! They may in fact listen to “informative podcasts” but if they do not who is to condemn them for having separate likes and dislikes? BuzzFeed it appears is calling twentysomethings ignorant and unwilling to learn. Yet, last time I checked, the majority of unistudents are twentysomethings with a passion and drive for learning, maybe just not from podcasts though.
Another one which I am sure everyone is guilty of is “Number 14: Keep a written account of your expenditure, or just cross your fingers every time you have to pay for something.” Everyone is obviously aware of the word budget but whether on not they can put that into practise is a matter of pure will and self-obedience. Yet, to not put it into practice doesn’t necessarily mean that you are being irresponsible like BuzzFeed seems to be suggesting. What is wrong with living on the edge? Day by day? Nothing.
Number 18 is just thinking about too much rather than having a good laugh: “Have a professional and mature web presence, or drunk tweet your boss.” Everyone has had that moment, after too much alcohol, when they think it is funny to text someone very inappropriate. Be honest, these decisions may seem utterly ridiculous to you in 20 years, but right now they feel right, so do them without regret. BuzzFeed continues this line of over generalised reasoning and stereotyping in its other page about surviving the Hunger Games. Never mind twentysomethings surviving the Hunger Games no-one can survive the Hunger Games (that is the entire point of the Hunger Games) only one is meant to survive and many people are completely hopeless in the Hunger Games. Some of the reasons as well are ridiculously far-fetched.
“Number One: You yell out to the gamemaker and asked for the arena’s Wi-Fi password, thus giving up your location.” Well for one thing you would not yell, you would whisper because there are microphones everywhere! And secondly, despite BuzzFeed’s belief not every 20 year old is glued to their phone and/or Facebook.
Number Nine is even more ridiculous: “You tired yourself out too easily while running on the beach, trying to get a thigh gap, which made it easy for the other tributes to attack.” First of all, if you did not have a thigh gap before you entered the games why would you knowingly waste your energy trying to achieve it. BuzzFeed obviously seems to be saying all people in there twenties are more concerned about their appearance rather than their lives. Thank you BuzzFeed for demeaning twentysomethings.
Number Ten, for certain people, is understandable: “You caught fire while trying to cook your first meal on your own, sans microwave.” Now BuzzFeed, not everyone is a Jamie Oliver or Nigella Lawson, who can whip up a five meal feast from a meagre list of ingredients, but that does not mean that they are hopeless at cooking and survive of Supernoodles and ready meals. Again, BuzzFeed is guilty of stereotyping and making people in their twenties appear inept and clueless about life… most students and 20 year olds do survive living away from homely comforts. That’s not to say that university is like the Hunger Games but there are certain parallels: the fight through Aldi’s tiny little aisles; the moments of absolute hunger when the cupboards and fridge are empty; the need to find a safe place to sleep after a heavy night of drinking.
Vickie Hesketh
Image property of Warner Bros.