- US Army soldier Anthony Gonzales went viral on TikTok for making videos mocking "Gen Z on the battlefield."
- The 21-year-old says that he sees hate comments on his posts, but they don't bother him at all.
Anthony Gonzales, the US Army soldier who went viral for his "Gen Zs in the military" TikTok videos gets hate comments from "homophobic people and old vets," but says that people need to realize that times have changed.
"I see hate comments, but they don't bother me at all. You live your life and I'm going to live mine," Gonzales told Insider.
"All I can say is that I'm just one soldier. People think that one soldier is going to change everything. 'Our country is doomed,' I've read multiple times. It's not doomed just because of the things I say," Gonzales said.
The 21-year-old soldier is employed with the US Arkansas Army National Guard in Fort Chaffee. While he preferred to keep details about his specific unit private, Gonzales says his role involves distributing and managing fuel, as well as keeping up with fuel storage.
In response to the hate that he gets, Gonzales added that people need to start realizing that "this is a new generation."
"Of course this ain't the old army. Time has passed and things have changed. There is nothing wrong with that. Some people just have issues adjusting to change," he said.
The Gen Z soldier first blew up on TikTok in August 2021 when the first video in his "Gen Z in the battlefield" series went viral. His first video — captioned "It's me, I'm Gen Z" — has amassed over 22.5 million views and 5.1 million likes to date.
In the videos, Gonzales can be seen mocking Gen Z stereotypes by exaggerating the way they act and speak while dressed in tactical gear.
@arianagonzoo he decided to make a reappearance
♬ original sound - gonzo
In one video uploaded in May, Gonzales pretends to be a dramatic Gen Z soldier on the battlefield screaming "My phone died!" while flailing his arms.
"There are no cute boys here. I'm leaving, you know what I'm saying?" he says in another section of the clip.
"You're a prisoner of war? Oh, sounds a little kinky. Wait, where are you going? You didn't even tie me up yet, you know what I'm saying?" he continues in the video, which has been viewed 5.3 million times.
In another video, which has 1.5 million views to date, Gonzales pokes fun at the stereotype that Gen Z has its priorities wrong.
@arianagonzoo someone bring him some CFA
♬ original sound - gonzo
"I ordered Chick-Fil-A. This is MRE, I can't eat that," Gonzales says in the clip while tossing a bag of military rations to the ground.
"We're not going to shoot you, we only shoot the ugly ones," he says in another part of the video.
"Don't shoot them, we need the WiFi password first, you know what I'm saying?" he continues in the video.
Gonzales stresses that he's patriotic and his TikTok videos are all in good fun. More than anything, he has immense respect for the military and all those who serve.
"I've also read stuff saying that I'm disrespectful towards old vets. No, I'm not. There's nothing wrong with having a little fun. I truly have so much respect for those who actually fought on the frontlines and all those who have died fighting for our country," he said.
"The videos mock Gen-Z people and really just myself," Gonzales added.