Millennials have a bad reputation.
By Sissy15
@sissy15 (12269)
United States
December 12, 2016 12:19am CST
I've been hearing a lot of grief about millennials lately, don't get me wrong there are a lot of spoiled entitled millennials, but there are plenty who aren't. Everyone is blaming the economy on us, which is incredibly unfair and not at all our fault. The economy was tanking before we even turned 18. Yes, we're living with our parents, because financially it's the best option. How are we supposed to find our own place when everything is out of our price range? A lot of us are paying off college educations, and those of us who aren't, don't have a college education because we couldn't afford one, and we're having a tough time trying to find something that pays well.
Things aren't like they were when the previous generations were younger, minimum wage is up, but you can't afford to live on it, at one time you could, that time is not now. The cost of living is up. At one time you could support a family on minimum wage, you can't now.
I've found hipsters tend to be making our generation look bad. Most people I know aren't hipsters though. It's not even about work ethic, people are retiring later, and not leaving room for new employees in jobs that actually pay better. It's tough for everyone.
I guess I just get tired of everyone lumping us all into one category. I grew up with baby boomer parents, the way I grew up was way different than most of those around me. My parents were in their 40s when they had me, and while that seems to be closer to the norm now, it wasn't when I was a kid. I had the oldest parents of almost everyone I knew. My life was different than most. My parents were great with me, but they raised me closer to the way they were raised. They raised me to have manners and they made sure I knew nothing was just given to me, that nothing in life was free.
My point is, not all of us were raised the same way. Even those that act entitled can't help the way the economy is, it was handed to us that way. Those before us ruined it, and placed the blame on us. I'v found we are basically the scapegoats.
I'm not saying none of my generation acts entitled, because some do, but we have this stigma attached to us, and it's not right, I get life isn't fair but it's hard to get ahead when everyone wants to blame us for everything. I would also like to point out that those placing the blame on us are often those that raised us.
Everything has become about feelings, I wasn't raised to believe my feelings needed protected at all cost, and most of my friends weren't raised that way either. That seems to be the younger millennials. Participation trophies, not keeping score, letting kids win. Even when I play board games I don't let my son win, if he wins he wins honestly, that's how my mom was with me too.
I don't let my son rule me, and my parents certainly made sure I knew they were the adults and the ones in charge. They didn't create safe spaces. I don't remember that happening with most of the older millennials, mostly the younger ones, but we were all lumped together.
I rarely ever spank my son because, other methods do work better. I let my son express his feelings to a degree, but when everything hurts his feelings I make sure he knows he'll be fine and I don't let them rule every situation.
I guess I just get annoyed knowing that we're all lumped into one category, and we're blamed for everything that's wrong today, when most of it was set in motion before we were even adults.
5 people like this
5 responses
@CaptAlbertWhisker (32507)
• Calgary, Alberta
12 Dec 16
I have a bit of identity crisis if I am a Gen X or a millennial. The first few years of my life is in the late 80's and My childhood is in the 90's and the first half of my life is not reliant on the internet. I see my self more as a Gen X but technically I am categorized as a Millennial because I made it in the cut off age. In my childhood learning how to use a type writer is still part of the curriculum and people still send hand written letters.
I remember back in the 90's the Baby Boomers see Gen X the same way Gen X sees the Millennials.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
12 Dec 16
I am right there with you. I was born in 87, so we didn't have a lot of the technology kids now have. I didn't own a cell phone until my early 20s.I think a lot of the millennials that are giving us a bad reputation are younger millennials.
2 people like this
@CaptAlbertWhisker (32507)
• Calgary, Alberta
12 Dec 16
@sissy15 We are more of generational Hybrids. We are half gen x and Half millennials since half of our lives don't have the millennial technology. We didn't grow up with social networks as they were not prominent in the 90's.
Just for the Lols, during the 90's websites looks like this:
Restaurant Reviews: Marks Deli Great find, good food and fresh meats... Chicken Haven Not the best Fried Chicken I've ever had, but not the worst... Taco Cart This is my go to Taco Heaven ... Cattleman's Ranch the Food at this Restaurant was OK, and the am
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
12 Dec 16
@CaptAlbertWhisker Yeah, exactly, which is why I said most of the things that people relate to us are actually the younger millennials.
2 people like this
@celticeagle (158876)
• Boise, Idaho
12 Dec 16
The world has changed so much in the last 30 years. It is all going so fast too. I wish we could respect our elders and learn from them. We must not live in the past but that doesn't mean we need to forget it either.
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
12 Dec 16
I think more people respect their elders than what is represented by the media. People always go for the negative stories, and choose to ignore the good that is going on. We are all pitted against each other, over very ridiculous things. I have always respected my elders, but that's how I was raised.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
14 Dec 16
@celticeagle There have definitely been changes over the years, both good and bad. Unfortunately manners have seemed to have disappeared, fortunately my son is very polite, but I have always made him be, and that's something a lot of parents don't seem to think is important anymore. I think a lot of those adults who are making my entire age group look bad, turned out the way they did, because of the way their parents raised them. We have a lot to do with how our kids turn out, I mean not everything is our fault, eventually they become their own people, and sometimes rebel against everything we taught them, but a lot of it comes back to us as parents. If you don't teach manners and how to treat others, a lot of the time they'll never learn the correct way to treat others.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (158876)
• Boise, Idaho
13 Dec 16
@sissy15 .....THis is true but there has been a definite change over the years.
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
12 Dec 16
You have to understand ire aimed at millennials is in general terms because there are always exceptions and not reflective of the whole group. I am sorry to say but a well deserved stigma of arrogance and contempt behavior is attached to millennials which I frequently observe. An ignorance of the past and history, contempt for the elderly, lack of interest except for texting and video games and I could go on. There's not enough time to fully get into this. A certain attitude is displayed, inability to listen to opposing viewpoints and of course there is the pajama boy uniform. Look to your fellow generation for generating the negativity you object to.
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
12 Dec 16
I have found it is more commonly found in the younger millennials, most of the ones I grew up with are great people that go out of their way to help others, maybe it's the area we're from I don't know, but most of the millennials I know are great people. I didn't even own a phone until I was in my early 20s, and I only play a couple of video games for fun. I see what's going on and it ticks me off, but the thing is I actually know very few people like I see stories about or see in the media. It doesn't help that the media chooses to mostly show the negative aspects. I'm actually referring mostly to how the economy is our fault, that I disagree with. Our economy was failing before we even reached adulthood. Now on the ethics and morals part, I can see more of that, but again very few people I know are actually like that. I hate hipsters as a whole, I think they give the rest of us a bad name. I thing that stigma maybe in part right, but not completely. Not every person is defined by the negative aspects of their personality, there's usually just as much good. We are paying for the mistakes of those before us, which isn't right, but I suppose each generation pays for the mistakes of the one before it, that's life, and I get it, but I don't think the blame should be placed all on our shoulders. I try to be a decent person, and stay open minded, and I like to hear what others have to say. I was raised to respect those around me, but the point is those that weren't raised that way, were raised by a lot of those people complaining about our generation, so they also have themselves to blame. I can honestly said if I pulled half of the crap that's going on now I'd have had my butt beat. Part of me can see the stigma, but then I look around at millennials as a whole, and most of us aren't like we're portrayed. You can't know how old someone is simply by looking at them. I have found those in their early 20s are worse than us in our 30s and nearing them. Maybe that's just me though. At least the few entitled millennials I know/knew were in their early 20s.
@ms1864 (6886)
• Bangalore, India
12 Dec 16
It's a very good post. ...and i agree.
Every generation has made some mistake or another. The generation gap of thinking the next generation might be worse off then our own has been the constant idea of each generation.
The generation before us see problems with us, we see problems with upcoming generations. The loop existed before us and will probably exist after us.
All we can try to do is take the best of each generation before us and try pass that along....and not be swept in mass opinion.
