There are No "Once in a Lifetime" Events for Me
I AM A MILLENIAL
I am a Millennial, a demographic that never had an opportunity to succeed in America. The existential trauma began in middle school when our teachers huddled us into a room to watch the Twin Towers burn down in real time. We do not remember life before the Patriot Act or school shooter drills.
They called us lazy and shouted how we could have a better life if we stopped buying Starbucks or avocado toast. No one realized that we were experiencing a different economic reality.
The war in the Middle East progressed over the years, and I attended the funerals of former classmates who died in Afghanistan and Iraq. The military seemed like a valid alternative considering the once-in-a-lifetime economic collapse.
Inside the “4 hugs a day” millennial mind?
This caused older generations to have misplaced anger toward Millennials. They called us lazy and shouted how we could have a better life if we stopped buying Starbucks or avocado toast. No one realized that we were experiencing a different economic reality.
The pandemic hit once we settled into our careers after clawing up the corporate ladder. Another once-in-a-lifetime financial crash. We stayed in our apartments while the government sent insulting stimulus checks and businesses closed. Uncertainty and economic volatility engulfed our collective experience. Those who missed their chance to buy a home when prices were digestible are stuck as perpetual renters, as most of our income goes toward rent. We cannot save for an increasingly uncertain future due to shelter costs and overall inflation.
Read this poignant letter in its entirety, and randomly HUG A MILLENIAL with no explanation. TRY IT BRUH!
It isn't just you. Gen X was called lazy, etc. and we have been hit by a lot of deep recessions. When I graduated from college in 1990, no one wanted to hire entry level workers....entry level required 2-3 years experience for some reason. I live in a state where many businesses left and there hasn't been a lot of opportunity- or at least not the same as the opportunity my parents and grandparents had. I lost my job after 2001 and was unable to find another job for a year. My husband's self employment vanished due to the pandemic, so it's just me trying to keep us going. Some of us do know that your group is getting hit with a lot such as massively increased prices in housing and education. I don't know that I would have been able to go to college with the current costs for higher education.
My kids were born in 86 and 88. They are hard working and I dare someone to ever call one of them a spoiled, lazy and entitled millennial.
👊