Millennials: Why We Aren't As Bad As They Say

[Sisky]

Is there really any good reason for sorting people into generation/age groups and slap the us vs. them mentality on it? I guess if we're busy arguing who made what worse for who, no one cares to think about how we can make things better.

[Sally]

Anyone else sick of the older generation shitting on us because we are supposedly entitled, lazy and self centered? I agree that a lot of us can be but there is only so much we can do with a cluster fuck of a country and economy you're handing us, not to mention the presidential candidates we have. May baby Jesus be with us

​Who is it that has been shitting on you?

​On the other side of the token, the older generation has been voting for Trump. I think that speaks for itself.

Some stupid young people have been voting for Trump also.

If you're in your 20s, at least you don't have age discrimination against you when trying for jobs. People over 50 still need to work to pay for rent, food, medical insurance, etc., but they can't get hired.

[God of the Forest]

Anyone else sick of the older generation shitting on us because we are supposedly entitled, lazy and self centered? I agree that a lot of us can be but there is only so much we can do with a cluster fuck of a country and economy you're handing us, not to mention the presidential candidates we have. May baby Jesus be with us

​Who is it that has been shitting on you?

​On the other side of the token, the older generation has been voting for Trump. I think that speaks for itself.

Some stupid young people have been voting for Trump also.

If you're in your 20s, at least you don't have age discrimination against you when trying for jobs. People over 50 still need to work to pay for rent, food, medical insurance, etc., but they can't get hired.

True, age discrimination is a thing, just as you can be discriminated against for being too old, you can also be discriminated against for being too young with not enough experience

[m4rble]

There really always going to be people who see the negative. Overall, I think the world's been getting better and less violent. Recently wealth inequality has been increasing, which is definitely negative. However, that doesn't change all the positive things that have come about in the last 60 years.

[Sally]

Anyone else sick of the older generation shitting on us because we are supposedly entitled, lazy and self centered? I agree that a lot of us can be but there is only so much we can do with a cluster fuck of a country and economy you're handing us, not to mention the presidential candidates we have. May baby Jesus be with us

​Who is it that has been shitting on you?

​On the other side of the token, the older generation has been voting for Trump. I think that speaks for itself.

Some stupid young people have been voting for Trump also.

If you're in your 20s, at least you don't have age discrimination against you when trying for jobs. People over 50 still need to work to pay for rent, food, medical insurance, etc., but they can't get hired.

True, age discrimination is a thing, just as you can be discriminated against for being too old, you can also be discriminated against for being too young with not enough experience

But only for a few years. Older people don't grow out of age discrimination, and Social Security can't support anyone.

[Skycaptain]

It's the same in Britain, employers seem to only want people aged 25-45, anyone else is restricted to menial jobs.

[Tarfeather]

And with the internet, I'd argue we're one of the smarter ones in recent history to some extent.

You could also argue "we're" one of the dumbest generations in recent history, thanks to social networks and the consequent echo chambers. It's no longer necessary to defend and verify your opinions if you don't want to, whatever your opinion.

and Social Security can't support anyone.

Come to Germany. Though truth be told, the time is approaching when we won't be paying our elders what they need for living either, anymore. "Generational contract" falls flat on its note when the average woman has had less than 1.5 children for the past decades.

[Nigellaseed]

I was just wondering at what age does 'the older generation' begin? The oldfartrant?

[Tarfeather]

"And I consider myself a millennial because as far as I'm concerned, it refers to anyone less than a thousand years old" -- Stephen Colbert

[Nigellaseed]

Ha ha that just about includes me too!

My daughter will be 16 this month and she talks a lot of sense politically and emotionally but the only down side is the lack of getting off her backside and being outdoors more which I think our generation did loads more of. She tends to socialise more on-line than meeting up with friends. The worry would be then is how will she learn to work alongside or in a partnership either at work or in her personal life if she prefers to have a piece of technology in front of her nose 24/7 rather than communicating face on.

Oh dear old fartrant here we come!

On the whole I really enjoy the younger generation (certainly where I live in S.W Uk)

[Sisky]

^ That's only a downside if face to face communication works better for you. I'd say using the way you're most comfortable with trumps being constantly stressed out and consequently avoiding it. I wouldn't have any social life whatsoever if I had to communicate in person all the time; thanks to the internet, I have four very close friends and an awesome partner. None of which I would have met because they live on the other side of the country or not even in my country at all. And not being forced to communicate in a stressful way frees up mental ressources for things like work or partnerships.

(This coming from a hermit type with various health issues, but I imagine the average introvert probably welcomes low-stress communication as well.)

[Nigellaseed]

I can see how it can be a very necessary tool for some of us...but my worry is we may as a culture...lose the ability to experience face to face communication after all so much is gained from the total communication idea ie facial expressions, tone of voice and body language?

I was waiting for a train the other day and it was very cold and wet so I entered the concrete shelter and there was a young woman there on her phone head down scrolling through. Within another 10 mins there were 6 other people of all different ages turning up doing the same thing. Their necks all jammed up and staring at their devices. Nobody said hello. That could be why we are not so successful with chance meetings of each other when finding a mate because we have lost the skill of talking to each other. I think dating is no way near as exciting as before. Guy's used to come up and ask you out....now we all go to the internet and check out credentials like a shopping list. What about what really matters...chemistry? I am not against internet stuff but what I see is our generation losing those skills and interpreting what they want to interpret from somebody rather than the true message.

[Tarfeather]

Guy's used to come up and ask you out....now we all go to the internet and check out credentials like a shopping list. What about what really matters...chemistry? I am not against internet stuff but what I see is our generation losing those skills and interpreting what they want to interpret from somebody rather than the true message.

I'm one of those people who "grew up" socializing 99% on the internet, and I was still able to notice that my partner was "right" for me, just by seeing her from a distance IRL. The fact that I dislike interacting with people IRL, doesn't mean I'm incapable of it. It just means that I *am* able to read into a person's personality from the way they move, talk, etc. and for the most part I don't like what I see, especially when it comes to women. But yeah, in the rare event that there's a woman I find interesting, I'll still approach her the old fashioned way. It's just so incredibly rare.

[Nigellaseed]

The upside I guess is now the internet is offering us more of a diverse choice which we probably would not have had so much before.

[Tarfeather]

The upside I guess is now the internet is offering us more of a diverse choice which we probably would not have had so much before.

As far as friends are concerned, most definitely. As for partners, for me at least the problem is that any place online where I can meet likeminded people will have a high male:female ratio, and the few women there I could show interest for will already be worn out due to a million other guys having the same bright idea. Ultimately, I find the real life to be preferable for actively seeking potential partners, because making a move in person requires some courage that allows one to set themselves apart from the competition.

[Nigellaseed]

I agree and where would the magic be otherwise.

[AwesomeRavenpuff]

I do believe the video the Young Turks were talking about was the one my aunt showed me, trying to see if I could “Just watch without arguing” You just said everything I wanted to say before getting shut down for fear of some yelling match. I actually saw a response to that video, and I feel like I should share it because...well, it's perfection.

heres-to-the-crazy-ones-1732

I recently saw a video of a young woman talking about all of the reasons our generation, the Millennials, sucks and that’s she’s sorry for what we’ve become. Here is my, a fellow Millennial, response:

You say we’re just ‘existing’ and not ‘contributing anything to society.’ The oldest Millennial is 34, the youngest is 12, we haven’t had time to contribute anything yet. We’re trying to survive in a world that no other generation has had to grow up in, with a tanked economy and most of our childhood hearing nothing but war in the Middle East on the news while also being profoundly connected. We didn’t do that.

You say we’re no longer polite, we don’t say ‘no, sir’ or ‘no ma’am’ anymore and we no longer hold the door open for our elders or women. We also don’t expect low-paid workers to break their backs for us, or at yell at them when they make a mistake, like my 60-year-old grandfather does. We say ‘no problem’ when there’s a mistake in order, and politely stand by while the 40-something-year-old soccer mom huffs and rolls her eyes as the new girl struggles to punch in the correct code.

You say our music objectifies women and glorifies drugs and criminals. There has been no significant change from the songs that were once sung or the singers who sang them. Many of the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s performers were drug addicts, womanizers, and criminals in their own right. Elvis Presley was child abuser, John Lennon raped his many girlfriends and most of the music I grew up listening, which was 80’s rock, were performed by habitual drug abusers. Let’s not pretend like human nature took a drastic turn when 1983 rolled around.

You say we cuss to prove a point. We, as a generation, have learned it’s not the words we fucking use, it’s the passion in them that we care about. As a generation, we’ve become more interested in politics and the world around us, cursing is minor problem when we consider the political climate the older generation has plunged us into.

You say we use ‘bae’ to describe the ones we love. Bae, originally, means ‘before anyone else’ which is incredibly romantic in my opinion. Bae is also hardly ever taken seriously, it’s a jokey way to talk about someone you love. Language changes, I doubt people were happy when we changed ‘wherefore’ into ‘why.’ The greatest injustice we can do to our language and culture is not allow it to evolve and grow with us.

You say we idolize people like Kim Kardashian and shame people like Tim Tebow. Kim Kardashian is a business woman who had a private video she made with a lover illegally revealed. Instead of fading into obscurity, she stood tall and did not let the sexual shaming she endured stop her and now runs a multi-million dollar industry, is married to one of the richest men in the world, and had two beautiful children. Tim Tebow is a Christian who was criticized by a few people for praying in an open stadium while most people just wanted to see a game.

You say we’re lazy and entitled, we want to make a lot of money and get a free education but we’re not willing to put in the work. We are not lazy. I cannot tell you how many people I meet who have gone to school full time while working a part or even full-time job just to make ends meet. We’re not entitled, we’re bitter. In the 70’s, you could work a part time job over the summer and pay your way through four years of school because tuition was $400, now just to walk in the door of your local community college you need to drop $14,000. We have kids who aren’t even old enough to drink, yet are already $20,000 deep in debt. Debt that won’t go away because even filing for bankruptcy won’t erase it. And even with that education, there’s no guarantee you’ll find something in your field. I have a friend who has a degree in microbiology and she’s making $9 an hour selling $15 candles. I have another friend who has a masters in Sport Psychology and Counseling. She’s a bartender. My parents bought a three bedroom house in the suburbs in the late 90’s while my generation is imagining apartments with breezy windows and trying to get enough money to get food while we scrounge up less than $8 a week.

You say we spend more time online making friends and less time building relationships and our relationship’s appearance on Facebook is more important than building the foundation that relationship is based on. We are a generation that is profoundly connected and no other generation has seen this before. We have more opportunities to meet people from all over the world and better chances to understand other worldviews and lifestyles. Being able to stay home and talk to people over the internet is cheaper and more relaxing than having to force yourself to interact with people in public settings after a long day of minimum wage labor. The people I talk to more over the internet are people I have been friends with for years. It’s easier to talk about the day’s events over Skype or Facebook Messenger than arrange a day to meet in person when you have conflicting schedules. I truly don’t believe most people care what others think of their friendship or how their relationships ‘look’ on social media. Most often what you are calling ‘our relationship’s appearance on Facebook’ are documented and searchable memories.

You say our idea of what we believe in is going on Facebook and posting a status on Facebook. Not everyone can join in with the crowds of protesters. It’s easy to see what others have to say through the comments and argue back without the threat of violence. And when this generation does organize events to stand up for ourselves, it’s met with childish name-calling or being reduced to a ‘riot.’

You say we believe the number of follows we have reflects who we are as a person. It’s nice knowing there’s 20 or 50 or maybe even 100 people who care what you have to say or think. We live in an age where we can and will be heard.

You say we don’t respect our elders, that we don’t respect our country. Our elders grew up in one of the greatest economic booms in history and in turn made it the worst economic situation since the 1930’s all while blaming kids who were only five at the time for it. We stand on our flag because it means nothing, it’s a pretty banner for an ugly lie. We’re a country that says you can make it if you just work hard enough while, in the end, that will almost never happen. We’re a country that becomes irate at the idea of 20-something college kids standing on some canvas dyed red, white, and blue but seem to shrug off the millions of homeless, disabled veterans.

You say we’re more divided than ever before. Ever before what? When black folk couldn’t drink from the same fountain as white folk? When women couldn’t vote? When white southerners fought for the idea that they could keep black people as slaves? We’re a generation that is done with injustice and when you fight for social change, you will divide people.

You say everything that was frowned up is celebrated. What does that mean? We frowned up gay marriage. We frowned upon wives being able to say no to sex with their husbands. We frowned up interracial marriage. We frowned up black folk being allowed to go to school with white folk. We frowned upon women being allowed to vote. Are those things not worth celebrating?

You say nothing has value in our generation, that we take advantage of everything. We value friendship more, we value the fists of change, we value social justice and family and the right to marry those we love. We value the right to be yourself, wholly and fully. We value the right to choose and we value the idea of fighting what you believe in, even when everyone older than you is telling you you’re what’s wrong with the country.

You say we have more opportunities to succeed than those before but we don’t ‘appreciate’ them. We are a bitter generation. You can finance a boat for 3.9% but you have to pay back college tuition plus 8.9%. We may have more opportunities but those opportunities cost money we don’t have.

You say you can see why we’re called ‘Generation,’ but we’re not Generation Y, we’re Millennials and we do feel entitled. We were promised a strong economy and inexpensive education. We had the world in our hands and we were going to make it better. And it was ripped away from us because of incompetent rulers, illegal wars, and greedy corporations and we get blamed for it. Crime has gone down, abortion and unintended pregnancy has lowered, people are living longer, people are more educated, people are less likely to die from violent crime or diseases, yet my generation is touted as the worst generation and for what? Crimes that we’re accused of that happened before we could even wipe our own ass? We were raised better, and we were raised in a society that treated, and continues to treat, us like garbage. And we are done. We are not sorry, we did nothing wrong.

[Telecaster68]

.... and now she's stumped upstairs to paint her bedroom black.

[Sally]

We were promised a strong economy and inexpensive education.

When was that promise made? It certainly wasn't made in the US, and I doubt it did anywhere else. (I realize you yourself didn't say that, but I'm responding to you because you labeled all of that as "perfection".

[AwesomeRavenpuff]

We were promised a strong economy and inexpensive education.

When was that promise made? It certainly wasn't made in the US, and I doubt it did anywhere else. (I realize you yourself didn't say that, but I'm responding to you because you labeled all of that as "perfection".

By our parents growing up. By everyone above us who told us as long as we worked hard enough, we'd be fine. They told us we'd be able to do all these things. Maybe they didn't say it right out, but they implied it heavily to our young minds. Maybe perfection is too strong a word, but it definitely hits on many points.

[Archaewok]

Anyone else sick of the older generation shitting on us because we are supposedly entitled, lazy and self centered? I agree that a lot of us can be but there is only so much we can do with a cluster fuck of a country and economy you're handing us, not to mention the presidential candidates we have. May baby Jesus be with us

​Who is it that has been shitting on you?

People who write stuff like this and/or subscribe to a similar viewpoint:

http://www.earlybirdpaper.com/dear-generation-cupcake/

​Ah. Yea, I can find it frustrating when other people say "It's so easy! I made it, so everyone can! Duh!" Obviously, these people are just making assumptions about other people's situations. Not to mention that bragging about themselves does nothing to actually help the other person see possible solutions for what they are dealing with.