I need a rant about millennials

[HanG77]

Okay, I may offend millennials but hear me out (and please, millennials, offer me an explanation as to why your generation do this)...I've just had a discussion with a millennial on a thread for a social media post showing the Tartan Army having a blast in Boston, her comment was about how it was "healing the millennials". I replied saying it's lovely for all generations to watch given how divisive the world is, and she said due to 9/11 millennials crave the world healing more. I get this a lot with millennials - like they think every cultural experience is about them or for them - even taking things that are from other generations and claiming it as their era - and they act like no other generation has had any big events to deal with. I argued the Lost Generation (world war) and Gen Z (being children/early adults when the whole world stopped) have had it worse out of all the living generations (in my opinion).

For context, I'm a British Gen X, also I have a lot of close millennial friends so it's not personal, it's about them as a collective. Also, this person was American - I think maybe the American nationalism adds to it (more so than with Brits of this generation).

Oh please. Perfectly illustrates op's point. (Older millennial here)

Navel gazers gonna navel gaze. Social media just means you see it more

It’s not about comparing generations, every generation has their trials and tribulations and fears. Everyone is entitled to their own experiences and feelings. They can only feel that way from their own experiences.

Never heard of this either. I think the whole splitting people into generations thing is annoying so I don't tend to pay any attention.

lol how is it self indulgent?
isn’t everyone entitled to think about their own experience?

I'm GenX and not noticed this, I think just saying 'This is sending/healing/whatever gen [whichever]' is just a social media trope, it's not that deep.

I'm fed up with people making generalisations about a whole generation based on an interaction with one person. Do better.

I knew that person was American before you even said it.

The US is so used to waging war on other nations, and it having zero impact on their country, that they now have a total victim mentality in relation to 9/11. Yes it was awful/traumatic/horrific. But it was one event. Many countries have faced the equivalent, ongoing, for years. Much of which is funded by the US.

Your post should be titled “need a rant about some random woman online” not “millennials.” I am a millennial and have many millennials in my life and not heard any of them say this.

She's mental - nowt to do with being millennial. Where does she think the boomers eg. were during 9/11?!

I have looked them up many times and these ‘generation’ categories are very elastic. Massive cusps.

And about as much use for generalising and stereotyping as star signs.

I prefer a nice shiny class analysis myself - sort of Harriet Taylor Mill meets a Marxist-Leninist dialectic.

OP, I believe I am technically gen-z (1997) (also I don't remember 9/11) but because I got married and had my children young, I am grouped much more with millennials and yes, absolutely I know what you are talking about. There is a narrative of "we've had the worst luck" which I find absolutely baffling. I do think it comes from them coming of age when they were being told they could do anything, anyone should get a degree and then they'd all get job easily, etc... which turned out to be false. But they seem to forget/not be aware of all of the things that happened during the lives of other generations... or at least not apply it to their own lives.

@SardinesOnButteredToast - I hear a lot of that from my younger gen-z family members. They're so angry at how fucked up the environment is and how little they individually can have an impact now. Obviously I am not saying that they shouldn't try, and I very much do recycle and make choices to lower my own environmental impact.... but I do see why it seems hopeless to them. I have seen millennials described as "the last generation to have hope for the future" and I don't think it is too far wrong, honestly.

I'm British Gen X when did the world stop?

I hate when people use terms like “millennials” and “generation x” etc . It’s just ridiculous sorry.

None of what you said, or what you've said the person said, made any sense to me.

"I get this a lot with millennials - like they think every cultural experience is about them or for them - even taking things that are from other generations and claiming it as their era - and they act like no other generation has had any big events to deal with."

I think you've been unlucky with Millennials @HanG77. Can you say a bit more about the above, and give us some more examples? Is it within your personal friendship group? Perhaps you could ask them directly, try and start a nuanced conversation. As an elder Millennial, it's never occured to me that e.g. 9/11 was more traumatising for me because of my age at the time (although I've always known it was pretty formative).

Couldnt agree more! (Also a millennial)

One thing I do get irritated by is all this naming this generation or that Millenial, Gen Z etc. Who started this crap ? Years ago we just used to say people born in the 60’s, 70’s 80’s or who lived through etc etc. There was no labelling nonsense. Can it please stop ?

Dividing groups of people into generations is getting ridiculous now. People are allowed to feel what they feel even if they don't fit into a certain category!

It's a social research thing, and whilst it was originally well-intentioned in that it had genuine value for social, political and consumer analysis, now it's often used more as an online dog-whistle, to encourage engagement.

raises a single arch Millennial eyebrow

People in any generation think they are hardest done by / it’s just human nature

I don’t think it’s a millennial thing.

I think it’s just someone who’s online too much, using that vapid online lingo and applying it to themselves as a millennial.

I think these types of people are present across various generations.

Well it is a pile of nonsense. And arguably for social research a bit of a blunt tool. Just using age.

I’m a millennial and I don’t think or say what you’ve described. Please don’t tar us all with the same brush

I'm a millennial and this isn't something I've experienced.

To be fair the only thing I need healing from is older people thinking we'd all be able to save to buy a 500k starter house while paying 2k a month in rent on a flat if we just stopped eating avocados. 😂

It was hardly the blitz......

I’m an elder millenial/young Gen X depending on when you do the crossover (born 1980) and actually think we had it pretty easy in a lot of ways compared to youngsters today BUT every generation has hardship & it also very much depends on the family you were born into/your own life experiences etc.