As Covid takes everything from the Young, Society and the Media single them out for even rare breaches of the rules.
By Zoë Jackson McGrath
Youth is about the only thing worth having, and that is about the only thing youth has. Unfortunately a global pandemic has challenged even this iron law of cynicism and regret.
Nature gives youth a great deal, but appears to be the only force on its side – this generation are maturing in a society typified by housing crises, limited job opportunities, boundless inequalities and a planet that appears to be wilting before our very eyes. As such, anxiety among the young had heretofore become remarkably prevalent in Ireland, the youngest country in Europe.
The last thing the these already precarious conditions and pessimistic outlook of this generation needed was an all-encompassing Act of God or Nature (or the last hoorah of Twentieth-Century Man).
It appears the received wisdom on Covid-19 is often purveyed by those who seem to have forgotten what it is to be young. Pope Fran- cis condemned the “cruel abandonment” of the elderly in his third encyclical published in early October. He is not wrong. The elderly and those with underlying medical conditions – the most vulnerable among us – are undeniably the most strongly affected by the pandemic. In Ireland approximately 90% per cent of those who have died with Covid-19 are over 65, a demographic which has been
subject to oppressive, if necessary, cocooning and which inevitably has been suffering commensurately from angst over possible infection, and ennui around frittering away scarce months in the absence of cherished loved ones, who often tend to disproportionately illuminate the lives of those in old age.
Notwithstanding these truths, the wide- spread social and emotional impact of the pandemic cannot be understated. The physiological risk is greatest for the elderly and those with co-morbidities but the indirect consequences endured by younger generations have been inadequately addressed.
An EU-wide survey by Eurofound in April 2020 reported that almost a quarter of aged 18-23 in Ireland felt lonely all or most of the time over the two-week period before inter- view – the second highest rate in the 17 EU countries for which data was available. Euro- found said that the “lowest levels of mental well-being are reported among young people and those looking for work”.
A recent report, ‘How’s Your Head?: Young Voices During Covid-19’ found the Covid-19 crisis had negative effects on young people’s health and well-being, especially amongst some marginalised groups. The most common negative effects related to the mental health of respondents, including overthinking, concern, worry, anxiety, depression and a sense of utter hopelessness.
In all 751 (35 per cent) of 2,173 people aged between 15 and 24 said not being able to see their friends, boyfriends and girlfriends, was the most difficult consequence of the pandemic and pursuant lockdown. They report a distinct lack of “timely” and “clear” communication during such a transient and formative period in their lives about “important matters”, such as the Leaving Certificate and college accommodation. One in 10 could not name a single positive about their pandemic experience. What effect can this have on the innocence, effervescence and adventurousness of youth?
The youth have been deprived of rites-of-passage and legitimate youthful expectations due to Covid-19, left unable to engage in the activities that should colour our formative years.
Young people work disproportionately in retail, hospitality and tourism – these sectors have been devastated by the fallout of the virus. Unemployment among those aged 15-24 in Ireland is estimated at 51 per cent compared to 26% in the population generally before the October ‘level 5’ lockdown.
Economic scarring results in young people who leave school or college in recessions being doomed to occupy a lower wage bracket for the entire duration of their careers compared with those who graduate in more economically favourable times. According to Irish
Times economist, David McWilliams: “When American baby boomers (born 1946-1964) hit a median age of 35 in 1990, they collectively owned 21 per cent of the wealth. By contrast, my generation, the Gen Xers (born 1965-1980) who collectively turned 35 in 2008, owned just 9 per cent of American national wealth. The Millennials (born 1981-1996), are on average 31 now. They only own 3 per cent of America’s wealth. It’s hard to see them ever catching up under present policies”. Over four in ten younger adults in the CSO’s Social Impact of Covid-19 Survey reported that the pandemic had a negative financial impact on them, compared to two in ten of respondents aged 70 and over.
Leaving Cert 2020 has been an infamous debacle: students were robbed of experiences previously taken for granted, tirelessly rehearsed plays were never staged, hours of training and tactics for sports finals went to waste and the concept of a graduation ceremony to celebrate and even say goodbye to their friends was unthinkable. They then had to endure the distorted calculation of grades, compounded by fundamental data errors and revisions: a disgraceful experience for these individuals to be forced to undergo at a stage in life where pressure has always been notoriously heaped on them. For those who then made it to college the would-be ‘college experience’ has been utterly diminished by the virtualisation of lectures, reducing education to academia, which should be merely one facet of this varied, enriching time.
Young people work disproportionately in retail, hospitality and tourism – these sectors have been devastated by the fallout of the virus.
Playing or watching live sports have been almost eliminated. Night-life is entirely gone with no promise of a future for an unprecedented amount of time. Forming new friendships and relationships is almost impossible, and temporary emigration has become impracticable. This demographic have endured “by far the biggest well-being hit of anybody who hasn’t directly suffered from the disease”, confirms the ESRI’s Behavioural Research Unit. When
America’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention carried out a survey this summer, it found that one in ten of the 5,400 respondents had seriously considered suicide in the previous month – about twice as many who had thought of taking their lives in 2018. For young adults, aged 18 to 24, the proportion was a stunning one in four.
Against this brutal background the vast majority of young people are respecting the Covid-19 guidelines and restrictions. The Chief Medical Officer noted recently that for the most part, young people in Ireland were making “very significant sacrifices” for the greater good. Of course these sacrifices are not made for self-preservation as Covid-19 poses only infinitesimal risks to their lives.
There does, however, appear to be a small sector of outliers.
Although the outliers come from a variety of demographics and backgrounds, the social tendencies of younger people, particular- ly the holding of parties and animated drink- stoked gatherings, allow for finger-pointing. It is not surprising, objectively, that those who should be basking in juvenile joie de vivre have recoiled most from the systemic curtailment of fun. Seventy-three per cent of Covid cases in late September were among those aged under 45.
some bitterness about the Berlin 2 brunch originated in the fact that those at the event were having the time of their lives. The event was outlandish, alluring, and many were simply envious
The zenith of perceived Millennial hedonism was the now-infamous brunch event hosted in Berlin D2 in August. It can, in some ways, be compared with the staid, middle-aged establishment Oireachtas golf outing. Both attracted significant media coverage and widespread condemnation, which was undoubtedly exacerbated in the case of the brunch by the circulation of a video suggesting the breaches were brazen and showcasing the photogenic and gyrating charisma of the barman who louchely dispensed spirits from a height. In contrast, the attendees of the golf-dinner avoided pictorial representation and as such, further damaging evidence against them.
The rush to condemn the brunch failed to bother to assess whether the lapse was short-lived, as attendees vouched for, and there was vituperative schadenfreude for the influencer who hosted the event. The primary cause of public outcry stemmed from perceptions and expectations of the common good and propriety. However, some bitterness must also have found its roots in the fact that those at the event seemed to be having the time of their lives. The event was outlandish, alluring, and there is no doubt that many were simply envious.
It is in a way surprising that the Berlin D2 event attracted the same flash of opprobrium as ‘Golfgate’, which admittedly has lasted longer due to the prolonged investigative process surrounding the recalcitrant Supreme Court judge. Although the under-distanced Oireachtas Golf Society diners were not captured enjoying the event in the same way as the brunch-goers, the status of those involved as mainly hypocritical public figures who are instrumental or adjacent to the im- position and enforcement of the guidelines which they breach should have meant it attracted much greater anger than the apolitical brunch. Many young people wonder why it did not.
People are lonely, frustrated, restricted and deprived of freedoms they spent the behaviour is inherently human. The reward appears to outweigh the risk, and where the breaches are relatively minor, these individuals can justify their actions with the presumption that no genuine harm was done. Granted there is a small risk of a great harm – again most probably to the most vulnerable. Viewing the growing willingness to disregard the measures through a sympathetic lens would yield some understanding of relatively innocent intentions. All anyone wants in these dysfunctional times are brief emulations of life before the pandemic.
Who can blame the NUIG students who collected outside at the Spanish Arch the first week of their new term? Where were they supposed to channel their energies as they entered a new world, one that has only ever been touted to them as socialised?
To avoid the few, but oft-spotlighted, incidents of youthful delinquency like NUIG, Oliver Bond, Grafton St pre level 5, and Berlin D2, society would be much better appealing to our sense of responsibility than condemn- ing us and finger-pointing. To be vilified in the press and by public officials serves only to breed frustration among young people. When asked about their personal concerns, respondents aged 18-34 years were more likely to be Very or Extremely concerned about someone else’s health (70.5%), compared with those aged 70 and over (56%).
According to the aforementioned report on mental health, young people feel “undervalued”, “unfairly scapegoated” and feel the sacrifices they have made during the pandemic are not taken seriously.
It is not surprising, objectively, that those who should be basking in juvenile joie de vivre have recoiled most from the systemic curtailment of fun
We appear to have caught the dropping knife in a global pandemic blame game, but the spotlighting is unfair. Youthful indiscretion is and always has been famously more likely to be colourful and loud than the excesses of later life. Who would hold that against us?
They say youth is wasted on the young. Covid-19 isn’t even allowing us to waste it. Ration of their lives taking for granted until recently. We long for a semblance of normality, and the only means to realistically achieve this is through a level of disregard for the rules imposed on us. This admittedly selfish behaviour is inherently human. The reward appears to outweigh the risk, and where the breaches are relatively minor, these individuals can justify their actions with the presumption that no genuine harm was done. Granted there is a small risk of a great harm – again most probably to the most vulnerable. Viewing the growing willingness to disregard the measures through a sympathetic lens would yield some understanding of relatively innocent intentions. All anyone wants in these dysfunctional times are brief emulations of life before the pandemic.
Who can blame the NUIG students who collected outside at the Spanish Arch the first week of their new term in September? Where were they supposed to channel their energies as they entered a new world, one that has only ever been touted to them as socialised?
To avoid the few, but oft-spotlighted, incidents of youthful delinquency like NUIG, Oliver Bond and Berlin D2, society would be much better appealing to our sense of responsibility than condemning us and finger-pointing. To be vilified in the press and by public officials serves only to breed frustration among young people. When asked about their personal concerns, respondents aged 18-34 years were more likely to be Very or Extremely concerned about someone else’s health (70.5%), compared with those aged 70 and over (56%).
According to the aforementioned report on mental health, young people feel ‘undervalued’, ‘unfairly scapegoated’ and feel the sacrifices they have made during the pandemic are not taken seriously. We appear to have caught the dropping knife in a global pandemic blame game, but the spotlighting is unfair. Youthful indiscretion is and always has been famously more likely to be colourful and loud than the excesses of later life. Who would hold that against us?
They say youth is wasted on the young. Covid-19 isn’t even allowing us to waste it.
(November 2020)
