Project 2 interview 4/24

Ryan interviewed his father, Atik Chowdhury, discussing various topics related to generational differences. They discussed the importance of a balanced lifestyle, including outdoor activities and healthy eating, to combat the high rates of overweight young adults. They also touched on the negative impact of social media on mental health, emphasizing the need for individuals to be themselves and not try to imitate unrealistic portrayals on social media. Atik mentioned how growing up with social media would have influenced his own childhood and development. They discussed the high rates of drug use among boomer teens in the 60s and 70s, attributing it to societal changes and a desire to fit in. They also explored the increase in suicide rates among young people, highlighting the importance of communication and understanding in preventing such tragedies. They discussed how growing up with revolutionary technology has affected Gen Z's behavior, communication, and mental health. Atik emphas Good afternoon. My name is Ryan Chowdhury and I'm going to be interviewing my dad. My name is Atik Chowdhury. I am Ryan Chowdhury's father. Yes. Okay. And he was born in 1964, so he's a part of the boomer generation. All right. So, first off, how is your day going today? Oh, it's fantastic. We are a bit tired. Yes, we are. We just got back from our European trip yesterday. We went to Switzerland and Germany, so a bit tired, but all right. Okay. Now, let's get to the questions. So, first question. By 2016, more than half of young American adults were overweight. What can Gen Z or future generations do to end this cycle and promote more healthier lifestyles and healthier diets? Well, in my opinion, you know, it has to be well-balanced. So, of course, you know, we live in a digital world. Everything is, you know, everybody's in front of the TV or on the phone. I'm not saying I'm against it, but you have to do lots of outdoors also. You know, you have to take care of your, you know, physical needs, you know. Do some outdoors, go hiking, biking, whatever it is. I think balancing is very, very important. And healthy eating is very important. From my point of view, you know, Ryan can vouch that I always try to cook. Yes. And so, you know, it feels good and also it's a healthy food. So I think our new generation, we are so dependent on fast food, you know. And I will not totally blame all the kids. It is, unfortunately, parents have to take some kind of responsibility too. So parents, school, everything, you know, it all goes together. Absolutely. Yes. Okay. Studies show a direct link between social media use and high depression in teens. From an outside perspective, why do you think this is the case with current Gen Z? Okay, yeah. I think, you know, the social media portray a very artificial, how should I say, portray a very artificial thing because a person who wants to be like the other person, you know, in social media, and that's not a very healthy thing, in my opinion, because, you know, you try to be yourself, you know. Of course, if you, you know, idol someone, right, you take some good points from that very person, but you have to know also your limitations and just be yourself. That's what I'm trying to say. Don't try to be someone else. You cannot, you know. And so that's one of the issues I have with this new generation because they want to be someone else. Unrealistic. Yes. Well, yes, it is unrealistic. You know, everyone wants to be NBA player. Everybody wants to be a NFL player. Not everyone can do it. Yeah, it's hard. So that's where I stand, you know. And so if you think, if social media was around when you were my age growing up, do you think it would have affected your childhood, your development? Oh, of course. Yeah? Of course. Okay, why? Because you are exposed to a lot of things, different things, and it will have an impact, of course. And because when I grew up, I'm talking about 17, because I was born in 16, but growing up, you know, 17, when I knew what's right and wrong and whatnot. And our idol were all sports people, you know, or politicians. But now you have idols from every, you know, aspect of life, every corner in the world. You can find a lot of people, and you can try to be like them or whatnot. Yeah. So, of course, I think if we had, our generation had the social media, things would have been a lot different. Absolutely. So next question. In the 60s and 70s, teen drug use skyrocketed. The class of 1979 chartered that 94% of teens tried alcohol, and 42% of those teens would actually drink it regularly. And then 75% smoked cigarettes and 62% tried marijuana. Teens haven't chartered this high since then. So why do you think that teens, boomer teens, became so infatuated with drugs in this era? So you're talking about in my generation, right? Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So they're experimenting with it? Exactly. Yeah, I think that era was different. Yeah. Late 60s, 70s, things were changing. People were fed up with a lot of things about government, social, everything. And they wanted to experiment and see, you know, they tried to fit in, I think. It was new. It was new. Also, it was new. So many new drugs were coming out. And, yeah, I think pretty much everyone has experimented to a certain extent. And somebody got really hooked on it, and ultimately they paid the price. And then back then there wasn't much data on the effects? No, no, not at all. I don't know whether they still have the data now. Maybe it's inflated ones. But, yeah, the drug, it was, you know, everywhere. Not like today's time. Now drugs are so many different types of drugs. So next question. The suicide rate for children under 14 has doubled since 1980. It's the third leading cause of death for people aged 15 through 24. And why do you think that suicide rates of young people have increased? And this is for Gen Z. Why do you think suicide rates have increased? Again, I think it all starts from home, you know, how they are brought up, and what they're exposed to. You know, if they see, you know, what's happening in their house, in the neighborhood, and that's, I think, one of the reasons. There are several, because it affects mentally. And, you know, people need to communicate well. You know, parents, teachers, friends, you know, people need to listen before judging them. Why you're doing it, just listen to them. You know, and I think that's one of the reasons your suicides were too high at that age. Parents, you know, don't have time to talk to their kids. Or they feel like they're doing too much. If they yell at them, they might, like, get on the kids' bad side. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. They have to listen. The reason they do all the suicide and other things, because they think they are ignored. Yeah. Nobody cares about them. They're just there. Yeah. So, basically, don't judge, you know. You never know what that very person is going through. Exactly. I don't know, you don't know. You cannot say that, hey, you're a bad person. You cannot. You never know the circumstances. Yeah. Yes. It's pretty tragic, really. Yeah. Now, Gen Z has grown up with a very revolutionary technology. How do you think growing up with this level of technology has influenced the behavior, the communication, and the mental health of Gen Zers? First of all, Gen Zers are very unsocial people. Yes, that's true. Very unsocial. You know, they don't know how to act socially. They are very much into themselves. And, you know, it's a generation thing. I'm not saying it's a good or bad thing. But then again, when we started the whole discussion, it has to be well-balanced. Exactly. You have to have a, you know, you have, I'm not saying video games are bad. As long as it has a positive, you have to take a positive from it. You just cannot consume on video games all day long. Yes. You have to do your work, do other chores and whatnot. But it's a good thing also. If you can balance it, look at the, you know, our inventions, like electric cars, like Elon Musk, you know, look at him. There are a lot of innovations going on. And these are all this generation. Yeah, yeah. A lot of kids would just go from school, come home, just go on a video game. Yeah. Just go outside or talk to people. Correct. Yes. Being very unsocial. That's not going to happen. Don't know how to react. Don't know how to speak to their parents properly. Yeah. Respect is not there, unfortunately. Yeah. Yeah. Studies show that in 2021, one of one in six Gen Z young adults identified as a lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Yeah. Why do you think we've seen such a sudden increase of LGBTQ identities in the youth within the past decade? I think it's more acceptable. People are more comfortable talking about their sexuality, gender identity, whatever it is. Back then, it was a sin to talk about that you're a homosexual or whatever it is. Now it is very comfortable because you have groups. You have, you know, it's a big community. It's very supportive also. So I think that's good for people who have, you know, unsure about their sexuality, you know. They cannot, obviously, they cannot speak to their parents because parents will be really upset. Yeah. But they have that. So I think, yeah. Did you see a lot of, like, LGBT people any year in Bangladesh? No, no. We do have a community. It's called HIJRA. H-I-J-R-A. Okay. Which is, they are transgender. Okay. Right? They are transgender. Okay. They are protected by our government back in Bangladesh. Okay, that's cool. They have a small community and they, you know, nobody hurt them or nothing. You know, they're part of our culture. Exactly. That's good. Yeah. That's good. But the sad thing is, back then, they treat them as a second-class citizen. You know, that's a sad thing. But that's the reality. Anywhere you go, even here, the LGBTQ, we treat them differently. That's true. Yeah. But then again, it has come a long way. Yes. Like 20 years ago. Changes. It takes time for any changes. It will be much more accepted, like 10 years ago. I think so. I think so. Yeah. That's good. What have been some of the most startling changes you have witnessed when comparing, or when you've grown up in Gen Z? Like, compared to when you were located, what have been some big differences? Opportunities. Okay. I think so. In my case, you know, opportunities. What kind of opportunities? Any kind. Okay. Yeah. I don't believe that a lot of people say that, oh, man, I didn't have this. It's all about you. You know, you have to, again, a person needs to know, you know, their limitations also. And, you know, it has been, you know, I don't see any, how should I say it, any issues. Yeah. Yeah. You just have to, you know, adapt to the new system, or new culture, or things have changed. And revolving. Yeah. You have to adapt. Yes. You have to adapt. Yes. And it will be more, you have to adapt even more in later generations. Of course. You have to. There's going to be more. You have to. Whether you like it or not, you know, you just have to see, you know, the bigger picture. So, next question. The percentage of American 20 or 24-year-olds getting married has gone down significantly. It's gone down nearly 60% since 1960. Why do you think these marriage rates have gone down? Again, it is, everyone is very much goal-oriented. It's all about them. And they don't consider, many of them, they don't even consider marriage at all. Family, nothing. Or your kids. Correct. Yeah. Yeah, interesting. And they're only thinking of themselves, thinking about moving up, you know. It's all about them. So, it's also, again, it's a culture now. Yeah. The younger generation, they are happy being single. Yes. And they don't value, because they have not seen, unfortunately, in their home that you, you know, father, mother came in the evening, let's sit and have a dinner together. So, they don't know what it's like. Correct. They have no taste at all. So, I think this is kind of a burden. But, you know, then again, marriage is not for everyone, you know. Because I'd rather have, I'd rather be happy than unhappy being married, you know. So, that's what I think. That's good. Well, that's all the questions I've got for today. Thank you, sir, for the interview. You're welcome. Thank you so much. And I hope I was a little help. Absolutely. Very good. And. Bye. Bye. Where is the text?