Ocean Vuong

Without them, I don't think I would have worked as hard.

I would not work as hard for myself.

I'll tell you that, Mel.

I would not study as hard.

I would not read as much books.

I would not write as many drafts without the pressure, knowing that they really depended on me to get them a better life.

We call it cringe culture.

We can call it, you know, fear, authorial hesitation, whatever you want to call it.

I've had the great luxury of being a professor only to Gen Z. My entire career has been educating Gen Z, from the very oldest now to the very youngest.

I've watched this generation grow, and I've watched the...

The horrible public precarity that they have to navigate.

You know, when I was a kid in the 90s, you do something silly and your class makes fun of you.

Worst case, your school makes fun of you.

And then after summer break, all is forgotten, right?

And then you're kind of cleansed by the amnesia of summertime.

But now, you do something out of the norm, as much many children are inclined to do.

Your kids, your brain is developing.

You can be filmed without your permission.

And a week later, an entire country that you have never stepped into is laughing at you.

And then years later, you become a meme, a symbol that is completely...