CCP210: On Larping and the Hunger for Authenticity
In this week’s conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a term that may be new to many of our listeners - “larping.” Larping has been adopted by Gen Z and redefined as a slang word that refers to people who are inauthentic or performative. And the use of this slang term speaks to how highly Gen Z values authenticity in others; that is, how much they long for people who are genuine.
Episode Links
There are two articles that were referenced in today’s conversation. Here they are if you’d like to do some more reading on this topic:
Rachel Hale, “All of Gen Z is larping. It's not what you think it is,” USA Today.
Rachel Hale and Owen Carry, “'Polyester’ is Gen Z’s newest viral insult. Here’s what it means.” USA Today.
Gen Z is big on assigning labels (like larping) to people, but, ironically, they often struggle with their own self-identity and seemingly want to reject labels that culture would put on them. This is part of what led to the trend discussed last week on the podcast. If you missed it, be sure to check out CCP209: On the Rise of Bisexual Men.
Finally, if you want to go to school on Gen Z, we’d encourage you to check out Dr. White’s book called Meet Generation Z, which you can find on Amazon HERE.
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