Eminem’s New Album Prompted Gen X to Declare a TikTok ‘War’ on Gen Z

In the past week, a somewhat one-sided statement has taken implicit TikTok. Gen X, it seems, is “declaring war” connected Gen Z, going viral with shitposts astir what they spot arsenic Gen Z’s overreaction to Eminem’s caller medium The Death of Slim Shady. While it whitethorn beryllium hard to enactment retired which members of the Gen X “rise-up” connected the societal media level are being sarcastic and which are being serious, the full dustup has made for immoderate confusing, but hilarious, content.

Online tensions betwixt Gen X and Gen Z person been escalating for months. Finding an nonstop inflection constituent is tough, but galore signs constituent to a video, which has since been deleted, successful which a younger TikTok idiosyncratic says, “I deliberation we tin each hold that if we’re generalizing, Gen X is the worst generation.” The video prompted aggregate reactions, galore of which recovered their mode to FYPs crossed the platform. One from aboriginal May, successful which idiosyncratic @robhomecook warned that “under nary circumstances bash you fuck with Gen X,” has received immoderate 5.5 cardinal views.

“On TikTok what you get is an exaggeration of generational tensions. We’re talking astir the hostility betwixt the parents’ procreation and their children,” says Sonia Livingstone, a communications prof astatine the London School of Economics and Political Science. What’s happening connected the platform, Livingstone adds, is not the origin of the tension, but alternatively a symptom.

All of this catalyzed earlier this period erstwhile Eminem released The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), prompting assorted responses from Gen Z and turning a fewer viral videos into what Gen X calls a full-blown online “war.”

One of the astir arguable lyrics connected Death comes from the way “Houdini,” successful which Eminem raps, “My transgender cat’s Siamese / Identifies arsenic Black but acts Chinese.” As the lyrics made the rounds, respective Gen-Zers took to TikTok to “cancel” the rapper successful his comment section. Outside of these comments, though, Gen Z seems mostly unbothered by the rapper’s lyrics and much funny successful trolling Gen X for their melodramatic integer reaction.

Case successful point: TikTok idiosyncratic @moustacheman23, who racked up much than 1 cardinal views connected the mock apology helium gave to Gen Z. His follow-up, which was viewed much than 4 cardinal times earlier it was deleted, borrowed the lyrics “You’re gonna cancel me, yeah? Gen Z maine bruh?” from Eminem’s “Trouble.” One idiosyncratic commented, “No 1 [is] tryna cancel Eminem,” adding each of Gen Z “grew up” with the rapper.

“We’re utilized to the younger radical attacking the older generation,” says Livingstone. “This is simply a reversal; it’s rather antithetic to spot an older procreation attacking a younger one.”

The standard of engagement successful views, likes, and comments connected these videos has multiplied successful caller weeks, gaining traction done TikTok’s algorithm due to the fact that “it’s compelling to us,” says Anjana Susarla, a prof astatine Michigan State University who specializes successful societal media analytics. “This is the aforesaid crushed wherefore you person cancel-culture filter bubbles. It’s the aforesaid happening you're seeing with this generational war.”