Source: GT Published: 2024-05-13

In a world where Columbia University students protest with cries of revolution, it's evident that a generational shift is underway - a shift that seems to be moving away from the God that once united older American generations. This isn't about any god, but specifically the God of Christian faith, central to Anglo-Saxon core values.

A friend from China shared that her daughter, an ardent fan of Taylor Swift, echoes the singer's influence even in Chinese campuses. This phenomenon has sparked concern among some Chinese scholars about the encroaching impact of American culture. However, in this globalized era, cultural products - whether music or images of giant pandas - increasingly transcend national borders. This trend reflects monumental shifts in views on politics, economics, religion, history, and even in consumption patterns.

The Swiftie generation, or Gen Z as they are also known, has grown up constantly 'jailbreaking' from the traditions set by their predecessors. They prefer a dynamic and personalized consumption style, moving from linear buying patterns to eclectic, multi-point purchasing. This generation doesn't like spoon-fed education or wearing the same outfit repeatedly. They thrive on a diverse range of channels for acquiring knowledge and global perspectives. This inevitably impacts traditional values, both in China and the US.

The influence of American culture, a long-standing strength of the country, is undergoing root-level changes that challenge traditional worldviews and deepen generational divides. Observers of recent US student protests against American Middle East policies attest to the fact that young people's views on global justice, peace and the US' role are gradually diverging from traditional Washington stances. These cultural upheavals highlights a clash between traditional ideologies and the new 'Swiftie consumerism and recreational-ism' with its new global worldview.

Unlike previous generations who were mainly concerned with local changes and personal wealth accumulation, today's youth have a powerful network to access information about the world and often have more direct experiences with different cultures. The most important thing is that they pay more attention to their personal expression. They possess a deeper understanding of global diversity than previous generations, making them not only a generation of new knowledge but also one that is slowly distancing themselves from the traditional concept of God and capitalism.

Many policies in Washington still flaunt the old banners of hegemony, driven by the whims of capital power and God. Religious and capital influences remain deeply embedded in US foreign policy, tied to the system and the nation's core Anglo-Saxon values - the very God I mentioned at the outset.

However, as Caspar Kuiler, a visiting scholar at Harvard Divinity School, stated in a BBC interview, 'more than one in three millennials are now religiously unaffiliated' and 'on average 3,500 churches close every year in the US.' As the Swiftie generation increasingly views the world through lenses not colored by these old directives, the natural consequence is both the eruption of movements and the inevitable transformation of American influence.

This generational shift isn't just about rejecting past norms, it's about redefining engagement in a world where boundaries are less about geography and more about connectivity and mutual understanding. As this generation moves further from Washington's traditional strategy, or at least from the traditional interpretations of the capitalist will, the US' influence is poised for change, signaling a new era where global perspectives gain precedence over dated doctrines.

The author is a senior editor with People's Daily, and currently a senior fellow with the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China. dinggang@globaltimes.com.cn. Follow him on X @dinggangchina