It has become a trend for all older generations to bash millennials for the death of different things in our society. But why is everything our fault?
Here are some of the major things that millennials are blamed for:
The death of napkins
Millennials are using paper towels instead of napkins in their home. Personally, I think this saves money and is more resourceful, because why do you need both?
The death of cereal
While the breakfast industry has grown in the last decade, the cereal industry has actually declined. People are blaming millennials for being too lazy to clean up after cereal and choosing easier breakfasts.
Killing Bars of soap
People claim that millennials have an irrational fear that germs sit on the surface of bar soap and prefer to use liquid soap instead. Oddly enough, I feel like this is true, I hate using bar soap. But I also think liquid soap is just easier too.
Ruining dating
Millennials are blamed for the shift to online dating sites. Going on “first dates” is a thing of the past, millennials have increased hook-up culture more than ever. This one I kind of agree with, I would like to see traditional dating come back. Is chivalry dead?
Living with their parents after college
Older generations pride themselves in saying they bought an apartment out of college and started working, but college is more expensive than ever and the workforce is harder to get in to. College is more expensive than it has ever been before because now a college degree is essential if you want a job. And there is no way that we can afford our own apartment right after college.
Killing homeownership
This is similar to the last. Since millennials are spending so much paying off college debts, it is hard to be able to own your own house. Also, millennials are focusing on their jobs more than ever so marriage and kids is getting pushed back later and later in life, therefore homeownership is getting pushed back as well.
The death of diamonds
Since marriage is getting pushed back in life, and some people are okay with never getting married at all, less and less people are buying diamonds. Millennials are also into more meaningful rings, often buying them off etsy, and not buying real diamonds. But isn’t the sentimental value more important?
Killing Banks
Lately, PayPal and apps like Venmo have become so popular. You can buy anything online and with Venmo you can just send money right to your friend’s bank account, so no one carries cash on them anymore. This is why millennials are killing physical banks since all money is online now.
These are just a few of the things millennials are blamed for. But why is millennial-bashing so popular? Throughout history, culture changes periodically. It is natural for shifts to happen in culture and in different traditions and millennial-bashers are responding to this change. In as early as 14th-century texts we can find examples of people criticizing younger generations for changes in society, but this is just a natural occurrence. It is the classic “kids these days” mentality. Society grows and advances all the time. As millennials become more and more involved in the workforce and in the world, we will see our country and the world change. The reason this is so criticized is that we can’t anticipate what is going to happen next. But that does not mean it is millennial’s faults. Don’t worry, soon it’ll be our turn to blame the next generation for the changes in society.