It bothered me to post this because of its grammatical errors, but it made me laugh.

I know, I know. Where the heck have I been, right? You’ve all missed me drastically, I can tell. I wish I had some amazing reason as to why I have been absent, but sadly, nothing extravagant. I’ve been caught up in work and Netflix, ya know, things that keep you busy. I was going through what some might call a “writer’s wall”.. until now. Because you know what has ticked me off/made me laugh recently? People blaming Millennials for every damn thing in life. Apparently we are to blame for the downfall of Applebee’s and Buffalo Wild Wings, the workplace, face to face interaction, everything really. So let’s talk about it.

First, from what I have gathered, most people define Millennials as people born in early 1980s through early 2000s.

If you haven’t seen any of the Millennial jokes, just google “Millennials” and you’ll be amazed at all of the articles that pop up. For example… look below. And this is just some of it. It’s quite comical, to be honest. I mean, killing bar soap?? What the hell?

 

Buzzfeed gathered some articles and compiled it into one list. You can read it here. It’s worth the read. Truly hilarious. In case you’re too lazy to read the article (you must be a Millennial), here are snapshots of my favorite headlines.

 

Basically, Millennials are to blame for every bad thing that has happened in life recently. I mean c’mon?! This is just insane.

Although I can read these and laugh, some news stories really irk me. Just take a look at some of these headlines…

 

As a Millennial who works three jobs, I do not think it is fair to call us lazy, entitled, or whatever else we get called. When I graduated college, I applied for what seemed like a million jobs.  I had three internships and still “lacked sufficient experience” for “entry level” positions. So here I am, working three jobs, hoping to “gain experience”. Yet, I’m still lazy? Did you know 44% of college graduates are working jobs that do not require a college degree? I have friends who live literally paycheck to paycheck. And that’s not because they are spending money on luxury items. It’s because they get paid close to nothing and still have multiple bills to pay. I think Millennials work quite hard. Millennials are smarter than we’re given credit for. We’re not self-obsessed just because we take selfies. Hundreds of years ago, people would commission paintings of themselves to hang in their homes.. that’s a little more self-obsessed than a quick selfie in my opinion. We were brought up in the technological and app age. We have valuable skills that we taught ourselves. We learned how to use computers, smartphones, and tablets all on our own. And then taught our parents how to use them. Despite how frustrating that is. I get so annoyed trying to teach my mom or dad a simple task on the iPhone. I’ve shown my mom how to copy and paste countless times. Something so easy, yet so complex. And then I remember to be patient because she taught me how to use a spoon. Something so easy, yet so complex.

Millennials are also criticized for their relaxed workplace style. I understand wanting to present yourself professionally, but I think that can be done casually. Right? And this whole being sent long emails after-hours. Are we not allowed to enjoy our evenings and weekends? I don’t think ignoring work emails after work hours justifies the title “lazy”. I think that’s called work/life balance. Take note, other generations. You might find yourself a little more relaxed.

Another complaint I see all the time.. “if Millennials would quit going to brunch, they could afford the house they say they can’t afford”. Um.. lol. Brunch is hella good; you should try it. So what if we want to spend the money we earned on mimosas? Life is too damn short not to enjoy avocado toast. Or what about the Millennials who can’t get avocado toast because they have student loans they will be paying off for years? My research shows a college degree didn’t cost thousands and thousands of dollars back in the baby boomer day. But anyway, I could be dead tomorrow, but at least I spent my money on things I wanted.. traveling, tacos, concerts, life experiences, tacos, tacos, and more tacos. Actually lately my new obsession has been with guacamole. Not that I ever didn’t like it, but now I am making it all the time. Anyway. Maybe if non-Millennials didn’t destroy the housing market, we could buy that house.

Find more of these painfully funny tweets here. Or here.

Because I am so “narcissistic” according to the media, I’m just going to blame my parents for me not having a house because I got brunch last Sunday. They should have told me not to. Decline of the NFL? Blaming my mom for not encouraging me to watch more football. Killing the sitcom series? Yep, blame her again for not making me watch Friends with her. Oh the golf industry is suffering? That’s my dad’s fault for not taking me golfing more. Bar soap is taking a hit? Blame my grade schools for only offering liquid soap dispensers. Sorry Canada, blame my teachers for not making me study geography and culture more.

This is what kind of makes me roll my eyes and laugh. Millennials weren’t raised by Millennials, were we? I don’t see any headlines blaming the baby boomers for raising “lazy, entitled, narcissistic” children. Us Millennials just developed these traits all by ourselves? Parents, teachers, and other positions of authority had nothing to do with it? An interesting thought, isn’t it?

I am not saying the baby boomers are to blame. I don’t think Millennials are to blame either. But we learn from taught traits, right? Could their influence have something to do with the way we have chosen to live our lives? Or has the older population just not adapted to the changing, technological world in which Millennials were brought up in? The companies taking huge hits haven’t geared their marketing to appeal to the younger audience. Not our fault for the demise of everything. It’s the companies that are at fault. Plain and simple.

All in all, I think the millennial generation is fascinating. Definitely the smartest, most adventurous, go getting generation in my opinion. Why aren’t Millennials getting all the praise for the good they’ve done? Inventing new technology, pushing marriage and race equality, promoting good health, and much, much more. This article gives great statistics on how Millennials will greatly influence the future. You can read it here.

So carry on with blaming us for whatever your troubles may be. Don’t worry, everyone else does.

By the way, I love Millennials. I love Gen Y, I love Baby Boomers. I love everyone. We have all shaped the way the world is today. I think it’s very cool that we all learn from one another.

But anyway.

Until next time,
xoxo

Lana