Opinion | The Problem Isn’t Gen Z. It’s The Entitlement Some People Have Borrowed From Gen Z Activism

Gen Z’s willingness to speak up is a strength. But confidence without perspective can quickly become entitlement.

Gen Z has often been called the generation that is not afraid to speak up. They question authority, call out unfairness, are more comfortable talking about issues that older generations often avoided. In many ways, that is a good thing. Young people should ask questions. They should challenge things that are unfair. They should not be afraid to say when something is wrong.

But there is a difference between standing up for yourself and believing that you are entitled to get your way every time.

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The recent Ladakh checkpoint controversy is a good example of where that line can get blurred. A tourist, angry after being stopped for several hours, was heard saying, “We are Gen Z, and we are not going to tolerate this nonsense." The video quickly went viral, with the phrase becoming the focus of criticism online.

The issue here is not that she questioned the authorities. Asking why a road has been closed or why people are being made to wait is perfectly reasonable. Tourists have every right to seek information and raise genuine concerns. The problem begins when questioning turns into confrontation, and when a personal inconvenience is treated as if it is automatically an injustice.

This is where the language of activism can sometimes become a problem. Words like “rights", “boundaries", “accountability" and “protest" are important. They have helped people speak about genuine discrimination, unfair treatment and abuse of power. But using the same language for every disagreement can make those words lose their meaning.

Not every inconvenience is oppression. Not every rule is an abuse of power. And being asked to wait does not automatically mean someone is being treated unfairly.

There is also nothing wrong with Gen Z protesting. In fact, young people speaking up has often pushed important conversations forward. The problem is when people start using the idea of protest to justify behaviour that is simply unreasonable. Saying “I have a right to question this" is very different from saying “I have a right to ignore this."

Social media has made this even more complicated. A confrontation that may once have ended at the spot can now become a video, a viral post and a public battle. The louder the argument, the more attention it gets. Sometimes, people can end up performing their anger for an audience rather than trying to understand what is actually happening.

There is also a danger in turning every disagreement into a battle between “us" and “them". Once someone believes they are standing up against a powerful authority, it becomes easy to assume that the other side must automatically be wrong. But real maturity is knowing when to question something and when to understand that there may be reasons you do not know about.

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The Ladakh incident is particularly sensitive because it happened in a region where security restrictions can be necessary. A road closure may be frustrating for tourists, but there can be operational, security, weather or safety reasons behind it. Not knowing the reason does not automatically mean there is no reason.

Young people should absolutely continue questioning authority. They should continue demanding accountability. They should continue speaking up when something is genuinely unfair. But perhaps the bigger lesson is that being confident is not the same as being entitled.

The best kind of protest comes with an understanding of what you are protesting. It asks questions without assuming all the answers. Most importantly, it knows the difference between fighting injustice and simply refusing to accept an inconvenience.

The problem, then, is not Gen Z. It is the entitlement some people have borrowed from the language of Gen Z activism, without understanding the responsibility that should come with having a voice.

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Gen Z activism can avoid being perceived as entitlement by understanding the responsibility that comes with having a........

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