Ever heard how every generation complains about the generation that came after them? Like they had nothing to do with the upbringing of said generation? Yeah, so being from late ’80s myself I’m technically a millennial, and there are a couple of things I *really* don’t wanna hear anymore. So here it is: a collection of things I need you to stop saying.
“People these days don’t value relationships.”
This is something that’s often either followed or preceded by (often incorrect) divorce statistics. Yes, a lot of marriages end in divorce these days. You want to know why? Because your mom’s generation had a ridiculous social stigma on divorce, Susan. Only for the women of course. A couple of decades ago (give or take a few) divorced women were the outcasts of society. Forget being able to visit your friends or partake in any kind of social activity. On top of that, women were often fully financially dependent on their husbands. These days, however, more and more women are paving their way in life. Thus, if a man decides to cheat, manipulate, abuse a woman, she can walk out and never look back because she can do for herself. And I’m tired of people making it sound like that’s a bad thing.
“Millennials killed the blahblah industry.”
We’re out here killing all kinds of industries, huh? Maybe, just maybe, this generation is still recovering from the economic crisis as we’ve now all entered the workforce and are trying to pay for rent, insurances, and pay off our stupidly high student loans. Meanwhile, the housing market has made a full recovery, applying for a mortgage has become more difficult and it’s damn near impossible to finance a house on a single income, especially if you don’t have parents or similar who are willing to co-sign.
Also, some industries just need to die. We’ve seen very big chainstores that represented entire eras fail and die. Is this our fault? No. It’s yours. Your fault for not taking charge and changing with the times. YOU allowed your company to die. Don’t put not wanting to rent VHS tapes on us while you could’ve seen digitalization coming since the 90s.
“Maybe you shouldn’t spend your money on …”
Look, I get it. Sometimes some people need to hear this. But to tell an entire generation of people that the reason they can’t afford to buy a house is because they eat avocado toast (what even is that?) is just plain dumb, so that’s another thing you can stop saying. We work hard. Most people I know have their regular day job, and then they have a hustle on the side. Why? Well, for one, corporate life will drive you insane and they wanna do something they enjoy. And two, see above. One flow of income doesn’t guarantee a reasonably comfortable life anymore, especially in the bigger cities. So if we want to spend some of that money doing something that can help us unwind and relax, let us. Besides, research has shown that spending money on experiences rather than items often leads to more happiness. So as long as I’m not spending myself into debt, you can stop saying whatever it is you think you have to say.
In conclusion:
