Gen Z’s new weapon: The blank, zombie-like gaze that says ‘you’re an idiot’

2 days ago 5

Every generation figures out a new way to insult their elders, but Gen Z, aka Zoomers, have developed their own particular put-down: a wordless, Zombie-like gaze, often accompanied by a slow blink or head tilt, a consummate piece of facial jujitsu that deploys minimum expression to deliver maximum contempt. It’s called the Gen Z stare, and it’s a thing.

The Gen Z stare is usually interpreted as rudeness by older generations, but according to one social researcher, “there’s more to it than that”.

The Gen Z stare is usually interpreted as rudeness by older generations, but according to one social researcher, “there’s more to it than that”.Credit: Getty Images

“The Gen Z stare is that pause that young people have when they’re trying to compute a question, normally with someone of an older generation,” says Sydney-based social researcher Mark McCrindle. “It’s usually interpreted as rudeness, but there’s more to it than that.”

Zoomers are broadly defined as people born between 1997 and 2012, or those aged between 13 and 28. This is the first generation to have been brought up entirely within the digital age. Many of them, because of their age, work in retail and hospitality. This can be a terrible combination.

“Zoomers have grown up with all the solutions they want being just two clicks away,” says McCrindle. “Their idea of a consumer experience is digital: they’ve seen posts and they know what they want. But older people, Boomers and Gen Xers, are browsers. They’ll ask, ‘What’s the best deal?’; ‘How does this work?’; ‘What do you recommend?’ ”

Zoomers think the answers to these questions should be obvious – and respond accordingly. As a Zoomer known as Kilo-taba put it on X: “If you’re being an idiot, I’m going to stare at you.”

Whatever happened to the customer is always right? “Zoomers prize efficiency and authenticity, so they’re not going to fake it,” says McCrindle. And why should they? “Lower staff ratios, due to wages costs and tighter margins, mean less training and supervision and, thus, a less customer-orientated experience,” he adds.

My daughter, who’s 19 and works at the local Supamart, describes herself as “the queen of the Gen Z stare”. “If a customer came up to me and started yelling about a product being out of stock, I’d just stare back blankly,” she says. “It’s the best response. Like why should I humour some random aggro person in my minimum-wage job?”

COVID might also be to blame. A recent article in Marie Claire magazine suggests that the Gen Z stare may have evolved from a decline in face-to-face interactions in a device-addicted generation that’s also endured repeated lockdowns.

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McCrindle insists the Gen Z stare isn’t necessarily an insult but, as the father of three Gen Z daughters, I can assure you that when someone targets you with that look, you feel thoroughly insulted. Worse, you feel judged. You quickly understand that you must have said something so stupid or inappropriate that it doesn’t deserve a verbal response – something so stupid, in fact, it doesn’t deserve the energy it’d take to frown or squint or make any facial expression whatsoever.

But without those cues, you’re left to puzzle out where you went wrong. And here’s the kicker: if the person staring is really good, as all three of my daughters are, you aren’t even 100 per cent sure you’re being stared at. It’s gaslighting writ small. The best way to respond to the Gen Z stare is with a stare of your own. You’re an adult, after all. You have a lifetime of exhaustion, boredom and apathy to draw on. Those Zoomers won’t know what hit them.

To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times.

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