No Finites or Absolutes: Editor’s Letter
Hear that? That is fluidity.
Don’t you hate when people quote somebody brilliant in order to sound smart themselves? The. Worst.
We have a quote for you…
…we must join [the people] in that fluctuating movement which they are just giving a shape to, which, as soon as it has started, will be the signal for everything to be called into question. Let there be no mistake about it; it is to this zone of occult instability where the people dwell that we must come. — Frantz Fanon
OK, reread those magical words and instead of “they” or “the people,” insert “Gen Z.” Go ahead. We’ll wait.
Hear that? That is fluidity. That is what’s happening. That, is the future. The dissolution of borders, boundaries, and binaries (gender and beyond); living
in and creating from the gaps and the interstitialities. Seeing and navigating the world through a lens of pluralism, multiplicity, and equipoise. In a space of fluidity, there are no finites or absolutes. Power, influence, ownership, authority, identity, and everything in-between are negotiable. Basically, the rules and structures of old no longer apply.
And that is why we categorically believe fluidity is THE key to understanding not only Gen Z but also the future. Fluid thinking represents a spectacular shift in how we envision ourselves and our place in the world — a movement in thought and behavior being led by Gen Z.
Your head is exploding, right? We opened with a solid serving of pretension, only to follow it up with wobbly words. Perhaps a bit abstract, so let’s try this…
One year ago, we were meeting with a client who was extremely frustrated by Gen Z, finding this generation confusing and contradictory. This, in turn, confused us, as we had no idea what she was talking about. And then it clicked: She thinks in binaries — black and white, right and wrong, male and female. But Gen Zs are fluid thinkers — they occupy a world that is multi-various and slippery, one without contradictions. In that moment, witnessing the collision of non-fluid and fluid thinking, it was clear that this generation would continue to baffle and blindside our client until she fully grasped what sits at their core, the thing driving every behavior and action — fluidity.
Enter The Irregular Report: Fluidity. With the help of my Gen Z partner-in-crime, Nicolaia Rips, our Gen Z editors, and over 3,500 of their global peers, we dig into and dissect all things fluid: the what and why as well as the how — how it will impact critical systems like culture and creativity, economics, education, gender, and politics. (P.S. While you may think gender is where this all begins and ends, think again. Gen Zs are just getting started.)
Please read on. We are confident that if you pay attention with an open-mind, by the end of the report, you will have escaped your binary-fate and, well, entered “the zone of occult instability.” Welcome!
— Molly Logan (not Gen Z)
P.S. We hear some of you are not sold on the word “fluidity.” Absolutely feel free to replace it (very fluid of us, btw). However, we recommend that you don’t waste your time debating those eight tiny letters (it won’t erase the thinking they represent). It is a bit like critiquing the color of a front door when the house is about to burn down.
