Here's a new piece by Melina Twyman aka Bateau, the Houston based Trip-Hop/RnB/Hip-Hop singer-songwriter who always has some jewels to drop for the masses whether it be over an instrumental or on a computer screen via a blog post. This blog post in particular is entitled "Generation Walking Dead" and to an extent, the title is pretty self-explanatory, but it's deeper than that. Here, Melina examines this generation's obsession with the internet, immediate gratification, the need for social media acceptance and much more. Millennials, humble yourself and read on...

“Never before has a generation so diligently recorded themselves accomplishing so little”
-Unknown

This is 2016, the year where we sit behind a computer screen typing furiously about politics and social justice issues on Facebook and Twitter until our faces turn blue, replacing real action and progress with likes and shares. The media driven generation that refuses to fact check and do their research, spewing out nonsense and misinformation into the already growing monster that is the internet.

 The generation of Snap Chat and other social platforms that invite infidelity and secrecy.  The generation who would rather “Netflix and Chill” over getting to know someone organically and slowly. The generation that will send a flower emoji instead of showing up at a doorstep with lilies. The generation who is no longer interested in the chase, but has become desensitized with a culture of immediate gratification. We prefer to lurk Facebook or Twitter to see what our peers are up to, rather than talk over dinner.

We are a generation that no longer appreciates true art and music, expecting the artist to produce for free. We refuse to pay for anything without recognition of the hard work, time, and money that goes into the product we have incorporated into our every day lives.

This is the generation that glorifies lip injections over natural beauty. We would rather make our money selling Detox Tea on Instagram to millions of strangers instead of getting an education and making notable contributions for a more functional society. The generation that values fame and notoriety over worldly knowledge and intelligence.

We have made unhealthy living habits justifiable by shouting lifestyle acceptance, claiming to have been shamed by those who challenge us.

We live in a generation that follows tragedies blindly without recognizing the underlying seriousness and exigency of them. We see these tragedies as the popular things to care about in the moment, failing to recognize many of these things have happened in the past, are still happening, and will continue to happen. We live in a generation that would rather change our profile picture to a French flag temporarily, rather then spend our time, effort, and money helping victims.

We are the generation that refuses to look up from our phones. We crash our cars refreshing Instagram, miss important moments that only come around once, and have become so engulfed in social media we do not realize our lives are passing us by.

This is a generation that has demolished the First Amendment. We are no longer allowed to speak our minds without being called a bigot, receiving backlash, deaths threats, and being run out of our houses; Unless of course, we agree with the majority.

This is the “now” generation. The generation that wants everything, and wants it fast. The generation who lives for the moment, making choices without any consideration for their future. This is the generation who expects apathy instead of working hard with the cards they were dealt, justifying laziness with an increasing sense of entitlement. The generation that no longer celebrates hard work.

“Those are the people I like to call the Walking Dead. They’re living asleep, so they accomplish nothing. That is the difference between successful and unsuccessful people. Successful people aren’t afraid to take the risk and live the experience whether it be good or bad.”
-The Arkitect

We are too sensitive, and we expect too much. I am scared to live in a world where our potential leaders are turned off by hard work due to the fact that hard work is no longer recognized. I am scared to live in a world where our standards are lowered to coincide with a culture that believes everyone running the race deserves a trophy. If we get the prize no matter the outcome, we will have no motivation to win.

I am scared to be in this generation.

But mostly, I am scared to be in a generation that doesn’t recognize there is a problem.

- Melina