Is Ellie Masukevich The Ultimate Example Of Gen Z Gone Wrong?

Summary

Ellie Masukevich's case is presented as an example of Gen Z behavior gone wrong, but the article suggests that it's more about the consequences of drunk driving than generational entitlement.

Abstract

Ellie Masukevich, an 18-year-old from Illinois, was arrested for drunk driving and resisting arrest, an incident captured in a viral video where she compares the feeling of being arrested to "going to Utah," hinting at a possible troubled past involving reform camps. The article compares her case to that of Stephanie Melgoza, another Illinois resident who received a 14-year sentence for vehicular homicide while driving under the influence. Despite the public's inclination to view such cases as indicative of a bratty and consequence-free Gen Z attitude, the author argues that these incidents are more reflective of the dangers of drunk driving rather than a generational trend. The author emphasizes that most young adults are responsible and that it's unfair to generalize based on isolated incidents. The article also touches on the broader issues of entitlement and parenting approaches, suggesting that while entitlement can't be completely solved, it can be mitigated through empathetic parenting.

Opinions

The author believes that the behavior of Ellie Masukevich and Stephanie Melgoza should not be seen as representative of Gen Z as a whole.
There is a suggestion that Ellie's reaction to being arrested might be linked to a traumatic experience, such as being sent to a reform camp against her will.
The article challenges the narrative that Gen Z is entitled and irresponsible, asserting that consequences do matter to the majority of young adults.
The author reflects on the broader societal issue of entitlement, advocating for better parenting strategies and empathy to address the problem.
Drunk driving is highlighted as a serious issue, transcending generational stereotypes, and the article underscores the importance of sobriety and personal responsibility when driving.

Maybe.

Ellie Masukevich lives in Illinois. In December of 2022, on a Tuesday night no less, she was 18 and got drunk before 7pm. She seems to have smoked a few bowls too. The cops got her for swerving around, and when they tried to arrest her, she got a little, uh, violent:

It’s a bad one. You can almost see the demise of mental health in real time.

It should be noted there’s something weird in this video. When first put into cuffs, she screams something about “This feels like going to Utah!” Some have suspected that maybe she was a troubled adolescent and her family had her sent to some reform camp in Utah, but maybe it was one of those deals you read about sometimes where they come in the middle of the night and get you. Maybe that’s why the handcuffs part was so triggering. I think that needs to be stated.

Looks like she’s next up for a trial in late July, by the way. It’s taken a while to wind its way through the courts:

You may actually remember another case out of Illinois, that of Stephanie Melgoza:

In that case, two people died because Stephanie drove drunk. She then laughed about it, probably because she hadn’t processed that two people died. (I’m not forgiving her there, just explaining what it’s like to be overly-intoxicated.) Melgoza got 14 years, I think, in the Illinois prison system. She will be out and have a chance at life by probably 35 to 40 years old.

Now, Ellie didn’t kill anyone (good), but both these videos are sometimes held up as examples of bratty Gen Z behavior, where consequences don’t matter to them apparently.

I would generally disagree with that, and I think there are millions of young adults in Gen Z, and consequences matter to most of them. It’s easy to cherry-pick anything for a specific narrative. Both these cases are more about “People shouldn’t drive drunk” than anything. I’ve had to learn that myself.

Most older generations think the newer generations are entitled, off-task, and off-putting. They think that for a variety of reasons, and Ms. Ellie here isn’t the poster child for it— especially if there was some type of “take her to reform camp” situation, which might be logical if she’s cruising around a Buy Buy Baby and a Target drunk, at 18, weeks before Christmas on a Tuesday night.

Plus, on entitlement, just remember: we can’t solve it, but we can reduce it with some better approaches to parenting, empathy, et al.

What’s your take on this Ellie girl?

Is Ellie Masukevich The Ultimate Example Of Gen Z Gone Wrong?

Maybe.

Should We Be Infuriated By Stephanie Melgoza?

The laughing DUI vehicular homicide.

Sobriety, Day 51: That Time I Almost Totaled My Car, Then Lied About It

Ah, May 2022.

We Cannot “Solve” Entitlement, But Can We Reduce It A Bit?

Probably not, but we can try.