this post was submitted on 28 Mar 2026
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As an early 90's millennial, I've never noticed a "gen z stare" as described in news articles like a "blank face that shows lack of social skill or ability to think". The only times I've witnessed it happen and seen the older person accuse them of "gen z stare" is when the older person says something off hand or dumb but isn't self aware enough to realize they're being weird. Hell, I've given people a blank face countless times because I was taught it was better to say nothing at all sometimes. Especially when it came to talking to older people at work.

I remember when I was 16, some middle aged guy at work accused me of having no personality. In reality, I kept all conversations short as possible with him (like almost everyone in the store) because they were casually racist and misogynistic.

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[โ€“] Fondots@lemmy.world 24 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I've encountered what I think of as the Gen z stare once or twice.

It skews more towards the younger end of Gen z, and honestly might even be more of an older gen alpha thing.

What I'm talking about isn't the blank look given after being asked a stupid question, although they are absolutely masters of that as well (and I love that look and use it as myself)

It feels like more of a lack of understanding that someone is asking you a question and expecting an answer, or perhaps an inability to process that question and come up with an appropriate answer.

My friend who works at a bank has what I think is kind of the quintessential story that shows this version of the stare looks like, a younger person walked up to the counter, he asked some variation of "How can help you today?" And just got a stare back, like it never crossed their mind that they'd have to answer a question and say "I need to make a deposit/withdrawal,/etc."

And I don't think it's necessarily a feature of the generation as a whole, not that gens z and alpha don't have their quirks, but I have plenty of Gen z friends and coworkers and I don't think they're much worse off in any particular way than my fellow millennials. I have somewhat less exposure to gez alpha, but overall my opinion of them is largely the same so far.

I think it's a very specific subset of the generation with a perfect storm of social isolation/anxiety issues, maybe some neurodivergence, probably some overbearing helicopter parents, and COVID kind of hitting at exactly the wrong point in their lives so that they missed out on some kind of social development milestones.

[โ€“] TubularTittyFrog@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Yeah. Totall agree with you interpretation.

You know who also gives me the gen z stare? My mom with dementia. She literally can't understand or process things anymore... and she exhibits the same spaced out behavior and often you have to ask her things a few times before it registers. And just like Gen Z stare kids... they don't ask 'can you say that again' or show any indication they had misheard or not heard what you said, it just didn't register at all that you said something.

I think it is a cognitive thing where basic language interactions just don't register due to issue with attention and focus. I have nephews who are teenagers, and they never do it... but they are basically banned from social media and other phone obsessive stuff and their screen time is limited to 2 hours a day.