OF CANCEL CULTURE AND CANCEL GENERATION

 OF CANCEL CULTURE AND CANCEL GENERATION

 'Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it.'

— Frantz Fanon  

Our world is evolving in nanoseconds. Old inventions are giving in to new inventions. If the world we live in will still change is not a question, but how and to what degree it will change is the question to be raised and answered. 

Indeed, humanities and the world have evolved from different ages.  Hesiod, a Greek poet writing around 750 BC to 650 BC, came up with 5 ages: Golden Age. People and Gods lived together in harmony, nobody had to work, and peace prevailed. Silver Age. Men in the Silver age lived for one hundred years under the dominion of their mothers and not quite as peacefully and harmonious as in the golden age. Bronze Age. Things are more modern. War was common, arms, tools and even houses were forged of bronze. People after death went to "Hades", a kind of hell. Heroic Age. Things improved partially. Demigods and heroes did noble deeds. Humans died and went on occasion to "Elysium", a kind of paradise. Iron Age. The age Hesiod lived in. Complete disaster, everything goes down the drain. Perhaps, the most popular classification of ages are the stone  age to the bronze age to the iron age. (See https://www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/iss/kap_2/advanced/t2_1_6.html for more details). 

The world and humanities have also been classified in terms of generation recently. Accordingly, we have: Baby Boomers: born 1946 to 1964. Generation Jones: born 1955 to 1965. Generation X: born 1965 to 1980. Xennials: born 1977 to 1983. Millennials: born 1981 to 1996. Generation Z: born 1997 or after. Generation Alpha: born 2010 or after. Let me situate each generation within the Nigeria context. The Baby Boomers generation are the generations who witnessed and partially fought for the country Independence. The Generation Jones are those who inherited the Independence and freedom from colonial rules but failed to manage the success and gains that come with indigenous rules thereby surrendering the most precious article freedom to military rules. The consequence is the bastardization of our political cultures and systems - a federal state bequeathed with quasi-federalism and a needless civil war. The Xennials generation were born to civil rule but it was to be short-lived. They had most of their teenage and adult years rooted in militarism. 

Like the Xennials, the Millennials are products of military rules, economic recession and mal-functioning political system. Their age and generation witnessed worst military dictatorship and political oppression. Some fought alongside older generations for the liberation of the country from military government but many were onlookers. Thus, when the country returned to civilian government, majority members of this generation stood aloof from participating in politics. Hence, the exclusion of most of the people of this generation from the present political system and affairs. They also experienced technology breakthrough in terms of internet. 

The Generation Z were too young to understand the pains of military rule as they have most of their growing up in civilian rules. They experience democracy, rules of law and less human rights abuses. Alongside the millennials, internet became the in-thing in their age. There is also the multiplication of smartphones with implosion of social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, among others. This gave them unhindered freedom to express themselves. This freedom, they have taken to a greater proportion and sometimes for granted. The height of the expression of this freedom is the Endsars campaign and protest. 

One major alibi of this generation is the feeling of entitlement. They believe they deserve the best without necessary paying the price. They want freedom but are too timid to fight for it. They want wealth without work. They want overnight fame and spotlight. They want the 'golds of life without the furnace of life'. This is the generation that wants to cancel anyone who does not agree with them. Their views and opinions are what matter. Old cultures and religions are anachronistic and must be jettisoned. Their role models are the yahoo boys and girls. They are the popular celebrities without solid means of income. It is the age of bling bling forgetting that all that glitters are not gold. Education means little or nothing to them as they want the certification without the education. 

Can we blame them? No! We can't. They are products of failed system. They were given all they needed by parents so they hardly know the pains and gains that come from No. They've not learn to tolerate contrary opinions. Thus, every view that contradicts their beliefs and views must be bad and the propagators must be cancelled. Freedom of expression is to them what water is to be at the sea. Like the Millennials, they want power to be given freely forgetting that power is not served a lar Carte. There is need for a reorientation of this group, otherwise, the future of our dear nation looks perilous. 

God bless Nigeria.