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Why Millennials Hate Baby Boomers

A treatise on how Millennials are killing major industries in capitalist America, and how Baby Boomers are attacking us for it.

By Victoria VuPublished 6 years ago 2 min read
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"Lazy, entitled, spoiled"

There is a single question to explore for today: why do Baby Boomers hate Millenials, and why do Millenials hate Baby Boomers? Being a 22 year-old, Vietnamese-American woman from a Vietnam War era family, I am very much a part of the Millennial generation. As a whole, my generation has seen the evolution of technology, and the turbulent spiraling of our political climate. As a young adult, I attended the University of California, San Diego where I earned a degree in Studio Arts. The experience was, for lack of a better word, grueling. My academic struggles were a recurring reality for millions of other college students; on top of crippling student loans, and anxiety that ruined my interpersonal relationships, my mental health suffered. In other words, “the college experience” was a largely challenging, tiring, and demanding one with little to no payoff. There were times where, at best, I would be able to eat two meals a day, go to work and my internship, while also attending four lectures per day. At worst, I would have a weekly grocery budget of $20, little to no leisure time, sleepless nights, and toxic exchanges with family.

Despite this, certain members of the Baby Boomer generation are obsessed with the practice of spouting claims towards Millenials in regards to our “culture of entitlement.” While we break our backs to make a meager living, we are told that we are nothing but privileged, spoiled children. We are criticized for expressing anger at the lies we were told. From an early age we are led to believe that by working hard, we will be successful adults with careers by the time we are in our 20s. Of course, the reality of our current era stands in direct contrast to the conjured imaginations of the Baby Boomer generation. As we attend college in a poor economy that was destroyed by the year 2008, we expose ourselves to high interest loans that then bury us in debt well into adulthood. Unbeknownst to these critics, the average student loan debt of a college graduate is $34,000, whereas college graduates from the 60s to 70s had little to no debt upon graduation. In fact, if we were to take the sum total of the Millennial generation’s college debt for 2017, it would stand at $1.4 trillion dollars.

Forbes touches upon this controversy with their article, "5 Industries Millennials Are 'Killing', (And Why)." The article covers, in 500 words and less, the assumption that Millennials are threatening industries, such as the diamond, homeownership, and casual chain restaurant industries. Basically, the article explains how Millennials are accused of simply not spending enough, while also being criticized for being indulgent. I became enraged upon hearing the numerous claims that made Millennials out to be a group of unappreciative toddlers, with an innate desire to complain. It was apparent that these baseless claims came from a place of prejudice. As we are attacked for spending money on “luxury” items such as coffee, take out food, and clothing, we are simultaneously assailed for not purchasing diamonds. I find it hilarious, almost flabbergasting even, that these Baby Boomers are capable of creating such a comparison without seeing the fallacy in their logic. In the meantime, while I am enjoying my $3 cup of coffee and butter croissant, please get back to me on the investment value of a glorified, lump of coal. I’m sure an avocado would go great with this.

humanity
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About the Creator

Victoria Vu

Lover of arts, and culture. I have very strong opinions about movies, tv shows, books, film, and society.

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