Read on Twitter
I know this! It's because before 9/11 we grew up in a period of relative economic stability - as a younger millennial, you saw less of it than me, but you also missed the weird, wealth-disparity, aspirational capitalist distopia of the 80s, so, 
Which is not to concede the> https://twitter.com/Kafzeil/status/1286107170690355200
Which is not to concede the> https://twitter.com/Kafzeil/status/1286107170690355200
>point to them. We aren't soft. In fact, much of what they see as softness is a rejection of cruel practices that were functions of systems of gender, race, and sexuality oppression - what we see as progress they see as 'not growing up'. But Millennials were are an intersection>
>though of course many of us were poor and were oppressed in other ways, throughout most of the 90s, the economy was in the up. In the UK, there was a massive educational push. Our parents, who grew up under rationing, had seen rapid life style improvements and culturally. Many>
>(although by no means all) had better jobs than their parents, and they expected that for us as well - which is to say that the middle class had grown a LOT in the 20th century. Those of us who grew up in the 80s were bombarded with capitalist messages that we could do anything>
>if we set our minds to it (although that often meant 'anything that makes money). So *on average* and *in broad cultural strokes* we were better qualified than our parents, and we grew up expecting better prospects in an economy with more jobs.
For those of us who went to >
For those of us who went to >
>university (in the UK, 50%) we entered HE in one world, and exited to another, much bleaker one.
Our qualifications no longer meant much as more people had them. Those who didn't go to uni experienced greater cultural separation from those who did,fuelling class resentment.>
Our qualifications no longer meant much as more people had them. Those who didn't go to uni experienced greater cultural separation from those who did,fuelling class resentment.>
>the 'war on terror' was fostering racist tensions, the dreams of older Millennials to own their own houses were exploited by unscrupulous bankers, leading to a crash from which we've never recovered. In times of economic hardship the right encouraged race and class tensions to>
>to distract from the fact that economic austerity was failing to provide the jobs we were promised when we were growing up. Disabled and mentally ill people, and people in general, lost badly needed state support and became increasingly isolated.
So, we have a generation>
So, we have a generation>
>bombarded with the impression of economic plenty who then had the rug pulled out from under them, and were subsequently blamed for not meeting the high expectations set by their parents, while we simultaneously rejected the values that led us to that place.
Many of us weren't>
Many of us weren't>
>raised with the expectations and skills that would have prepared us for economic hardships. We therefore aren't doing what our parents would have done (who were in turn raised in very different situations). Getting a job could not be had by 'pounding the pavement'. Some of us,
>took classes in 'adulting' to gain the skills we weren't taught. Some of us ate avocados because they were a lot cheaper than they used to be, and almost most of us don't smoke and gave up other vices our parents had, so we could afford other little luxuries. Long term economic>
>recession (which for many of us has been our whole working lives) means that many of us don't even drive, not because the skill is too hard, but because cars are too expensive and pollute the environment. Most of us won't own our own houses no matter what we do, so have stopped>
>saving for something that a lot of other cultures don't aspire to anyway. So instead we have little luxuries to relieve what are otherwise extremely depressing circumstances. Plus technological advances mean that many things that were once luxuries are not requirements of>
>daily life (such as the mobile phone I am writing this on).
All of which adds up to 1. In many ways we were NOT prepared for the world we would have to work in, but also 2. Many of the things older generations think of as 'soft' are either a deliberate turning away from>
All of which adds up to 1. In many ways we were NOT prepared for the world we would have to work in, but also 2. Many of the things older generations think of as 'soft' are either a deliberate turning away from>
>outdated values that hurt us and our society, or things that are NOT soft or luxurious in the modern context.
I'm done with pretending that there aren't significant common factors to much of millennial life. I'm also done with the idea that this means we're at fault in some way
I'm done with pretending that there aren't significant common factors to much of millennial life. I'm also done with the idea that this means we're at fault in some way
(Note: this is all, of course, painted in VERY broad strokes. A working class millennial upbringing is different to a middle class upbringing, a gay 90s kid had very different experiences to a hetero 90s kid etc etc. I'm talking about the general cultural milieu.)
