I love you Millenials!

[Osoyoos_Familyof4]

For Real!

I am a Gen X-Er. And my cohort really established "alternative culture" as mainstream and I am grateful for it. Even though these days I am tragically "normal" looking and acting, I do like to think I still have lots of mannerisms and ideals of someone who appreciates counter-culture.

We have many friends who are younger than we are, mostly because we had biological children later in life (we really pushed it to the max). So we have many friends who share our current lifestyle who are in their 20's and 30's.

I think the Millenial culture is bang-on. I love their rejection of consumerism and their respect for the environment and human rights. I love their spririt of being entrepreneurs and the rejection of accepting cultural expectations that doesn't suit them.

I think Millenial slaggers are just honestly close minded and when my Gen-X cohorts slag on Millenials it really bothers me more, because I think our generation grew up on individualistic ideals.

Individualism doesn't equal egocentrism.

[Barney Google]

Whatcha talkin about, Osoyoos?

Thems some mighty big spankin words ya got goin on there.

Trust ya know what you're talkin about, cause you usually do, but I can't wrap my noggin around what you're gettin at.

That's okay...carry on in all directions.

I'll watch/read and learn.

[Osoyoos_Familyof4]

Truth: Someone on another thread who I quite like reading kind of bashed the millennial generation for being self centred and it bothered me. I wasn't really invested in the topic they were discussing and I felt like I would be just a troll if I entered the Frey to simply slag on a poster who I like, and on a topic where I had no skin in the game.

However, I do find in general that the Millenial folks are really put down on these forums for being self-centred and spoiled and snowflakes and...and..and...........

All I was getting at was that I dig this generation and I am actually really proud of them and how they are really interesting and creative people motivated by their own desire to live life as they see fit.

This was just a puff-piece on my part.

I dig your scene too BG, even though the pair of us "ain't no Millenial". :)

[zzontar]

Truth: Someone on another thread who I quite like reading kind of bashed the millennial generation for being self centred

Hmmmm, then you say they are

people motivated by their own desire to live life as they see fit.

which is almost the definition of being self-centred.

[Osoyoos_Familyof4]

Living life as you see fit doesn't mean you're self centred.

I find Millenials to be very involved and aware with community and lots of grass roots movements to have less, use less, and think globally. So, no, I don't find this generation is full of themselves in general.

Part of this puff piece of mine was this:

My husband and I had a discussion about the census information that's surfacing about Millenials living at home. My brother/sister in-laws in Kelowna have Millenials and are in this boat with 2 children in their 20's living at home. When I see their home, I find it completely doable and not such a big deal. One of the kids is going to go the distance in University and will be doing post-grad work at UBC next year. The other kid got a little later start and had to do some travel to find himself and is now at College and may or may not go the distance in school. In many cultures, children don't necessarily move out (full stop). It is really this idea in North American culture (and some European) where we automatically assume our kids move out. I think my in-laws have a decent set-up. The kids are saving money and paying for school as they go for the most part, they aren't accumulating massive student debt like our generation did, and even after graduation moving out isn't necessarily the goal immediately. My Gen X generation (especially if you really embraced Gen X counter culture) seems to have an easy working relationship with Millenials. My S-I-L's house is kinda cool, the two generations really seem to be cool with one another. If the kids want to have friends over and have a dinner party or just a party, it seems to be cool all the way around. MY SIL or BIL will go out, or watch a movie in their bedroom or join in if it interests them. I am not articulating this well, but it just somehow "works". They live under the same roof for both practical reasons of finance, but also because there is no reason to leave, they "like" and "respect" each other in general. I honestly feel like if my kids never want to move out, I might be okay with that. I would gladly share our home with my kids forever if I had the space. I don't have this notion that my kids must leave the nest. If they want to and they do, that's just fine. But if they have no desire to leave, and we can afford it, I don't have a problem with this cultural shift. I genuinely LIKE this culture, even the ones that aren't mine! We have one child, who has some deficits and may never be able to live independantly. There is a good chance she will live with us until we can't look after her or ourselves anymore, and then she may end up living with her sibling or another family member, and I am seriously okay with this, even if she were "able" to live independantly, she is such that she might prefer the support of family, which is fine by me.

I am wanting us to move away from the cultural "us against them" idea where we fall into the trap of assuming we somehow had a leg up on the morals of the folks who came up behind us. This is like EVERY generation I suppose, but it bugs me is all. I like my kids (whatever they are calling them, I don't even know), I like the generation my nieces and nephews belong to (Millenials) and we have been involved with young people in general through Foster Parenting and working in education since we were in our 20's (and we're now almost 50). I am kinda loving that we seem to be going through a major cultural shift and our idea about family life is changing. The Millenials seem to embrace that Mom and Dad aren't something they need to get away from and considering that "we" are Mom and Dad so-to-speak, I'm happy enough and entertained enough to keep them around.

[zzontar]

The Millenials seem to embrace that Mom and Dad aren't something they need to get away from

I notice a lot of millenials would rather be driven than get a license, don't know how to change the oil if they do drive, have no idea how to repair anything that might break down around the house, don't know how to build much from scratch, and have little knowledge of living within their means if it's on their own compared to their parents or grandparents. No wonder they don't want to move out!

[Omnitheo]

And you could say the same thing about any generation. There were people just the same. The difference however is the affordability of moving out in previous generations to today.

Also for the things you say millenials don't know how to do. They're a lot more resourceful to obtain that information. I've seen groups of older generationals sit around debating a question someone asked that nobody in their group knew the correct answer to. They eventually just settled on not knowing. Meanwhile they all had their phones in arms reach and could have literally googled or asked SIRI.

It's anecdotal, but is there any "millenial" on this forum who has not been asked by an older relative for help with something technical, and just googled it for them?

[whatwhat]

I notice a lot of millenials would rather be driven than get a license, don't know how to change the oil if they do drive, have no idea how to repair anything that might break down around the house, don't know how to build much from scratch, and have little knowledge of living within their means if it's on their own compared to their parents or grandparents. No wonder they don't want to move out!

I am a millennial, and I honestly don't know one single person like what you described.

You need to get out more zzontar, your bias is showing.

[zzontar]

I am a millennial, and I honestly don't know one single person like what you described.

You need to get out more zzontar, your bias is showing.

I've worked with them for more years than you are probably old, but as most 15 year olds think they know everything, and when they're 18 they think 15 yr olds are kids, and when they're 25 they think 18 yr olds know nothing, it's no surprise to find millenials who think they're wisest of them all.

[zzontar]

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/43 ... sian-woman

I doubt any other crowd than millenials would be so gullible, or as it's called now, politically correct. Just sayin'

[Loki2u]

I am a millennial, and I honestly don't know one single person like what you described.

You need to get out more zzontar, your bias is showing.

I've worked with them for more years than you are probably old, but as most 15 year olds think they know everything, and when they're 18 they think 15 yr olds are kids, and when they're 25 they think 18 yr olds know nothing, it's no surprise to find millenials who think they're wisest of them all.

This is true for every generation and not exclusive to Millenials. I'm sure you thought the same thing when you were young. You're just in a position (and old enough) now to realize it. Doesn't mean you know better though.

Age doesn't always correlate with wisdom.

[richardclank]

I really think "older generations" (not even sure what people like 60+ are supposed to be called) need to look at their own actions, lack of knowledge, and way of acting self-centered.

I just started working my first 'professional' job and have quickly noticed how much the older employees just constantly trash-talk the younger ones, yet they have problems with the most basic tasks. It's absolutely ridiculous. Someone actually asked me how to spell 'next' because he was trying to make a sign that said something like 'next please.' He thought there was supposed to be an 'e' at the end of the word. Not only could he have simply googled it, but why would someone part of a generation so much better than mine not know how to spell such a basic word?

There have been various other issues, prominently older employees refusing to do tasks assigned to them that they feel are somehow beneath them because they've put in their time or whatever. But if they're being directly asked to do something, shouldn't they suck it up and do it instead of trying to pawn the task off on younger employees? One such task was just delivering a wheelchair to a particular floor, and I didn't mind completing the task at all, but I didn't understand why it was passed off to me simple because the older employee felt entitled to pick and choose his tasks.

As with millennial bashing, I'm sure there are lots of great older workers at companies. But I'm really not sure why there's such an intense focus on millennial when there are problem people in every generation. Older people aren't always these saints who know how to do everything in life and never make a mistake and always live in their means, and etc, etc.

[zzontar]

This is true for every generation and not exclusive to Millenials. I'm sure you thought the same thing when you were young. You're just in a position (and old enough) now to realize it. Doesn't mean you know better though.
Age doesn't always correlate with wisdom.

It's different now. Look at the video I posted, I doubt any other generation in history other than millenials would have that opinion at that age.

[Loki2u]

This is true for every generation and not exclusive to Millenials. I'm sure you thought the same thing when you were young. You're just in a position (and old enough) now to realize it. Doesn't mean you know better though.
Age doesn't always correlate with wisdom.

It's different now. Look at the video I posted, I doubt any other generation in history other than millenials would have that opinion at that age.

I don't think any other generation has had to deal with the issues presented in the video either. Sure those topics existed but they were kept hidden and buried in shame.

It's a nice time to live when people can be who they want and live in a more tolerable society. (Still a lot of work to do but its getting better)

[zzontar]

I don't think any other generation has had to deal with the issues presented in the video either. Sure those topics existed but they were kept hidden and buried in shame.

I don't think it was thought of as shameful in the past to believe a short white guy was a tall asian woman, but more or less insane.