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The Class of 2020 still arent over the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling their graduation. Apparently they never stop bringing it up, according to TikTok. Now their complaints are being used as a punchline. Being robbed? Did you know that I didnt get a graduation. Slip on ice? I didnt have a prom, I didnt have a homecoming. Oh, your grandma just died? Okay, well if you think thats bad, I literally didnt graduate. While the trend has been around since Gen Z didor didntgraduate in 2020, with some reminiscing on those unprecedented times and others crashing their siblings graduations in place of their own, it has recently picked up traction again. @cobreezzy That lockdown had us all acting crazy lol my dad came up with this idea #classof2020 #graduation #family original sound – Conor OBrien In the past few weeks, it has merged with another trend in which TikTokkers explain how certain people would react to a glass being half full or half empty. Instead of just the classic optimist or pessimist, the trend includes the points of view of random people, characters, or the Class of 2020. @briemcp Disclaimer: I was a victim of 2020 so let me clown #glasshalffull #glasshalfempty #fyp #fyp #pessimist Classic classical gymnopedie solo piano(1034554) – Lyrebirds music It wasnt even like a graduation, it was like a drive thru and you just grabbed your diploma, one creator laments. @iamjoeyleon Ball knowledge required #fyp #funny #basketball original sound – Joey The humor is mostly self-referential, reflecting Gen Zs coping mechanism of choice: Me using every opportunity to remind my friends that I was Class of 2020, another jokes. @zayaperysian And Ill never get over it actually #classof2020 @Spencer Hunt original sound – – And its hard to deny the Class of 2020 were dealt a bad hand. Their senior year did, after all, coincide with a global health crisis. Five years ago, what started as a week off school spiraled into an unprecedented global emergency, the ripple effects of which are still being felt. While the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Americans of all ages, the Class of 2020 was uniquely positioned to experience the shockwaves across their social lives, finances, and careers as they transitioned into adulthood. In the throes of the pandemic, unemployment among people under age 24 jumped from 8.4% to 24.4%. Researchers have found that beginning a career during a recession can depress earnings for 10 years and leave lasting impacts for decades. Its no surprise, then, that the identities of the Class of 2020 are tied to this once-in-a-lifetime crisis. If they want to complain about it, the least we can do is let them.
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E-Commerce
Its been a big week for aliens in Washington. In a podcast that aired last weekend, former President Obama revealed that he believes in extraterrestrial life. Days later, President Trump declared that he would order Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other agency leads to start declassifying government files pertaining to alien life and UAPs, short for unidentified aerial phenomena the mysterious sightings we once called UFOs. In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump announced his plans, citing intense interest on a subject once lumped in with the paranormal. Interest in all things alien has surged in the last five years as the U.S. government began to release formerly classified documents, hold hearings, and generally acknowledge a topic once seen as too far out. I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters, Trump wrote. Obama wants to believe Obama set off the current firestorm of excitement around alien life when he casually confirmed his beliefs in an interview with podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen. “They’re real but I haven’t seen them,” Obama said. “They’re not being kept in Area 51. There’s no underground facility unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States. The comments generated so much buzz that he published an Instagram post the following day clarifying his thoughts: Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good theres life out there, Obama wrote, adding that solar systems are so far apart that the odds are low weve been visited by aliens and as president he never witnessed anything to convince him otherwise. Trump promised to release the fresh documents after accusing Obama of divulging classified information in the interview when he veered into alien territory. I don’t know if they’re real or not, Trump told Fox News. I can tell you, he gave classified information. He’s not supposed to be doing that he made a big mistake. Obamas comments werent his first time weighing in on matters extraterrestrial. In 2021, the former president told James Corden that UAPs are as real as anything else that the U.S. military observes. What is true, and Im actually being serious here, is that there is footage and records of objects in the skies that we dont know exactly what they are, Obama said. A former president speaking candidly on the subject might be surprising, but Obama famously counts Liu Cixins elaborate thought experiment on an alien invasion of Earth, The Three-Body Problem, among his favorite books. Extraterrestrial talk gains legitimacy After decades of being shunned as a topic best left to the tinfoil hat set, the government has lent mysterious flying objects and alien life major heft in recent years. In 2020, the Department of Defense published three clips of unexplained aerial phenomena observed by Navy pilots that had previously leaked to the public. The worlds most powerful military admitting that it couldnt explain the strange behavior of some objects in the sky through intel or scientific means was a surreal, historic moment met with excitement from UAP enthusiasts. That same year, the DoD formed a dedicated task force to investigate UAP sightings. The mission of the task force is to detect, analyze and catalog UAPs that could potentially pose a threat to U.S. national security, the agency wrote in its announcement. Other explanations, like malfunctioning equipment and stray weather balloons, pose no threat and remain very much in the mix. The governments disclosures didnt stop there. In 2021, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence published a preliminary assessment on the topic to give Congress an overview of how the intelligence agency handles reports of mysterious flying objects, which are sometimes spotted by servicemembers. We currently lack data to indicate any UAP are part of a foreign collection program or indicative of a major technological advancement by a potential adversary, the agency wrote in the report, ruling out one possible avenue of explanation. A year later, Congress held its first hearing on UFOs in more than 50 years. While testimony from Pentagon officials flatly rejected claims that the U.S. has knowingly been visited by alien spacecraft a stance echoed by a more recent report the government confirmed that it doesnt always have an explanation for some of the things pilots spot in the skies. The truth remains out there, somewhere.
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E-Commerce
Were told from a young age to follow our dreams. But for Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon, chasing your dreams is overrated. Instead, she recommends a different approach, especially for young people: Chase your talents, not your dreams. The 49-year-old, who has a $400 million-plus net worth, shared the advice in an Instagram reel this week: I just got off the phone with a young woman who is looking for career advice, she says in the clip, which has since racked up over 482,000 likes and thousands of comments. She wants to switch from one job to another, Witherspoon says, adding that the woman is currently unhappy at work. This is a predicament many will relate to. LinkedIn data consistently finds that the average worker will change roles every three to four years. But when Witherspoon questioned her about what she was actually good at, the woman drew a blank. She had a hard time telling me what her specific talents were. This, to Witherspoon, is the key. Gallup data shows that roughly 60% of employees feel emotionally detached at work, while fewer than one in four strongly believe their job aligns with their strengths. You dont chase your dreamsyou chase your talents, Witherspoon explains. Everybody has dreams. It doesnt mean youre gonna be that thing. You are supposed to do what youre talented at. This advice should speak to a generation increasingly moving away from the idea of a dream job altogether, and instead prioritizing work-life balance over climbing the career ladder. According to Gallup research, those who use their talents are six times as likely as other employees to be engaged at work, and are three times more likely to report a high quality of life than those who do not. Its your job in life to figure out what your specific unique talents are, and go chase them, says Witherspoon. So, the next time you feel lost or stuck at a crossroads in your career, take Witherspoons advice and: Get clear on your dreams. Be honest about where your talent truly lies. Find the roles where the two intersect. That path that is meant for youthe one youre looking for? Likely, it will show up when you follow what youre naturally good at.
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E-Commerce
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