Ahhh, the good old Gen Y, not to be confused with the hard-working, “American Dream”- achieving generation x and the loss of childhood to technology that is generation z. No, we millennials are quite distinct from generations past and future, and unfortunately, we may have been born into precisely the wrong time period; millennials could just have life harder than any other generation.
1. All other generations trash us
First off, we get roasted by EVERYONE regularly. Older generations say we are lazy, entitled, and self-obsessed. They say because of technology we only know instant gratification as if we somehow missed out on a right of passage because we never had to look a word up in the dictionary or handwrite a letter. They say we are narcissistic because we like to post pictures of ourselves and tweet our thoughts and feelings.
2. Perfect grams aren’t a want; they’re a necessity
However, millennials are also burdened by our duty to keep up with social media. We are simply objects of our surroundings, and because the people we surround ourselves are keeping their Instagrams and Snapchats in pristine condition, giving off the sense that their lives epitomize perfection, we feel compelled to do the same. Should we run into a celebrity on the street or should one of our friends do something hilarious, God forbid we enjoy the moment ourselves instead of pulling out our phones to document that we had fun.
3. Colleges don’t want us
Then comes the argument that we don’t work for things in life, which could not be further from the truth. Every generation before us could simply work hard in school and take the SAT, full well knowing this would be enough to get into college. Our generation? Nope. In addition to sleepless nights of studying, we had to take countless hours of SAT prep and work in at least half a dozen extracurriculars, not to mention somehow attain leadership positions in those activities, for even a glimmer of hope of getting into a decent college.
4. But we need them
But that’s not where it ends. It’s not like college is simply an option— it’s a basic necessity for survival in most cases. Today, just 26 percent of millennials hold solely a high school diploma. A high school diploma in the past holds the weight of a college diploma today. If we want to set ourselves apart at all whatsoever, we must plunge deeper into the black hole of debt that is student loans and go to graduate school.
5. And sometimes even that isn’t enough
Even so, as a generation, we’re said to be overeducated and underemployed. Some 4 in 10 minimum wage workers hold college diplomas. Over the next two decades, we’re expected to make $100,000 less than those who entered the workforce in more favorable times.
6. Old people spent all our money
Somehow America has managed to take our national debt from the mere hundred billion at which it stood in the 70’s into the ten billion. Basically, every leader thus far has failed to provide us with a plan of action for how exactly we’re going to fix this.
7. We’re all afraid of commitment
Let’s face it-- when it comes to relationships, every millennial is trying to see who can care less. Instead of being straightforward and asking someone out on a date, millennials often go back and forth with vague questions to each other until they realize that they are both indeed free at a certain hour and might as well Netflix and Chill together since that’s probably what they’d be doing alone. We’ve invented ludicrous terms such as “benching” and “ghosting” to brag about our heartbreaking conquests. We’re constantly on the hunt for the next best thing, and apps such as Tinder and Bumble have made it only a matter of time before one party comes across it.
All in all, suck it, grandpa. You didn’t have it rougher “back in the day” without an iPhone. No, in fact, the simplicity of your generation is something we all are longing for, and if you think life is easier on us it is only because you haven’t begun to understand the complex and abstract issues plaguing millennials today.
