Rift between the Baby Boomer generation and Millenials

[bpm32]

Where I work it's really funny because they give all this training to Gen-X middle managers on how to manage Millennials. All of this gross generalizing can be silly, but that said from my experience at least, it's actually a lot easier to motivate younger people: they seem to value stability more than previous generations, are usually good team players, and want to be part of something greater than themselves. On the other hand, if they don't feel personally fulfilled they walk, which a lot of boomers and Gen-Xers interpret as entitlement or laziness. You can actually dump huge amounts of work and responsibility on them without a pay raise, and they eat it up, provided you convince them it's important. They also seem to be relatively frugal, which I troll them about endlessly.....they'll probably have the last laugh though. 

[Fuzz]

I was lucky when I went to uni. Got a great job as a what I like to call a, "purveyor of perversion". Lots of clients, especially first year students living away from home. Paid completely for my tuition before I dropped out.

[MIKA27]

15 hours ago, 99call said:

I do think there is a great deal of poor parenting that goes on, in terms of BB's pacifying there millenial kids with money.  But all to often BB's are angry at their kids, for the ramifications of their own actions.   My parents were great, they were both very career minded, but never sought to fob off any of their kids with cash etc. 

I think a cruel truth for many parents of that BB generation, is that they were faced (for the first time) that "50 is the new 30", then "70 is the new 50" etc etc Essentially my grandparents seemed to thing kids was THE point to life, and the idea of 'self', or the necessity for an 'professional Indian summer' just wasn't important.    You look at advertising these days, and it all seems to be directed at a sort of "50 ways not to let your kids effect your career"   "Top 10 holiday destinations to palm off your kids".    I know a great deal of parents, who love Dubai, as they can essentially just hand their kids over at the hotel reception.    Jesus!  if you don't want kids, don't have them!  lord knows the world is crowded enough

It's not a blame game, but I do think their is a correlation between poor standards of parenting, and poor manners, spoilt behaviour, and a decreasing value for hard work in younger generations coming though.

 

Well said!! 

[luckme10]

I feel like one of the largest wedges between the baby boomers and the millennial is quite simply, technology. So much of the later generation has grown up on computers and mobile technology that I think they're able to capitalize on the advantages to using it more efficiently. I think the older generation, much of whom isn't as tech savy, can feel threatened by this. I love to help people and teach and explain things but by doing so, I sometimes feel like I am reinforcing that discourse that makes older people feel self conscious. This is why lately, I've found myself keeping more quiet even if I can create a more complicated tech dependent solution to a problem they may be having. It's sad but knowledge can create ripples in office politics, especially when you are in a lower position trying to teach people in a higher position about technology. I think these gaps in knowledge can lead a older employee to try to keep what knowledge they do have to themselves, for fear of being replaced.

I think the pace of some industries to try to feel like they need to stay on top of their technology also can create problems. As companies become more dependent on stuff like email, crms, to try to run their businesses 'more efficiently,' the weak point will always be on the person.  At work, I typically receive about 300 emails a day, and have to respond to them accordingly. It simply makes a huge difference in say just being able to type 30 wpm vs 90 wpm in order to handle the bottleneck of correspondence that comes my way.   I guess the underlying concept would be the Jevons Paradox. In many ways, the pursuit of technological advancements and integration in the workplace has led to an even greater consumption of resources, and a higher burden on the employee; that advancement was originally created to make more efficient and easier on the individual. Combine that with the increase in population and competition and you have a lot of people feeling like companies treat the young workers more like disposal paper cups, cutting their training programs, only hiring people that have direct experience with the job, and ultimately, complaining that the young workers don't last and the position is hard to keep filled.

[First Lady]

On 18/06/2018 at 5:36 AM, SigmundChurchill said:

Im Generation X, so I dont really have a dog in this fight, but I hear a lot of complaining from millennials who place the blame on baby boomers for their problems.  From what I have observed, the root of their problems, at least in the US, comes from 2 things, neither of them being the baby boomer’s fault.

First, everyone today goes to college.  When I started college in 1987 there was a lot less competition.  It wasn’t uncommon for people to enter the work force without a degree back then.  Many of colleges that were a joke to get in back then, are now considered competitive schools.  We used to have a manufacturing economy, and college wasn’t necessary to make a good living and provide for your family.  And many of the jobs that aren’t in manufacturing also did not require a college degree.  But they do now.  

Second, Millenials seem to want more of a work-life balance.  In medicine, the residents that we have been getting in the last decade or so, seem very entitled.  Back when I was a resident, we were slaves, and we knew and accepted it.  We worked 40 hour shifts, and we never complained because we knew it would do no good and may even cause more work to be piled on.  Now, if you even look at a resident the wrong way, they immediately go to complain to the chairman, or even the hospital administration.  Personally, I feel like my years of indentured servitude made me stronger.  Every young applicant we get, wants a contract that spells out certain hours and duties.  I feel like I could leave my practice and go to any other practice and they will hire me in a second over these millennials because I have a much better work ethic.

My brother in law is a hedge fund manager, and he tells me similar things in their business.  This is also a business that requires intense hours.  He says the young applicants that they get, come in for interviews dressed in jeans, unshaven, etc, and they all want 9 to 5 jobs with their work hours spelled out in the contract.

 

Who knows, maybe they know something that we didnt.  Maybe they are the smart ones.  But it seems to me when you have increased competition, it seems like you would want to prove that you will work harder than the rest, not the opposite.

This is spot on... Coming from from Italian Parents who worked damn hard for everything they had it was drummed into us girls that if we want anything you have to work damn hard for it, that no one was going to give you anything for nothing .

My sister and I all own houses , worked our butts off to get what we have .

I see younger people who make more money than me moan and groan that they can't afford a house etc ( but of course they want the best , most expensive house with all the best furniture etc)  but they won't give up their overseas holidays, brand new cars, top of the line new electronics, going out to dinner or getting take away all the time .. 

The difference is my husband and I drive older cars, hardly have overseas holidays, save our money and when we bought our first house we bought what we could afford and had garden chairs in our living room for the first six months because we couldn't afford a lounge. 

All I can do is teach my son that if he wants anything he is going to have to work damn hard for it just the way I was taught 

 

[Hypersomniac]

I guess I am a millennial (I had to look up what dates that encompasses, I've never really paid attention). Did previous generations screw things up? Yes. Does every generation feel that way about the generations that came before them? Also yes.

It really comes down to parenting. I worked in my mom's restaurant from the time I was 7 years old. I was a bus boy at that time. I went on to be a dishwasher, host, expediter, cook, waiter, and front of house manager. When I was in high school, my dad made me get a job doing some sort of manual labor during the summer. I decided to work for the parks and recreation department as grounds maintenance. I took care of the baseball and softball fields. Before I graduated and was looking at colleges, my dad took me aside and said, "you can go anywhere you want, except for DSU" (he graduated from DSU). DSU was in the same town I lived in at the time. He told me that I had to leave town and be on my own; that even if I didn't live at home going to DSU, it would be too easy to rely on them for things. So I left town for college. 

I don't expect anyone to hand me a damn thing. I pay into social security fully expecting that I will never be able to collect it when I retire. I work my butt off to provide for my family and set myself up for retirement. I am at my 3rd position in the company I work for in as many years. When the VP of our area talked to me and asked me what I want/see myself doing, I said I want the CEO's job. That I want to do whatever it takes to get as high up as I can. He sent me to training, and paid for me to move to another location to get a promotion. He told me that he doesn't think I will be happy with only going as far as he has, and that he wants to get me even higher up. They planned for me to work my current position for 3 years for experience and then get moved to management, as I would have worked in essentially every area we operate in.

Regardless of what anyone who came before me did/didn't do, I can't change that; what I can do is set myself up to be in the best possible situation in the current environment. There is no use complaining and blaming everyone else, that isn't going to accomplish anything. But working my butt off? That will pay dividends. 

[Fuzz]

4 hours ago, First Lady said:

This is spot on... Coming from from Italian Parents who worked damn hard for everything they had it was drummed into us girls that if we want anything you have to work damn hard for it, that no one was going to give you anything for nothing .

My sister and I all own houses , worked our butts off to get what we have .

I see younger people who make more money than me moan and groan that they can't afford a house etc ( but of course they want the best , most expensive house with all the best furniture etc)  but they won't give up their overseas holidays, brand new cars, top of the line new electronics, going out to dinner or getting take away all the time .. 

The difference is my husband and I drive older cars, hardly have overseas holidays, save our money and when we bought our first house we bought what we could afford and had garden chairs in our living room for the first six months because we couldn't afford a lounge. 

All I can do is teach my son that if he wants anything he is going to have to work damn hard for it just the way I was taught 

 

Funny you should say that. I have 2 friends who both earn well over $150k a year and complain that they cannot afford to live in Sydney. They moved out to western Sydney (Kellyville area, a bit further west than me), bought a big house and land package, send their kids to private schools and change their cars every 3 years (they have 3, despite only 2 of them driving). Whenever I see them, they complain that it is so hard to earn enough to live on. They tell me I have it easy because I don't have kids, and are envious that I can go on vacation whenever I feel like it.

My answer is always, "Have you thought about selling off one of your cars? Maybe send the kids to a public school? Or perhaps Sell that 'investment' property that you bought at the peak of the market and keeps draining your funds?"

I just can't understand why people cannot live within their means. There are people who would jump to earn a quarter of my friend's household income.

Mind you, I just blew $3k on a new laptop. So I really shouldn't talk about being thrifty with money.

[99call]

41 minutes ago, Fuzz said:

Mind you, I just blew $3k on a new laptop. So I really shouldn't talk about being thrifty with money.

Come on Fuzz,  we all now that porn is a basic human right, and not to be considered a luxury. 

[Fuzz]

3 hours ago, 99call said:

Come on Fuzz,  we all now that porn is a basic human right, and not to be considered a luxury. 

It does have a 4K screen...

[Ryan]

I don't have much to add to this discussion other than the price of property and how that has changed through the generations, I can talk about Dublin because I know it but I know it's the same in many urban markets.

I'll give an example, my brother graduated as a teacher and started working in 1991 in Dublin. He started on the equivalent of about 25,000/yr euro back then, he bought a house, not huge, three bedroom and a 20 minute commute to work, for about 70,000 euro. Less than 3 times his gross salary. He and his wife raised three kids on their single salary.

A teacher in Ireland now starts on about 40,000 euro but the same house costs about 500,000 euro or 12 times that salary.

I live in the city centre but there's no chance I could afford the house I live in if I was trying to buying it now. I bought it 17 years ago.

Rent around me is now about 1,000 euro per room per month. So a 3 bed apartment is 3,000 euro per month.

Nurses, teachers, police officers etc. now have absolutely no chance of buying a property in Dublin on a single salary. 3 or 4 teachers/nurses sharing a house/apartment is common. Because of rental costs it takes them years to save for a down-payment on a house. When they get that together they can have a 90 minute commute.

I know there is a very similar story in London and many other European and North American cities. It's one of the biggest differences between "now" and "then".

The notion of buying a house in a city and raising a family on one income has largely gone away. So for the current generation of child-bearing age, two incomes is the norm, and with that there are the child care costs and that creates its own issues, people don't like their kids being raised by someone else while both parents have to go to work to afford a house. It leads to fewer kids being born, there are very few western countries where the population is reproducing at replacement level and one of the main reasons is that people feel they cannot afford it.

[Shaunster]

Property is seen as an investment now, rent prices are often higher than the mortgage prices would be, but the vast majority of younger people cannot save up the deposit to put down on the house. Either you rent and wait many many years or you live with parents and save the money for a couple of years.

[Siberian Bear]

On 6/17/2018 at 9:43 PM, MIKA27 said:

I'm only 42, generation X, born in '76 but IMO, generations Y and onward, especially Millennial's onwards, are way too soft and expect in most, Not all, for handouts.

 

On 6/18/2018 at 12:03 AM, Fuzz said:

Another seventy sixer here!

We should form a '76ers club!

[BrightonCorgi]

On 6/17/2018 at 1:38 PM, 99call said:

Were you given knowledge and in-work experience from your seniors?   this is largely drawing to and end. Senior Professionals these days, are treating their knowledge like copyrighted intellectual property. i.e "why am I going to teach this young buck......just so he can replace me"   forgetting they were once the young buck. Blah Blah

I started this thread saying I didn't feel as if my generation was represented by either the BB's or the Millenials.  My point was it seems broken, and whats the answer?

This is not true at all.  Seniors want to teach the young.  They don't want to teach someone in another country and they don't want a machine replacing them.  Vocations are where it's at if you are a school age person.  Forget going to college.  Learn a real skill.  All the best college material is free online.  How can any parent justify 100's in tuition and  saddled student loan for a worthless degree?  Years ago it was different, but the world has changed.

[tksamtec]

I am 46, and I was always taught to save for a rainy day, the value of money, and the importance of being fiscally responsible, and supporting your family, etc.  I live in a neighborhood with many people owning their first homes, and I am guessing these couples are 25 to 35ish, and having their first child, etc.  These families seem nothign like myself.  I consider myself independent and can fix or do almost anything, without help.  My Dad taught me how to fix cars, mowers, how engines work, how to use common tools, how to do simple yard work, and alot of tasks valuable to everyday life that can be used to save money.  I will always try to do it myself first before i call for help, even with complicated tasks.  I installed a 12x18 smoking lounge/room selaed off from the rest of my home, in my basement, with its own dedicated HVAC system too, with no prior experience on the topic.  I did some research, planned things out, and jumped in.

With that being said, the younger inhabitants of my neighborhood seem to be more focused on having fun and living it up.  They live day to day, without any goals or planning ahead (my opinion, of course).  I see things like--the garbage cans sit at the end of he driveway for days after pickup, the car's oil changes get done by professionals, and most of these people are too lazy to care for their own lawns or put any effort into yard maintenance.  I realize that priorities change and everyone has different ones, and not ALL people around me exhibit these characteristics, but most do.  I am good friends with the neighbor across the street, he is 34, and he has some tools, but doesn't really know how to use them--he thinks its jsut cool to have them hanging in his fancy workshop, but never fixes anythign or does simple car maintenance.  He gets oil changes at Jiffy-lube, and couldn't install new brakes if his life depended on it.  In fact, I don't see any motivation to save money or have the sense of accomplishment that a task could be done without professional help.  Personally, I love saying that I did something, but my neighbor could care less.  He just wants to work his 8 hour job, come home in the evening and relax with a few beers.  It takes him 35 mins to cut his grass, which he splits into 2 evenings claiming that he is far too busy to cut it all the same night. The other irony is that he is cheap, and won't pay for satellte or cable service (he watches shows by looking up free redditt links and straming shows via his raspberry pi box), but has not desire to save money on fixing his house or car.  Is it lack of knoweldge, lack of confidence, or just plain laziness?  Sadly, I feel its mostly the latter.

I guess I don't understand where the disconnect occurred or when this millenial generation lost interest in common knowledge. I was always eager to watch my pops work on cars and mowers, engines, or do repairs... the millenials all seem to have missed out on this--were they inside playing xbox games, napping, or did they just not care.  Why don't they care?  Is there no thirst for knowledge anymore?  Why did they pay $30k+ a year for college, when they really don't care?  How did most of them get through colelge with their attitudes?

Something seems like it will break....eventually.  I may not be around long enough to see it, but if the trend continues, there are some seriously scary times ahead.

 

 

 

[Derboesekoenig]

9 minutes ago, tksamtec said:

How did most of them get through college with their attitudes?

 

 

 

 

Mommy and daddy paid for it, and I know a lot of people (I'm 27, keep in mind) that even had the down payment for their first home paid for by their parents. Absolutely insane. They will never learn if they are babied their whole lives. One kid's parents even bought the house outright for him and his girlfriend to live in.

Sorry to hijack, but do you have pictures of the aforementioned basement smoking room? I would love to design something like that.

[99call]

52 minutes ago, BrightonCorgi said:

This is not true at all.

 

52 minutes ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Years ago it was different, but the world has changed.

I know I have quoted you to form an out of context point, and while I'm sorry for that.......here me out.   If you are someone who's generous with knowledge, Massive respect to you. What this thread has proved out, is that older countries like the UK, have more job competition, with less retirement security. this all leads to the majority of highly skilled 'seniors' holding back their knowledge, from younger generations.      It's crap, but I'm sorry to say it's true of most (in the UK)   people feel they need to earn into their 80s, and don't want to be 'farmed out to pasture'

In conclusion, I would say this is true of the UK

For the rest of the world, maybe not so much.  and power to you, stay true as long as you can!!

[99call]

33 minutes ago, tksamtec said:

These families seem nothign like myself.  I consider myself independent and can fix or do almost anything, without help.  My Dad taught me how to fix cars, mowers, how engines work, how to use common tools, how to do simple yard work, and alot of tasks valuable to everyday life that can be used to save money.  I will always try to do it myself first before i call for help, even with complicated tasks.  I installed a 12x18 smoking lounge/room selaed off from the rest of my home, in my basement, with its own dedicated HVAC system too, with no prior experience on the topic.  I did some research, planned things out, and jumped in.

My parents also taught me basically everything, and most importantly independence (which is at the heart of this thread). 

This does sadly highlight, that some BB's have effectively been crap parents, and effectively pacified their kids with cash.  The upshot of what many are saying here, is that interaction between the generations is key.      If there have been BB's that have A, been rich, still professionally/sexually active, and too preoccupied with their "Indian summer" .......this has a knock on effect, generations of spoilt kids, with all the cash in the world, but no love, no skills, no knowledge pass over.               It's not true of me!,,,it's not true of you!!!.    but yet again, I think this point highlights the vicious circle between BB's and Millenials. 

Like Jordan Peterson said.   "don't allow your kids, for form habits that make you dislike them"   Many would find this sentence difficult, but most level headed people of a different age (pre BB's pre)   would say "yes, of course!...obvious".   Many these day's raise kids with a poor outlook, then hate them for it.     It short it's f-up.

[BrightonCorgi]

35 minutes ago, 99call said:

I know I have quoted you to form an out of context point, and while I'm sorry for that.......here me out.   If you are someone who's generous with knowledge, Massive respect to you. What this thread has proved out, is that older countries like the UK, have more job competition, with less retirement security. this all leads to the majority of highly skilled 'seniors' holding back their knowledge, from younger generations.      It's crap, but I'm sorry to say it's true of most (in the UK)   people feel they need to earn into their 80s, and don't want to be 'farmed out to pasture'

You are inferring similar reasons for seniors in our country to withhold knowledge.  Teaching someone else the same skills for forced redundancy is going to be met with the same disdain no matter the locale.  

[99call]

Just now, BrightonCorgi said:

You are inferring similar reasons for seniors in our country to withhold knowledge.  Teaching someone else the same skills for forced redundancy is going to be met with the same disdain no matter the locale.  

Hey. I'm or inferring anything. If anything a was saying the common consensus of the thread was that. The US is still full of possitive seniors passing down knowledge. But the UK is definitely not. 

[99call]

17 minutes ago, FatherOfPugs said:

I think this is why the older generation has had to work longer, the vast majority of them and most folks nowadays save nothing for retirement!

My wife and I put aside for a rainy day fund, fully fund our retirements, and have fun with anything that is left over. The sad bit of it is most employers in the US offer some sort of retirement match whether it be through 401k or 403b (education).  I think a big part of it comes down to getting your priorities straight. My parents helped me learn the value of money early on in life

This quote highlights it perfectly.   I consider myself 'intergenerational' I see the problems of the BB's and the Millenials, I see the positives and the negatives. As I do with my own generation. 

The problem is, is that both you and I talk of how great our parents were in instilling values.   Are we then to assume that mankind changed somehow?? and stopped absorbing useful information???.   Why?  Why would this be the case?   the answer is....... it is bollocks!!.  You have a whole ere of Keith Richards out there, they A, Chose to cast off all the 'shackles' of grey 1950 expectation, and B, effectively never grew up.   Tell a BB they are an "old has been" and they shriek and shrivel like Dracula in the midday sun. But why?   whats wrong with getting old?   

To conclude, your point makes no sense.   Why would a whole generation stop listening to their parents? if it's such a successful model?.  The more accurate truth, is.... there has been a whole generation too busy 'being young' to care about the young.  

[99call]

5 minutes ago, FatherOfPugs said:

I don't necessarily think it is two generations against each other, I think it has come down to societal decay. People's values are different today than they were even when I grew up in the 80s, 90s, and in college in the early 00s. I think you and I are agreeing, just have different ways of saying it.

Yep, I agree with this perfectly.

When I pulled a point of disagreement, it was to suggest the 'circle of life' has broken down.  AKA.......BB's are mad with Millenials for following and amplifying their mistakes.  i.e they say "my Dad would be rolling in his grave", whilst simultaneously forgetting their relationship with their fathers would of been of the F-you generation.  So the confusion comes in.  They think they passed down their Grandfathers wisdom etc. but in actual fact they've just passed on the "get your kicks while you can" mantra of Jim Morrison........but then hate them for it????   it makes no sense

In short, I think the coddling and freedom of the BB generation has created a monster in the Millenial generation.   Act now,,,,,,,,think later is getting magnified.

 

[MIKA27]

5 hours ago, Siberian Bear said:

 

We should form a '76ers club!

Sounds great! Best year EVER!

[hedgeybaby]

The 60's-70's free love generation completely effed everything up. We'll those who were the trend setters did anyway as since then, morals have gone completely down hill. The fact that they ripped everything up all to get back at the man, whoever he was is pathetic. I despise everything they stand for. Feminism was basically a trick pulled on women by blokes wanting to get laid. They were so selfish. Perhaps it was because some of them grew up without a father figure due to the war may have added to it.

Regarding university - college being so expensive now, compared to what it used to be. Well you have to blame government, as they have subsidised tuition, so the institutions have no need to lower prices. 

DONT MESS WITH THE PRICING MECHANISM!!

UK house prices are too high. Well doesn't help that their is a huge amount of immigration* chasing a finite resource of housing stock. It also doesn't help that interest rates are artificially low and a central bank doing its upmost to keep prices high. 

*not a rant at immigration but just basic economics - supply, demand.

All of the older guys I've worked with have been happy to share their knowledge with me which has been wonderful.

Regarding them staying in their jobs, we'll they have to, as they don't have the money not to.

Regarding the kiddies now, a lot of them seem a bunch of weaklings. Even worse than my hateful generation of nothingness.

 

 

 

[tksamtec]

I am not sure if its been mentioned here, as I briefly skimmed several of the longer posts, but being overly politically correct can hurt a society.  Political Correctness is completely out of control in America right now.  Having standouts is important to set the bar high and those who fall behind either fail, or are required to work harder to be better and catch the leader. Having a bunch of minions, all equal, is not good for a work environemnt, especially in engineering, where I work.

the best example I can think of here is this--my neighbors have their kids involved in peewee football, lacrosse, t-ball, and soccer, where there are no winners... really?  Why play if the game always ends in a tie with no eventual winner.  I feel this can cause kid to have no goals or lack of motivation to strive to get better.  I played soccer, hockey and golf growing up, and I was always competitive, there was ALWAYS a winner... if I lost, I always strived to get better, potentially helping my team win the next time, and this has made me a better person.  Parents nowadays are teaching their kids that being status quo and doing the bare minimum is completely ok.  When everyone has this same attitude, no one ever excels or stands out. Being competitive and striving to work harder and meet goals makes people more productive and creative, essentially making more money for themself or their company.

The generation after the millenials, whatever its called, if they are learning attitude and from what their parents do, will really be in trouble in 15-20 years..."generation minion" will be a crazy time--I can't imagine a time when every 30 somethinG or younger will expect everythign brought to them on a silver platter and never expecting to have to work hard for anything.

[ThePolskiOgorki]

Great thread @99call

 I am born in '83. I guess that makes me a millennial. Do I feel like I fall into the stereotype of the generation. No.

I like many on here have worked as much as I could from a young age. My first job was part time in the summer before my first year of high school so I would of been 13 going on 14. In the summer between grade 9 and  10 I had a full time job, night shift , 10 hour days. I have worked some form of job ever since and have had to because I don't come from a family with money and my parents pushed me to be this way. I was not poor, but definitely not well off. I am more and more grateful for this the older I get. Anyways, I finished high school and worked until I knew what I wanted to do. Then went to college. Graduated and after a long time I found a job in my field making just a little more than what it costed me to to pay for a car and insurance on the car per month. You make it work. I worked at that first job for 3 years and then moved. I have been at my current job for over 9 years and have climbed the ladder. I am now married, own my house in an insane market, have 2 kids and live off 1 income (for the time being) because day care and my wife's salary would be about the same.  

I went to a high school in a rich neighborhood. Many kids who I went to high school with didnt work. They spent their summers wake boarding and dicking around at their parents multi million dollar cottages. They drove to the cottages in the European import cars their parents gave to them when they upgraded. A lot of them did go to University and got degrees in something totally useless just because it was what their parents wanted them to do and because that is what kids in high school are brain washed to do. Go to university, get a degree and you will be successful. Most of them are not successful. In fact, if it were not for their parents buying them places to live (probably to get them out of their fu**ing houses to be reminded less of their own failure) they would still be living at home.

I recently came across an article that talked about how a large percentage of millennials are not saving for retirement and that their plan for retirement is to live off their inheritance. This should not come as a surprise to BBs. This is what you taught your kids so there is lots of truth to millennials being products of their upbringing.

There also is no debating that every generation has had contempt for the generation that came after it. It is the "Well, you know, back in my day we used to have to ________" story that will always exist. I doubt BBs parents thought very much of them during the peace and love hippie era. I think what people forget is, that was then and this is now. The challenges faced maybe similar, but there is no way for any BB to put themselves in the shoes of a millennial or vise versa because the world has and always will continue to change. You could also argue that the pace of change in the millennial generation is so quick it is something that may put them at a disadvantage too. I think for myself I was fortunate to make the right decisions so far in my career path and life in general. I know a lot of hard working people who have not been as lucky and I don't think it is fair to generalize about millennials and paint them as lazy or dumb. Lazy and dumb people have always existed, I meet new ones of all ages regularly. So it is just not that simple.

 

 

 

Edited June 26, 2018 by ThePolskiOgorki