Ok Gen Z look. I think you all are really awesome and I'm not being patronizing. I have an 11 year old daughter and she's on the younger end of the Gen Z divide and her awareness of the world is absolutely lightyears beyond mine when I was her age

and as a Millennial born in 1985 I am well aware of my generation's shortcomings.

But I just wanna request one thing of you, Gen Z.

Please, please, please make an effort to read a little bit of history. It will help you. It will save you.

Read about the AIDS crisis and all that was taken from the queer community, all that was lost, all that was destroyed

Read about the rise of domestic terrorists in the 90s. Read about Oklahoma City

Read about the birth of the modern police state. Read about the LA riots. Read about Waco, and Ruby Ridge. Read about Rodney King and Amadou Diallo. Read about how the 90s were anything but the golden era of peace and prosperity they're portrayed as

Read about 9/11 and the PATRIOT Act. Read about how the Bush administration heavily curtailed civil liberties and were cheered for doing so.

Read about the beginning of the wars in Iraq in Afghanistan. I know you think you're living through those wars but you're not

Read about the soldiers committing suicide after being deployed for consecutive 18 month stints. Read about how Bush launched a war and cut taxes at the same time. Read about the protests, the pushback, the culture of fear and death that pervaded the early 00s

Read about the impact of 90s media on a generation of kids who grew up thinking to care too much made you worthy of scorn and that the only cool position to take was one in the dead center. Read about how a single episode of South Park set back the movement against climate change

I'm a Millennial but I'm also an historian. And I can't tell you how important it is to know your history, know what the American system wants so desperately to rewrite and misrepresent.

They wanted us to think Ronald Reagan won the Cold War & everything was great

They wanted us to think Islamic terrorism was because of "jealousy," not a response to decades of Western intervention and centuries of Western imperialism. They buried queer history just like they buried us literally during the AIDS crisis. They wanted us to accept the lie

And it took us a while to understand what'd been done to us. It took us longer than it took you and I have so much respect for you because you're all so aware, so engaged. You know your stuff.

Just make sure you know your history too