The Graduation of the Netflix Generation

 

Good morning Kennedy Family. It is with joy that I address you, the 60th graduating class of John F. Kennedy High School.

This week we have talked about and experienced the rich traditions of JFK, including our legacy families and alumni. Your many successes are now entwined with those lasting traditions and your class has been written into our history. Your time at Kennedy has also been marked by an extreme uptick in technology used at our school– in 6th grade, we became the first school in Trumbull County to be 1:1 devices, K-12 and the creation of our state of the art Think Lab. The following years brought on the addition of security cameras to assist Coach K with his ever-watchful eye over the building and new web-based resources like Google Classroom and edPuzzle became our everyday tools (here’s to you, Mr. Codispoti).

This blending of tradition and technology reminds me of the label given to my generation, the Xennials. Many of the parents here were also born at this time.  We were at the local Blockbuster, finding a VHS tape to rent (and worried if we remembered “Be Kind Rewind”). During a commercial was the only time you could run and get a snack because you couldn’t just pause that TGIF sitcom. How many of you used a pencil to save a cassette tape, whether it was one you purchased or mixed yourself, hoping the radio DJ didn’t mess up the end of your favorite Top 8 at 8 song? We prayed that we didn’t die of dysentery after fording the river on the way to the Willamette Valley….that’s right, we are also known as “The Oregon Trail Generation.”

While many of you graduates would recognize the label “Gen Z,” you may not know that you are also referred to as “The Netflix Generation.” This is particularly appropriate, since back in the 7th grade one of you incredulously asked if I knew that Netflix used to send you DVDs. IN THE MAIL. Crazy, right? Inspired by this label you have, and being totally hip and with it, here is my advice to you, straight from our Netflix watching habits.

#1: Don’t Binge Watch Your Life Away

Don’t get me wrong, binge watching is great! I finished a rewatch of season 1 House of the Dragon in a solid 2.5 days. Of course, in order to consume that much content, I really had to multitask. I was watching as I finished laundry, cooked dinner, or scrolled my phone, missing details along the way. If you marked this year by only the big events- Homecoming and Prom, senior night and playoff games, Midterms and Finals, and Graduation- you missed all actual important stuff in-between. The relationships that were built sitting around the office or during studyhalls; the daily practices and Dunkin’ runs that your season was built on; the fact you danced so hard you broke your dress; being a Eucharistic Minister or usher at Mass. Don’t binge watch your years away. Savor the days and the details, because adulthood is right around the corner and believe me, it’s not as fun.

#2- Is “Your Next Watch” telling you something?

AI algorithms look at the movies and series you choose to stream and come up with other titles you may like as suggestions. It takes your PAST selections and determines what path you’ll PROBABLY want to go down. As you leave high school and make new choices on how to live your life, each of those possibilities will weigh heavily on the paths that are open to you.  Your positive actions during your time at Kennedy have opened doors for you in what you are going to do next. What options will you create for yourself for the future with the choices you make tomorrow and in the years to come?

#3- Let Rotten Tomatoes be Rotten

Sometimes I start a series and feel like I HAVE to see it through to the end, even if it’s no longer entertaining (hello, Grey’s Anatomy, season 20). I have watched my share of ridiculous reality dating shows like 90 Day Fiance, Love is Blind, and Temptation Island.   I am proud to say I never succumbed to watching The Tiger King during COVID and have only seen glimpses of any Kardashian anything. If something is bad, even if everyone else is doing it, it’s ok to say no thank you. You don’t HAVE to do anything that will put you in a bad position. You don’t HAVE to be in a toxic relationship. Don’t worry that you could be the odd man out. Your time is too valuable to waste on anything that doesn’t bring you closer to God, closer to your family, and closer to your life goals.

#4- Lead through Disruption

Netflix is a prime example of disrupting an entire established market. Yes, I did actually receive DVDs through the mail in the early 2000s. Today, streaming seems like a pretty obvious next step, but at the time it was life-changing. It was almost like when texting started to be a thing…why do I need this? However Netflix did to movie rentals and cable television what Uber is doing for taxis and what AirBnB is doing for hotels– completely changing the way we live. Here at Kennedy, you have learned math and science, how to communicate through speech and written essays, and the history of our church and mankind. However the greatest lessons you learned at Kennedy are how you form relationships and advocate for yourself when the need arises, how you can use your creativity to push the boundaries of what we know today, and your resilience during challenging times that still brought you here today, to your final celebration. 

The traditions at Kennedy, whether you have been here since preschool, or more recently joined us, are a part of your story. The way we do things here– always chasing excellence through innovation and the use of technology– is part of your story too. You are prepared. Not prepared FOR the world, but you are prepared to CHANGE the world. 

I just know it. Trust me, I was born before Google.