As tensions rise between the U.S. and Iran, the all-knowing Internet prophets overzealously declared that a third world war is imminent. Jokes about this have quickly spread throughout social media, with a recent flood of WWIII themed memes, mid-battle Tiktok videos and snap-maps photoshopped to show all your friends in Iran.
Generation Z seems to be subtly exploring its relationship with America in ways that have never been necessary before. Though lighthearted, these social media musings invoke some serious questions about the digital generation and how it might handle something like a potential draft and world war.  
Although the reinstitution of an active draft is extremely unlikely anytime soon, I still can’t help but wonder how the teens and early twenty-somethings of today might grapple with the tough truths of compulsory military service.
Ultimately, I don’t think the majority of Generation Z would be able to muster the same sense of duty in the face of crisis that had characterized past drafts, particularly during world wars.
If the draft were to be reinstituted tomorrow, I think the general public would respond in outrage similar to that expressed during the Vietnam drafts.  People would take to the streets; draft dodging would likely reach an all time peak and of course, the internet would erupt in a frenzy of self-righteousness, as always.
I believe, regardless of the circumstances of this hypothetical war, that a draft reinstituted in 2020 would face more potent backlash that any instituted during the 1960s and ’70s.
Gen Z was reared with a level of individualism, comfort and convenience that would make the prospect of compulsory military service absolutely unthinkable. I don’t think many members of Gen Z have the coping skills to grapple with a serious possibility of war interrupting or rearranging their lives, much less ending them.
Additionally, it’s clear that helicopter parents has done nothing but facilitate Gen Z’s decaying sense of responsibility. A generation of young adults who have consistently been protected and removed from their problems will have a difficult time facing bombs and bullets.
However, I don’t blame them. It’s not fair to bombard Gen Z with rhetoric about “snowflakes” and “spinelessness.” We’re talking about war. In America, I think we far too often romanticize war, egged on by various cultural conventions. Although it’s impossible for those of us who haven’t seen battle to fully grasp the horror of war, it could very well be the worst experience a human being can go through.  
We live in a world in which war is inevitable; and in times of urgency, it’s vital that there are people strong and courageous enough to make sacrifices for the greater good. But that doesn’t mean we should gawk at or mock those who express fear of war.
As I said, I don’t think Gen Z had the coping skills to deal with war, but I’m not sure if it’s natural for anyone to be able to cope with war. Retaining dignity in the face of mass destruction, especially when conscripted involuntarily, seems beyond human ability.
  
Evan Leonhard is a 19-year-old English and Philosophy major from New Orleans, Louisiana.