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What Is the 'Gen Z Stare'? All About the Term Sparking Generational Debate

What Is the 'Gen Z Stare'? All About the Term Sparking Generational Debate

Yahoo2 days ago
If you've ever interacted with a Gen Z worker in the service industry, you may have experienced what other generations have deemed as the 'Gen Z Stare.'
Millennials and Gen X users on TikTok have pointed out a peculiar look they say members of Gen Z have given them, and use situations in the hospitality space as examples.
'People in the service industry of a certain age don't even say hello to you — they stare at you,' TikTok user @thedisneygirliesaid in a recent video, which has amassed more than 480,000 views.
The creator then cites a first-hand account of an interaction she had at Chipotle, where a younger employee left her feeling as if she was inconveniencing them or being rude.
'I'm sick of the argument of, 'They don't get paid enough to be nice,'' she said. "Yeah but every single job description in the world, especially customer facing, the very first descriptor is, 'Greet customers.'"
'This generation is wild," she added.
However, there are TikTokers combatting this narrative by sharing the "why" behind the "Gen Z stare."
User @madylamb posted a video acting out an exchange between waitstaff and a customer, who wanted a strawberry banana smoothie without the banana, while creator @worley_cd acted out a similar scene, with a customer who wanted a ham and provolone cheese sandwich but was allergic to provolone.
Gen Z TikTok user Efe, aka @thisisjenae, shared a video where she critiques older customers' conversations with Gen Z workers. The video has now amassed over over 3 million likes.
Efe tells TODAY.com that the "Gen Z stare" exists, but examples provided by older generations don't tell the most accurate depiction. She says that the actual 'Gen Z stare' may derive from the environment in which the generation grew up in.
'A lot of Gen Z was stunted with communication. Generally, they believe they don't have to talk to people,' Efe explains.
She points out that this negativity toward Gen Z mannerisms is a cycle, citing that Millennials were once at the center of scrutiny for their work ethic from more senior generations.
'It was kind of strange to me. It just felt a little, 'Let's pick at Gen Z'-type of thing,' Efe says when asked about her initial reactions to the older generations' comments.
Despite the negativity, Efe says that the response from her video is a positive one.
'Instead of everyone just taking the constant nasty attitudes that are thrown at them, I'm glad everyone is speaking up and having a place where they can feel unified and speak about it,' she adds.
If there's one thing that Efe wants older generations to take note of, it's to not assume Gen Z workers are "any more incompetent than someone who's older" just because of age.
'I want them to turn around and see that they might be doing the exact same thing that was done to them,' she continues.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
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