WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.000 71% of Gen Zers think abortion is morally acceptable. 2 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:10.000 How do you talk to a Gen Z pro-abortion person and win them for life? 3 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:12.000 That is next. 4 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:29.000 Hey, welcome back to the Barry Farrar Show. 5 00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:33.000 You know, the abortion issue won't be solved by the Supreme Court ruling. 6 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:37.000 When it comes to abortion, almost everyone has a belief. 7 00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:40.000 They fit into five camps of belief, 8 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:43.000 ranging from believing it's morally wrong 9 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:46.000 all the way up to morally right in all instances. 10 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:50.000 71% of Gen Zers think abortion is morally acceptable 11 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:52.000 or even morally right. 12 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:57.000 At the same time, over 70% support some limits. 13 00:00:57.000 --> 00:01:00.000 Particularly when you get into the details of embryo development, 14 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:05.000 they believe there are needing to be some limitations to abortion on demand. 15 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:07.000 Now let's look at who has abortions. 16 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:10.000 According to the Guttmacher Institute, 17 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:16.000 moms 29 or younger have 73% of all abortions. 18 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:17.000 So the question on the table is, 19 00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:21.000 how do Gen Zers, who are all under 28, 20 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:24.000 frame their beliefs on abortion? 21 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:26.000 Well, anytime you try to categorize a group, 22 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:28.000 it's really not fair. 23 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:30.000 There are people in every generation. 24 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:33.000 Every classification just doesn't fit the stereotype 25 00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:37.000 of the social scientists' broad generalizations, 26 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:39.000 their broad classifications. 27 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:43.000 Yet, social scientists do study generations, 28 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:47.000 and these sociologists gather information in a variety of ways, 29 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:50.000 and they do field observations, they do interviews, 30 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:53.000 written questionnaires, they put together all these statistics. 31 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:55.000 They have these historical documents, 32 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:58.000 they do content analysis, 33 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:01.000 and they do what's called artifactual data. 34 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:06.000 Artifactual data is basically anything that's related to human activity. 35 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:10.000 So, these sociologists, these social scientists, 36 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:13.000 collect data, and they lay out a theory, 37 00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:15.000 then they form a hypothesis, 38 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:17.000 then they make empirical observations, 39 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:20.000 and then they analyze the data to confirm or reject 40 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:22.000 or modify that original theory. 41 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:25.000 It's kind of the scientific method for human behavior. 42 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:29.000 They have performed this exercise under the scrutiny of peers 43 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:32.000 for all living generations. 44 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:35.000 The elders include the silent generation 45 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:37.000 and the greatest generation. 46 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:40.000 Biden is in the silent generation. 47 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:45.000 The few remaining greatest generation are in their 100s. 48 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:50.000 Social scientists have drawn conclusions from this approach for boomers. 49 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:53.000 Even broken boomers into the first and the second wave. 50 00:02:53.000 --> 00:02:55.000 Trump is a first waver. 51 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:59.000 Johnny Depp is in the last part of that second boomer wave. 52 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:05.000 Gen Xers include Jennifer Lopez, Ted Cruz, and Mariah Carey. 53 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:08.000 Millennials include Mark Zuckerberg, Lauren Boebert, 54 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:11.000 AOC, and Prince William. 55 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:14.000 But I'd like to look at the abortion life issue 56 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:17.000 through the lens of the typical Gen Z-er. 57 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:20.000 Now, don't get offended if you're a Gen Z-er and you don't agree 58 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:24.000 that the general categorizations are just not true for you. 59 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:25.000 No worries. 60 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:29.000 These are just general results from the sociologist's studies. 61 00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:31.000 And I'm not a Gen Z-er. 62 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:34.000 I didn't even stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night 63 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:36.000 to gain all kinds of Gen Z insight. 64 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:40.000 Yet, I have studied Gen Z both for business and political reasons 65 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:42.000 for the past five years. 66 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:45.000 And these young people are just amazing in so many ways. 67 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:48.000 They grew up with a deep connection to technology. 68 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:51.000 And it's really difficult for boomers and Xers to fully understand 69 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:53.000 how deep that is. 70 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:55.000 Gen Z-ers were always aware of technology, 71 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:58.000 just from their first moments of being aware of anything. 72 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:01.000 Millennials are fluent with technology. 73 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:05.000 But Z-ers are literally integrated with it. 74 00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:07.000 To them, the boomers and the Xers' old school methods 75 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:09.000 are just inefficient. 76 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:14.000 The Gen Z-er grew up with cell phones, social media, and Wi-Fi 77 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:16.000 from the beginning. 78 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:19.000 And according to this extensive study by the University of Florida, 79 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:23.000 there are significant human interaction differences with Gen Z 80 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:26.000 over all their previous generations. 81 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:28.000 You know, teens check their phones constantly. 82 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:30.000 Growing up with these technological advances 83 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:33.000 can have both strengths and weaknesses. 84 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:35.000 Gen Z-ers have an edge over any other generation 85 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:36.000 when it comes to technology. 86 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:40.000 I mean, they can quickly communicate with people around the world with ease. 87 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:44.000 The known disadvantage, though, is that technology 88 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:49.000 is used as a replacement for social interaction. 89 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:52.000 Millennials didn't get their first phone until they were teenagers, 90 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:55.000 or even later, on average for the most part. 91 00:04:55.000 --> 00:05:00.000 So they had an old school interaction phase in their developmental years. 92 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:05.200 Jan Ziers went straight to technology from their very earliest memories. 93 00:05:05.200 --> 00:05:09.560 So with less interaction face-to-face than they have with video games. 94 00:05:09.560 --> 00:05:14.480 So they've got less interaction with people than they do with video games or social media 95 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:16.040 and smartphones. 96 00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:21.800 They are inclined to avoid certain face-to-face struggles. 97 00:05:21.800 --> 00:05:24.500 They have a bond with digital media. 98 00:05:24.500 --> 00:05:27.240 They're emotionally attached to technology. 99 00:05:27.240 --> 00:05:33.700 In fact, 90% of teens from five years ago, young adult Ziers today, described their worst 100 00:05:33.700 --> 00:05:39.540 form of punishment as being grounded from their access to the internet. 101 00:05:39.540 --> 00:05:42.800 That was more than losing their allowance. 102 00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:46.580 They could learn about good things, but they could also learn about self-harm without their 103 00:05:46.580 --> 00:05:49.020 parents even having a clue. 104 00:05:49.020 --> 00:05:55.900 So regardless of ethnicity, Jan Ziers see social media as just part of their life. 105 00:05:55.900 --> 00:06:00.760 Facebook became available to Jan Ziers pervasively when they were in their adolescence. 106 00:06:00.760 --> 00:06:04.740 They were very early adapters with Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter. 107 00:06:04.740 --> 00:06:11.160 As late as 2016, Jan Z like to use Twitter because most parents at that time didn't know 108 00:06:11.160 --> 00:06:13.260 about it. 109 00:06:13.260 --> 00:06:16.440 Every generation has social pressure during their teens. 110 00:06:16.440 --> 00:06:18.160 Every single one. 111 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:20.700 They all have a fear of missing out. 112 00:06:20.700 --> 00:06:25.800 An Xer would define being left out of a social gathering as just a party. 113 00:06:25.800 --> 00:06:30.560 A Zier would define being left out, and their self-confidence would be measured to a degree 114 00:06:30.560 --> 00:06:34.340 by how much they were accepted on social media. 115 00:06:34.340 --> 00:06:38.400 In other words, if they saw their friends on social media socializing without them, 116 00:06:38.400 --> 00:06:41.520 they'd feel extreme unhappiness. 117 00:06:41.520 --> 00:06:46.320 In fact, a group of neuroscientists studied what happens to the brain when a young person 118 00:06:46.320 --> 00:06:51.060 is left out of a social media experience who has grown up as Jan Z. 119 00:06:51.060 --> 00:06:53.860 And it triggers physical pain. 120 00:06:53.860 --> 00:06:58.140 And since they have direct access to what their peers are doing, it can cause social 121 00:06:58.140 --> 00:07:01.460 rejection more frequently than previous generations. 122 00:07:01.460 --> 00:07:05.680 Multiple studies show that all generations are impacted by social media. 123 00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:09.140 But for Jan Ziers, they're integrated with it. 124 00:07:09.140 --> 00:07:16.600 Just like a blankie was for the boomer, a smartphone could be for a Jan Zier. 125 00:07:16.600 --> 00:07:22.320 It's just hard for them to separate themselves for long periods of time from technology, 126 00:07:22.320 --> 00:07:25.000 which is largely wrapped up in their smartphone. 127 00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:28.920 And this causes some to feel left out of things or feel lonely and wish they could have more 128 00:07:28.920 --> 00:07:30.280 good friends. 129 00:07:30.280 --> 00:07:37.400 The notion of projecting an impossibly perfect social image triggers a misperception of reality. 130 00:07:37.400 --> 00:07:41.180 They think their lives are not as good or exciting as their peers, many of whom they've 131 00:07:41.180 --> 00:07:44.340 only had limited face-to-face connection with. 132 00:07:44.340 --> 00:07:47.780 Every generation had some of these acceptance challenges, every one. 133 00:07:47.780 --> 00:07:50.940 But social media amplifies them. 134 00:07:50.940 --> 00:07:54.620 It causes teens to think they're failures on a wide scale. 135 00:07:54.620 --> 00:07:57.140 The envy issue can be extreme. 136 00:07:57.140 --> 00:08:01.340 Most teens of all generations feel good about themselves on a comparative basis. 137 00:08:01.340 --> 00:08:04.380 They get off to college and they feel better about themselves. 138 00:08:04.380 --> 00:08:09.840 With the advent of the wide distribution of her peers' exotic vacation photos and 139 00:08:09.840 --> 00:08:16.480 these amazing destination weddings and these other positive life experiences that are projected 140 00:08:16.480 --> 00:08:23.800 on their social media, it creates this environment for an easier ability to make a more credible 141 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:24.800 embellishment. 142 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:30.280 Now, back in the day, you could weave a fish story and try to embellish how great you were, 143 00:08:30.280 --> 00:08:36.100 but your peers could ask you some questions face-to-face and uncover your humanity. 144 00:08:36.100 --> 00:08:42.020 When everything is digital, though, and can be easily touched up and edited, believing 145 00:08:42.020 --> 00:08:46.260 teens can have this huge self-esteem issue. 146 00:08:46.260 --> 00:08:50.540 Teens and young adults can feel that their friends never fail at things. 147 00:08:50.540 --> 00:08:55.460 Studies on college students found that the ease of social comparison leads to depression, 148 00:08:55.460 --> 00:09:00.140 particularly when it's used so much that it's a replacement for in-person contact. 149 00:09:00.140 --> 00:09:05.000 And then the algorithms drive exacerbation of this social comparison. 150 00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:09.360 The more you interact with a person or page, the more you see their posts. 151 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:14.120 And this creates a larger-than-life reality, and this can adversely impact emotional stamina 152 00:09:14.120 --> 00:09:16.680 or even emotional intelligence. 153 00:09:16.680 --> 00:09:22.040 Most receive their news from a select version of social media, according to Pew Research. 154 00:09:22.040 --> 00:09:27.040 This doesn't allow for a balance of perspectives or even for what's real, because the algorithms 155 00:09:27.060 --> 00:09:31.180 reinforce the notion that most people think exactly like you do. 156 00:09:31.180 --> 00:09:36.060 So for most Gen Zers, technology-based relationships and technology-controlled inputs on the news 157 00:09:36.060 --> 00:09:39.080 of the day is their actual reality. 158 00:09:39.080 --> 00:09:41.000 This causes two things. 159 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:44.680 It makes it hard to handle a direct conversation from another perspective. 160 00:09:44.680 --> 00:09:50.000 And it creates the tendency to mimic and converge emotionally without awareness. 161 00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:54.800 Zers tend to base their self-esteem off of social comparisons and try to act like the 162 00:09:54.800 --> 00:09:59.280 people they see on social media, even if they're unaware that they're doing that. 163 00:09:59.280 --> 00:10:00.120 This is called emotion. 164 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:03.280 emotional contagion and it can also work in a group setting. 165 00:10:03.280 --> 00:10:06.520 This is when the moods of one group transfer to the moods 166 00:10:06.520 --> 00:10:10.960 of another group. Now on the positive side, when you're high in emotional contagion, 167 00:10:10.960 --> 00:10:12.160 which the Gen Zers are, 168 00:10:12.160 --> 00:10:16.240 it does improve cooperation in the workforce and even decreases conflict. 169 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:20.920 On the other hand, cyber bullies can transfer negative emotional posts and 170 00:10:20.920 --> 00:10:22.280 have an outsized impact 171 00:10:22.280 --> 00:10:25.640 versus face-to-face human interaction. That person that 172 00:10:25.640 --> 00:10:28.400 is a bully might really be a small person physically and not be that 173 00:10:28.400 --> 00:10:29.440 intimidating at all. 174 00:10:29.440 --> 00:10:32.720 But Gen Zers might be adversely affected by that cyber 175 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:37.240 bully. Now on the positive side, Gen Zers appear to have a very high level of 176 00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:39.760 compassion and they see themselves as thoughtful 177 00:10:39.760 --> 00:10:44.280 and concerned about others. The video chat capability has actually been shown 178 00:10:44.280 --> 00:10:46.520 to improve cognitive empathy. 179 00:10:46.520 --> 00:10:52.200 On the other hand, Gen Zers feel anxiety, strangeness, and panic 180 00:10:52.200 --> 00:10:55.440 when absent from their cell phone. They just don't know what to do when 181 00:10:55.440 --> 00:11:00.320 they don't know what everyone else is doing. Research shows that watching news 182 00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:02.160 through social media, for example, 183 00:11:02.160 --> 00:11:05.640 a mass shooting in real time, just delivers too 184 00:11:05.640 --> 00:11:09.280 much negative news for the neurotransmitters to handle. 185 00:11:09.280 --> 00:11:13.120 As such, we become hardened to emotional experience 186 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:17.160 and we've just got less empathy. So Gen Zers are the 187 00:11:17.160 --> 00:11:21.200 primary age range where their parents 188 00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:25.160 are Gen Xers. And those Gen Xers 189 00:11:25.920 --> 00:11:29.720 had focused on a friend-parent approach. That was versus the 190 00:11:29.720 --> 00:11:34.120 advisor disciplinarian approach of their parents. And this has its pros and cons. 191 00:11:34.120 --> 00:11:38.040 Research shows that 88 percent of those in the Gen Z 192 00:11:38.040 --> 00:11:41.640 area felt that their parents are their friends 193 00:11:41.640 --> 00:11:45.200 rather than their advisors or even their coaches. 194 00:11:45.200 --> 00:11:48.760 Gen Xers are known to have this high energy level, they're creative, they're 195 00:11:48.760 --> 00:11:49.840 multitaskers. 196 00:11:49.840 --> 00:11:53.360 But technology is not native for them. 197 00:11:53.600 --> 00:11:56.880 For them it's a tool and they thought it was a good tool to hand to their kids. 198 00:11:56.880 --> 00:12:00.640 For their kids though, it's part of their very existence. 199 00:12:00.640 --> 00:12:04.360 Now the business community understands all this. They've studied it. 200 00:12:04.360 --> 00:12:07.440 They've studied it so much so that Gen X 201 00:12:07.440 --> 00:12:12.120 and Boomer managers have gone to extensive training sessions to learn how 202 00:12:12.120 --> 00:12:16.600 to communicate with their Gen Z employees through a variety of technology 203 00:12:16.600 --> 00:12:17.920 platforms like Slack. 204 00:12:17.920 --> 00:12:23.240 Gen Zers are like Millennials in that they desire to create meaning and 205 00:12:23.520 --> 00:12:27.760 they value formal education and they desire their own personal experience 206 00:12:27.760 --> 00:12:31.720 but they're more independent than Millennials. They're more entrepreneurial, 207 00:12:31.720 --> 00:12:36.520 they're more competitive and a little more driven by security. Social scientists 208 00:12:36.520 --> 00:12:37.240 say there's 209 00:12:37.240 --> 00:12:40.520 a direct impact based on your surroundings and even if you aren't 210 00:12:40.520 --> 00:12:44.560 tuned into it, it affects you. Your political environment has an impact on 211 00:12:44.560 --> 00:12:45.160 you whether you 212 00:12:45.160 --> 00:12:49.320 are aware of it or not. Now if you're a Boomer, you grew up in a much different 213 00:12:49.320 --> 00:12:50.560 time than a Gen Zer. 214 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:54.320 You rode your bike for miles from home even after dark. 215 00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:58.120 Your parents just generally speaking were not that concerned about your safety. 216 00:12:58.120 --> 00:13:02.400 As you came of age, on a geopolitical level, a Boomer 217 00:13:02.400 --> 00:13:05.760 thought that everything dangerous was far away 218 00:13:05.760 --> 00:13:10.360 and in light of the Soviet Union which was played out in a proxy war with 219 00:13:10.360 --> 00:13:11.000 Vietnam 220 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:15.320 and communism and socialism were showing their ugly head in real time. 221 00:13:15.320 --> 00:13:20.000 Nationally, for the Boomer, the big news stories were Watergate which was a 222 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:20.680 scandal 223 00:13:20.680 --> 00:13:24.640 sourced in paranoia for a president, civil rights and 224 00:13:24.640 --> 00:13:28.360 abortion. Despite stronger disagreements, 225 00:13:28.360 --> 00:13:32.320 the United States was more unified than today if for no other reason 226 00:13:32.320 --> 00:13:36.160 there were only three primary sources for the news on TV 227 00:13:36.160 --> 00:13:40.160 and there was still a general belief that at least externally 228 00:13:40.160 --> 00:13:43.440 you needed to have decorum that should lead the day. 229 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:47.400 Xers were impacted by the Persian Gulf War, AIDS 230 00:13:47.480 --> 00:13:51.880 and rising crime. On the positive side, agree or disagree with that war, 231 00:13:51.880 --> 00:13:55.320 they observed the United States as powerful and a winner. 232 00:13:55.320 --> 00:13:58.320 President Bush Senior famously said, 233 00:13:58.320 --> 00:14:01.360 we finally got that monkey Vietnam off our back. 234 00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:05.000 Millennials came of age during a massive recession. 235 00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:08.000 They kind of felt robbed, gypped. There was also this 236 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:11.640 economic housing meltdown that brought us into that recession. 237 00:14:11.640 --> 00:14:14.920 They observed the 9-11 attack on US soil as a kid. 238 00:14:15.160 --> 00:14:18.720 They witnessed the first black president, gay marriage becoming legal by the 239 00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:21.160 Supreme Court ruling and an overall ethos of 240 00:14:21.160 --> 00:14:25.080 less pride in America. They didn't agree that America 241 00:14:25.080 --> 00:14:29.360 was all that exceptional. The president they grew up with, Obama, 242 00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:33.040 was regularly cannibalizing America culturally. 243 00:14:33.040 --> 00:14:37.560 He was weakening us abroad and presuming racial prejudice upon 244 00:14:37.560 --> 00:14:38.840 everybody here domestically 245 00:14:38.840 --> 00:14:42.280 across the board. Millennials 246 00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:46.720 that adopted that worldview, social scientists 247 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:50.040 say, actually became fearful of political debate. 248 00:14:50.040 --> 00:14:53.640 They couldn't handle somebody that was on the other side, which was usually a 249 00:14:53.640 --> 00:14:55.160 conservative. Most Millennials 250 00:14:55.160 --> 00:14:58.200 are liberal. That's why they believe it's acceptable 251 00:14:58.200 --> 00:15:00.040 to censor a political debate. 252 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:03.360 ideas. So that's Millennials. 253 00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:07.840 Now Gen Zers have a very different experience. Theirs helps us understand 254 00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:10.280 why social scientists conclude 255 00:15:10.280 --> 00:15:14.200 that Gen Zers don't like debate issues too, but it's different than Millennials. 256 00:15:14.200 --> 00:15:17.520 And in fact they're generally put off by the whole concept 257 00:15:17.520 --> 00:15:22.560 of opposing sides. In contrast, both boomers and Xers grew up enjoying 258 00:15:22.560 --> 00:15:24.120 respectful relationships 259 00:15:24.120 --> 00:15:28.280 and even good friends with people whom they disagreed with 260 00:15:28.400 --> 00:15:31.720 politically. That's certainly not the case for Gen Zers. 261 00:15:31.720 --> 00:15:35.000 They observed political hostility from day one. 262 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:38.840 Some social scientists claim that that's why 263 00:15:38.840 --> 00:15:42.440 Zers are more intense about diversity acceptance, 264 00:15:42.440 --> 00:15:45.720 and embracing what you love, and rejecting 265 00:15:45.720 --> 00:15:51.040 what you don't. Social scientists concur that Gen Zers don't enjoy debating the 266 00:15:51.040 --> 00:15:53.000 big issues like their grandparent boomers. 267 00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:56.600 They point to social media as the desensitizer. 268 00:15:57.400 --> 00:16:01.960 Barna surveyed young Gen Zers to uncover some of their moral beliefs, and 269 00:16:01.960 --> 00:16:05.400 according to Barna, only 34 percent think lying 270 00:16:05.400 --> 00:16:09.520 is wrong. Yet almost 90 percent think it's wrong 271 00:16:09.520 --> 00:16:13.480 to challenge another person's beliefs, especially if it embarrasses them. 272 00:16:13.480 --> 00:16:17.160 They don't like the hostility that seems to come from that confrontation. 273 00:16:17.160 --> 00:16:21.120 In fact, they're selective about what others 274 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:25.960 should believe. A full 66 percent of Gen Zers 275 00:16:26.160 --> 00:16:29.160 think it is wrong to have a belief 276 00:16:29.160 --> 00:16:32.960 if that belief offends other people. 277 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:38.200 Now that can be tough to do. I mean, even negotiating a relatively mundane issue 278 00:16:38.200 --> 00:16:41.360 like where to put a stoplight can result in someone being 279 00:16:41.360 --> 00:16:45.400 offended. So how does a Gen Xer 280 00:16:45.400 --> 00:16:48.680 or a boomer engage with a Gen Zer 281 00:16:48.680 --> 00:16:52.680 and invite them to another point of view when it comes to the issue of life 282 00:16:53.040 --> 00:16:56.320 and abortion? Well, I don't know for sure, 283 00:16:56.320 --> 00:17:02.080 but I did ask some Gen Zers, and these fun, delightful, full-of-life Zers have 284 00:17:02.080 --> 00:17:03.240 had some success. 285 00:17:03.240 --> 00:17:06.760 Now admittedly, they're in that 29 percent minority, 286 00:17:06.760 --> 00:17:10.160 but they know how their 71 percent peers 287 00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:14.200 think. They persuade with a winsome tone. 288 00:17:14.200 --> 00:17:18.800 These Zers have been effective in changing the minds of their contemporaries. 289 00:17:18.800 --> 00:17:21.839 So here's my summary of how they go about it. 290 00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:25.440 To solicit legit engagement, 291 00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:29.200 I'm told, the case for any discussion on abortion must be 292 00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:32.680 in the context of authenticity, justice, 293 00:17:32.680 --> 00:17:37.920 and control. Now let's look at each. Authenticity is partly explained 294 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:41.440 with nuance. For example, the history of abortion 295 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:44.920 is complex. Now part of the Hippocratic oath 296 00:17:44.920 --> 00:17:49.440 initially signed by Hippocrates back in 400 BC 297 00:17:49.640 --> 00:17:54.760 condemns abortion. Yet, Protestant Christians through the 1800s didn't 298 00:17:54.760 --> 00:17:56.880 think the baby was alive until quickening, 299 00:17:56.880 --> 00:18:00.440 and that's the time when the mom can feel the baby kick. 300 00:18:00.440 --> 00:18:04.880 It's just not honest to say that Christians had a consistent understanding 301 00:18:04.880 --> 00:18:05.720 throughout history. 302 00:18:05.720 --> 00:18:09.520 They had a biblical argument for life, but not at conception. 303 00:18:09.520 --> 00:18:13.240 When they looked at Psalm 139, there's a verse there that describes God's 304 00:18:13.240 --> 00:18:15.480 deliberate involvement in the mother's womb. 305 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:19.400 They interpret it as God forming in the womb the life and the soul during the 306 00:18:19.400 --> 00:18:20.560 first part of the pregnancy. 307 00:18:20.560 --> 00:18:23.640 At quickening, that's when it was alive. 308 00:18:23.640 --> 00:18:27.840 So up until that time, even many Protestant Christians did not oppose 309 00:18:27.840 --> 00:18:29.400 abortion until midterm. 310 00:18:29.400 --> 00:18:33.560 When science convincingly displayed 311 00:18:33.560 --> 00:18:38.160 the movement of this developing child, most Protestants unified 312 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:41.960 at a much earlier time frame of when they believe the person 313 00:18:42.080 --> 00:18:46.000 is alive. But humility and admission 314 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:51.000 lay a foundation for conversation. So that's first, 315 00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:54.640 authenticity. Admit what's wrong. Admit what you didn't know. 316 00:18:54.640 --> 00:18:57.840 Second is the notion of justice. 317 00:18:57.840 --> 00:19:02.200 As it relates to abortion, the argument of the Gen Zer is pretty straightforward. 318 00:19:02.200 --> 00:19:06.400 One young lady should not have more access to an abortion than another. 319 00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:09.560 In fact, the poor young lady in the pro-life state 320 00:19:09.880 --> 00:19:13.600 is at a disadvantage to the rich young lady who can fly across state lines and 321 00:19:13.600 --> 00:19:15.880 get an abortion even past viability. 322 00:19:15.880 --> 00:19:19.120 I mean, in some states, they're talking about 28 days 323 00:19:19.120 --> 00:19:23.000 after the baby is born. 324 00:19:23.000 --> 00:19:26.440 So, how do you approach this definition of justice? 325 00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:32.760 Well first, remain authentic. From a pure linear logic perspective, the Gen Zer 326 00:19:32.760 --> 00:19:33.560 has a point. 327 00:19:33.560 --> 00:19:38.120 He would argue that if abortion is just, then a young lady who wants to have an 328 00:19:38.120 --> 00:19:39.920 abortion should be able to have one. 329 00:19:39.920 --> 00:19:43.440 Yet, justice needs 330 00:19:43.440 --> 00:19:46.480 some context. In the big picture 331 00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:49.840 scheme of things, how is justice really defined? 332 00:19:49.840 --> 00:19:53.800 Now, in any ethics discussion, justice includes 333 00:19:53.800 --> 00:19:57.480 all the living human beings that are affected by whatever that discussion is. 334 00:19:57.480 --> 00:19:58.560 So... 335 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:03.480 When you look at a little human living being, 336 00:20:03.480 --> 00:20:08.080 when is that little human being needing to be given justice? 337 00:20:08.080 --> 00:20:09.820 So my Gen Z friends would recommend 338 00:20:09.820 --> 00:20:11.520 starting with a question, 339 00:20:11.520 --> 00:20:13.920 which opens the door to think about equality 340 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:16.440 and justice for the precious little one, 341 00:20:16.440 --> 00:20:18.400 as well as for the young lady. 342 00:20:18.400 --> 00:20:22.880 They recommend a loving tone with a tough question. 343 00:20:22.880 --> 00:20:27.160 When do you think life begins? 344 00:20:28.160 --> 00:20:34.480 Dead things don't grow, the embryo grows. 345 00:20:34.480 --> 00:20:37.480 At conception, the little one has all the ingredients 346 00:20:37.480 --> 00:20:40.440 for life that he or she will need. 347 00:20:40.440 --> 00:20:47.280 So when did he or she start to be alive? 348 00:20:47.280 --> 00:20:50.280 Now, if the Gen Zer is true to her colors, 349 00:20:50.280 --> 00:20:54.800 her desire for authenticity and his longing for justice 350 00:20:54.960 --> 00:20:59.480 will result in a modified view of abortion on demand. 351 00:20:59.480 --> 00:21:03.400 Maybe if that is, in fact, a life inside the womb, 352 00:21:03.400 --> 00:21:06.960 it should be treated with equal human rights. 353 00:21:06.960 --> 00:21:09.800 Now, the final issue is control. 354 00:21:09.800 --> 00:21:11.280 The Gen Zer says that no woman 355 00:21:11.280 --> 00:21:13.400 should be under the control of another. 356 00:21:13.400 --> 00:21:15.480 She should be able to make her own decisions 357 00:21:15.480 --> 00:21:20.440 and not be managed by anyone else, especially by a man. 358 00:21:20.440 --> 00:21:22.320 The traditional response has been 359 00:21:22.320 --> 00:21:24.960 in the line of direct logic. 360 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:27.760 It takes two to tango. 361 00:21:27.760 --> 00:21:29.960 Ultimately, except in the instance of rape, 362 00:21:29.960 --> 00:21:32.240 the woman is in control. 363 00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:35.800 She can just say, no thanks, until she's ready to be a mom. 364 00:21:35.800 --> 00:21:38.560 But that's an old school logical argument. 365 00:21:38.560 --> 00:21:40.080 And I grew up in that environment. 366 00:21:40.080 --> 00:21:43.480 And the reality is that only a very small percentage of us 367 00:21:43.480 --> 00:21:46.120 actually lived up to that aspirational goal, 368 00:21:46.120 --> 00:21:49.040 and those that did, by the skin of their teeth. 369 00:21:49.040 --> 00:21:52.080 The reality is it just doesn't work that often. 370 00:21:52.080 --> 00:21:54.640 Young ladies don't always want to say no, 371 00:21:54.640 --> 00:21:57.960 and she doesn't always want to use preventative measures. 372 00:21:57.960 --> 00:22:00.480 And often, she's so young, she's not really thinking it 373 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:02.000 all the way through. 374 00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:04.320 Unfortunately, the law of nature does not 375 00:22:04.320 --> 00:22:07.600 comply all the time with that straightforward argument. 376 00:22:07.600 --> 00:22:12.320 So if a young lady gets pregnant before she wants to be a mom, 377 00:22:12.320 --> 00:22:17.480 how does she navigate not being under the control of another? 378 00:22:17.480 --> 00:22:20.120 If she has an abortion, she may have side effects, 379 00:22:20.120 --> 00:22:22.920 but she has no child to be responsible for. 380 00:22:22.920 --> 00:22:24.800 If she gives the child up for adoption, 381 00:22:24.800 --> 00:22:26.520 that could turn out to be a real blessing, 382 00:22:26.520 --> 00:22:28.520 but she might feel embarrassed or uncertain 383 00:22:28.520 --> 00:22:30.400 about that outcome. 384 00:22:30.400 --> 00:22:34.220 So to this, our Gen Z friends would 385 00:22:34.220 --> 00:22:37.600 counsel us to discuss this whole conversation 386 00:22:37.600 --> 00:22:41.960 in this context around the human rights issue. 387 00:22:41.960 --> 00:22:45.400 It's a real issue, but it's larger than one person. 388 00:22:45.400 --> 00:22:48.840 Again, they recommend a gentle tone with a tough question. 389 00:22:48.840 --> 00:22:50.680 They borrow from the UN's declaration 390 00:22:50.680 --> 00:22:51.960 after World War II. 391 00:22:51.960 --> 00:22:54.040 Just about everyone agrees that humans 392 00:22:54.040 --> 00:22:56.240 should be given certain rights regardless. 393 00:22:56.240 --> 00:22:57.160 They're inherent. 394 00:22:57.160 --> 00:22:58.500 They're not given by governments. 395 00:22:58.500 --> 00:23:01.520 They should just be protected by governments, 396 00:23:01.520 --> 00:23:03.280 like in our Declaration of Independence, 397 00:23:03.280 --> 00:23:06.560 that right to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 398 00:23:06.560 --> 00:23:10.000 So the Gen Zers would ask their peers the following question, 399 00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:12.760 coming right out of that UN declaration. 400 00:23:12.760 --> 00:23:17.160 At what point are the rights inherent to all human beings, 401 00:23:17.160 --> 00:23:21.840 regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, 402 00:23:21.840 --> 00:23:29.160 language, religion, or any other status, applicable to a baby? 403 00:23:29.160 --> 00:23:31.520 This is sort of an extension of the when is the baby alive 404 00:23:31.520 --> 00:23:32.680 question. 405 00:23:32.680 --> 00:23:35.160 This approach doesn't mean you'll win over a pro-abortion 406 00:23:35.160 --> 00:23:37.840 Gen Zer to a pro-life worldview. 407 00:23:37.840 --> 00:23:41.320 Yet these three issues, authenticity, justice, 408 00:23:41.320 --> 00:23:43.840 and control, need to be understood. 409 00:23:43.840 --> 00:23:45.680 And any conversation that we have with them 410 00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:47.640 needs to be in that context. 411 00:23:47.640 --> 00:23:51.320 It's the only way to set up an empathetic conversation 412 00:23:51.320 --> 00:23:53.080 with the typical Gen Zer. 413 00:23:53.080 --> 00:23:55.560 It applies to all issues, but abortion 414 00:23:55.560 --> 00:23:57.760 is one of the most challenging. 415 00:23:57.760 --> 00:24:02.600 I'm for life, and I believe we should protect innocent life. 416 00:24:02.600 --> 00:24:04.520 But I'm not going to win that debate 417 00:24:04.520 --> 00:24:08.560 without respecting and serving the Gen Zer where she is. 418 00:24:08.560 --> 00:24:09.600 To your freedom. 419 00:24:09.640 --> 00:24:11.880 Hi, I'm David Farah. 420 00:24:11.880 --> 00:24:14.640 Thank you for listening to my dad's podcast, The Barry Farah 421 00:24:14.640 --> 00:24:16.520 Show, Culture Shift. 422 00:24:16.520 --> 00:24:20.120 Click Subscribe now to be sure you don't miss an episode. 423 00:24:20.120 --> 00:24:22.760 Share this podcast with your friends on social media, 424 00:24:22.760 --> 00:24:26.160 and give The Barry Farah Show your five-star rating. 425 00:24:26.160 --> 00:24:28.280 See you next time.