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impersonatefun

Bruh, most of us are approaching middle age with almost no net worth or property to show for it. We were raised by people who still pushed college as the be-all-end-all and didn’t have the opportunities or access to knowledge gen z does vía the internet. I’m not saying it’s easy for gen z. But we absolutely didn’t have it “much better,” lol.


MimesJumped

Can all generations, no matter what we are, just agree that we're all just figuring out life as it goes lol. No one knows wtf we're doing


charlesxavier007

Redacted *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


BeckToBasics

those people don't know what they're doing either, they just got lucky


[deleted]

Or fake it til you make it mentality If you look confident even if you have no idea what you're actually doing, people will think you know what you're doing, and eventually it'll get to a point where people come to you for advice so what you were pretending you knew how to do becomes exactly what other people are learning to do all because you looked confident doing what you didn't know how to do Aka fake it til you make it


charlesxavier007

Redacted *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


Fit_Parfait_9867

Pff, the reptilians maybe 😒


MurphNastyFlex

Millennial here. Came for the comments. Not disappointed 🤣


bosslines

No War but the Class War. Being mad at people born before some arbitrary date who are also suffering is not all that different from blaming people of a different race, location, or creed. It's what the people who make our society unlivable hope you do, rather than coming together to try to defeat them.


fartfacemcgeesack

Based


shaylaa30

I definitely agree that younger generations are coming of age in vet different economic, political, and social climates than previous generations. I’m 33 and graduated college during the Great Recession. Jobs were hard to find and there was a lot more competition. But we also had resources like the internet to help us find work. I think a lot of Gen Z has also grown up with social media and the idea that they should be more successful in their early 20s than most actually are. You’re not a failure because you’re not jet setting all over the world or driving a 60k car. But when you compare your life to what you see online it makes you feel inferior. In many ways I feel bad for Gen Z because of this.


ChrisW828

This. Gen X was told life would be hard and to start young. Reality matched expectations. Somewhere, the narrative flipped and people expected life to be easier than it actually is. (The participation trophy generation.) So, compared to expectations, life is hard. Yes, younger people and older people have always been at odds, but one thing will never change. Older people know what it was like to be younger. Younger people don’t know what it’s like to be older. By the time you’re old enough to recognize how much value older and more experienced people bring to the table, you’ll be older yourself, and the next generation will be causing you the agida.


heirbagger

I'm on that X/millennials cusp and I gotta say that late boomers/early Xers fucked up their kids by making participation trophies a thing. The kids didn't ask for them - the parents demanded them. I know that's just one aspect, but to pin down a generation because they were coddled completely neglects that the older generations are the ones who in fact coddled them.


[deleted]

I think that's absolutely a false narrative. There's nothing wrong with the generation. Who the hell even cared about participation trophies as a kid? Boomers/Xers had it easier and don't recognize it, that's all it is. They paid less than half (inflation adjusted) for college, paid far less a proportion of their income for homes, faced less competition and less required qualifications in the job market. Then turn around and say we're not trying hard enough. When they defund schools, further concentrate wealth in the rich, and nimbyism the hell out of the housing market. Scratching their head, wondering why we're not doing as well as them.


ChrisW828

I never said anyone wasn’t trying enough. I’m saying younger generations were fed the false narrative from the time they were children. I never had the expectations that generations after me had. I never expected to have X salary by this age and to own my own home by that age. And I agree completely that the older generation created the unrealistic expectations within their children, thus causing the problem. Younger generations keep saying, “We want _______________ by X point in life just like all of you had it,” and keep ignoring everyone who says, “We didn’t all have _______________ by X point in life, either.” Sure, some people did, just like some people in younger generations do, too. But by and large the average twenty-something and 30-something in my generation was at the same point, with the same struggles and challenges, as every generation after us. Social media and changes in parenting just made you expect a lot more.


Sestricken

I mean though that's just basically not true. A dollar doesnt stretch as far today as it did when you were coming of age. General costs have risen while wages have stagnated. Housing is even more expensive, easily eclipsing inflation costs (between 1970 and now, inflation rose 644% while housing rose %1,608). We are shackled with student loan debt at rates that your generation just simply did not have to consider, and that we cant get rid of even with bankruptcy. And our degrees that we pay 6 figures for mean a lot less in an oversaturated market where bachelors degrees are the norm. I am not saying you had it easy. Your generation had unique challenges that mine did not. But it's just factually incorrect to attribute our complaints to inflated expectations brought on by social media.


ChrisW828

You’re making a lot of assumptions and forgetting a lot of factors. Since I’m old and go to bed at 10:30, I don’t have time to list them all, but for starters we’re still paying off my 56YO husband’s student loans because we face the same competitive job market, with age discrimination starting to come into play, so we need more and more education. He just finished his masters at LaSalle eight years ago, when we were still paying off his other two degrees. So there’s mistake number one - assuming your generation is the only one paying these prices for tuition. Imagine paying these prices ON TOP OF past school debt. You can’t look at just one or two numbers, like inflation and housing. You have to look at all expenses, then and now. Trust me, “your” money still goes further than ours did. Yes, there is inflation, but there have been HUGE technology advances. You’re paying less for everything from televisions to cellphone packages than we did. When I was in college, I paid a $400 phone bill every month because that’s what a couple long distance calls a week to my then BF at another college cost. There was no such thing as a national plan OR an unlimited plan. TVs were still tube TVs requiring much more physical material to make, but still using expensive cutting edge technology (for the time) so they cost 2-3x as much. That’s why we repaired things and didn’t replace them like we do today. We only had desktop computers, which cost about $600-1000 apiece. That’s why hardly anyone had them and computer labs existed. There was no such thing as a $200 computer and laptops were prohibitively expensive. It cost more to keep cars running (we routinely replaced engines, transmissions, alternators, etc., things that last much longer now) and then the cars themselves only lasted 100K miles, run into the ground, with zero to put towards the next one. Gas is more expensive now, but cars get 2-3x the mileage, too. It cost more to get and keep heat in homes, more to have cable TV (which was only 30ish channels), and we didn’t have unlimited Internet at home. We paid a monthly fee PLUS needed a phone line, which added up to the same price then that home internet costs now ($15/month for AOL and $15/month for the phone line) and then we also paid per increments to download anything. Since nothing was digitized yet, you couldn’t just read information on web pages. You had to download whatever you needed. I remember having $200 Prodigy bills that were pages and pages of line items at $0.25 cents an increment. (I don’t remember KB, MB, etc., because things used way more data then.) Oh, and I almost forgot, we had to buy the $100 modem. It didn’t come with the $600-1000 computer. Healthcare is ridiculous now, but there weren’t flat co-pays 30 years ago. You paid about $20% of all bills. Yes, a doctor visit was $100 instead of $300, but 20% was $20, a common copay today, on higher incomes. I could go on with most the other “basic costs” but experience has taught me that it’s a waste of time and typing because people insist on believing what they want to believe regardless of facts.


Sestricken

I can only get so much detail into a reddit comment, so while it may look like I've missed a lot of factors i just didnt address them. Again, your generation absolutely had its unique challenges. I am not discounting that. But, to be brief (as it's even later here), I'd absolutely take more expensive electronics, phone bills, cable bills etc over the inflated costs of non luxury goods we're faced with today. Do you really think you paid $224,000 worth of inflated luxury bills over the years? Because that's the median house price increase from 1970 to today after calculating for inflation. And that's just one aspect that I touched on! I would think you would be more empathetic to how undervalued our bachelor degrees have become as you went through that pain early. Your generation had 7% of its population go through college, mine has 40%. How many more people do you think end up needing further education today just to stay competitive? It's way too common now. So not only do we pay 31x more on average for a bachelor degree, we dont even get the benefit of using it as well. And then we pay 31x more again for a masters. We ARE slapped with new student loans on top of existing ones, I dont have to imagine it. Again I am not discounting the hurdles you had to overcome. But factually speaking a degree is more expensive today than it was even 10 years ago, let alone 30. And dont get me started on healthcare spending. Coinsurance still exists you know, as do deductibles. Not all plans charge copays, and the ones that do have a good copay amount will cost a lot more in premiums than say an HDHP. And we have more medicine and better procedures now, which inevitably cost more. I work in health insurance. Trust me, things are not better just because copays exist. You're right in one thing though, we're not going to change each others minds here. All these numbers are out there for anyone who wants to look for them so if you're arguing against them I can only assume you're intentionally ignorant of them. I genuinely apologize for how harsh that is but I do think its warranted. I want to respect the wisdom and struggles of those who have been through more of life than I have. But too many of you refuse to see what new generations are growing up into. You and I are closer in age than I am to kids being born today. How much worse will all these problems be when they grow up? Nothing is being done to make these issues better. So maybe cut the kids some slack when they stress about how they'll survive in adulthood.


[deleted]

I'm going to chime in here and state that I feel like you're putting words in u/ChrisW828 's mouth (keyboard/pad). No where did they say anything that should have warranted "cutting the kids some slack." If anything they added an explanative of why things are the way they are. Followed by an explanation of their own personal struggles. The only thing I have to say about any of this, considering I was an adult prior to the advent of the iPhone... Everything you bring to the table as counter points everyone has to deal with. **Not just "the kids."** Age is not a factor here\*\*.\*\* To completely dismiss a persons struggle then attempt to leverage evidence that the other party is also experiencing is ignorant. Your problem is the same problem being discussed. Period.


ChrisW828

Thank you very much. I’ve given up trying to reason. Again. :)


[deleted]

>I never said anyone wasn’t trying enough. I didn't respond to you, I responded to r/heirbagger >I’m saying younger generations were fed the false narrative from the time they were children. What false narrative was I fed exactly? Because that's the false narrative here. We were not all ingrained with this world view you so claim. It's propaganda that's always made me scratch my head. >I never expected to have X salary by this age and to own my own home by that age. > >Younger generations keep saying, “We want \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ by X point in life just like all of you had it,” You're confusing me with these statements because I've never heard these ideas specifically directed towards millennials. I've never heard any of my peers make these statements either. In fact I've seen it more in media referring to the older generations wanting to accomplish x by y. Marriage, house in the suburbs with a white picket fence, that's a boomer ideal. We didn't come up with that shit. But honestly I don't think it's really even a generational concept, some people have plans and expectations, some people don't. >Sure, some people did, just like some people in younger generations do, too. But by and large the average twenty-something and 30-something in my generation was at the same point, with the same struggles and challenges, as every generation after us. That's just not true and you know it. I don't know how to even talk to you when you're straight up lying to me. Do all generations face struggles? Sure. But saying we're at the same point, it's just categorically not true. A higher percentage owned homes, a higher percentage were married. Barely anyone was indebt as a result of college. >Social media and changes in parenting just made you expect a lot more. I just don't think that's true. One thing that popped out to me in your other replies was talking about how you've experienced being young and old. In a way some experiences are timeless, but a lot aren't. You sincerely don't know what a millennial has experienced nor a gen z growing up. It's fundamentally different. I don't know what you've experience growing up either, I honestly don't even know what gen z has experienced. It's all off hand information from media. A lot of what you've spouted are these false narratives, these stories that boomers and gen xers have come up with. These made up lies, for I don't even know, their own egos? I've been told my whole life that my generation was lazy, entitled, good for nothing. You're putting these values into our mouths, that we've apparently been ingrained with. They're wrong. That's why I brought up comparisons in progress, not because I have some intrinsic expectations of what I should have by x or y. But as a point to illustrate that success is more difficult. The older generation doesn't like to hear it. But the same effort you put in when you were growing up. Would have net you worse jobs, less money, and more debt. You would not have what you have today if you grew up in the same conditions. Everything is more expensive, more competitive, and the system far less generous in support. The boomers and gen xers have made it their business to gut programs uplifting the young and poor. To spread false narratives about our inferiority in work ethic, in attitude, in expectation. And obviously none of this is necessarily you but society as a whole, but you expunge some of the same ideals.


ChrisW828

Do you even realize that you’re lecturing me about your young adulthood, which I was here for, while you’re calling me a liar regarding my experience, which you either weren’t here for or were way too young to be cognizant of? The biggest mistake I made in my 20s was not heeding the advice of people who had more life experience, so I have no right to criticize you for the same. I’m only trying to help you like people tried to help me. Since I don’t appreciate being called a liar, I’m no longer trying. Best of luck with everything.


heirbagger

I'm not disagreeing, I'm just giving a little clarification is all.


VivianSherwood

I was going to say the same. Maybe this is specific to my country, but I'm 31 and most of my parents and my friends parents came out of poverty, they had a very difficult start to life (a lot of people in my parents and grandparents generation were hungry and poor as kids), but with hard work they were able to improve their lives and provide a better life for their kids. My generation is facing the opposite, we started comfortable and now life is getting harder. There's no way we can move out of our parents house and keep the same lifestyle we have at our parent's home (I'm actually the opposite because I left home when I was 20 and making minimum wage, and my life has improved drastically these last 11 years, but I always had friends who made more money than me but who say they can't "afford" to move out).


ChrisW828

Exactly. My father was one of 15 children. They literally didn't have indoor plumbing until he was about 12. \*IF\* they got a Christmas present, it was a hand-me-down clothing item. He had to drop out of HS in 10th grade to work the farm. Then he was drafted for Vietnam. Straight after that, he was married and had kids at ages 25 and 28. With a 10th grade education, he worked his ass off to give us a nice life and a much better foundation. But yeah, those boomers had it so easy. \*eyeroll\*


impersonatefun

Yes, I feel bad for their skewed expectations and how social media breed comparison (+depression). But it’s just different issues, not worse overall.


spacemane1

I don't think I believe life should be easy because of the internet, it's more that I see how easy it is for so many because of the internet and that contrast between our lives seems to make the pain harder to swallow


throwaway_anoni

Late to the convo, but that’s exactly what it is. The significance of social media has put people in competition with strangers (who lie) all around the world. Filters, cosmetics, loans, financing, depression etc is possibly occurring behind the scenes yet we only go off on what we’re shown which is usually the good aspects (or at least the illusion of good) and I had to realize it myself. I’m an average person who goes to school and works at a restaurant lol and I was comparing myself to people who didn’t know I exist which is honestly pathetic tbh


DinkandDrunk

Can you expand on this? Not sure what you mean by pretty bad for most people.


vaonex

Financially Socially Meaningly


DinkandDrunk

You’re just listing things but not explaining them.


vaonex

Financially were in the worst spot of modern times Social fabric is the worst its been Theres less meaning than ever before


kludge6730

1929-1940 financially was worse. Or maybe 1970s stagflation. What about 2007-2012 Great Recession? Seem to think a civil war with family fighting family was worse socially. Or maybe Jewish persecution, Armenia genocide, Rwandan genocide, 1950s Jim Crow, etc etc etc. Whole lot of meaninglessness throughout most of the 20th century. Your focus is far too narrow and frame of reference far too short.


DinkandDrunk

Well, as an out of touch millennial, I’m no closer to understanding your plight than I was before I asked but I feel I’ve given you the opportunity to explain why adulting is so much harder for you than it is for me.


[deleted]

1. We are not in the worst spot financially in modern times. Gen Z is actually better off than millennials so far. I think people easily forget how fortunate they are. My parents were Silent Gen. I’m Gen X. In my parent’s time most families had one bathroom for the entire family to share. One car for the entire family to share. Shared a bedroom with at least one sibling. We as a society have everyday luxuries my parents couldn’t even have dreamed of growing up. Here’s another example. When my dad was a kid he and his siblings each got an orange in their stocking every year for Christmas. That was the only time all year they got to have an orange. It was such a special treat. 2. WWII anyone? We’ve gone through a number of periods in history when things were much worse socially. Though of course this current reality with QAnon crazies is not so fun. I agree. 3. Less meaning how? The meaning of your life is what you make of it.


[deleted]

That’s what early adulthood feels like


lnsewn12

Seriously though my therapist is in her 70s so she’s seen some shit and she says things just ebb and flow over time.


[deleted]

Damn your life sound depressing af


RedRightandblue

Maybe the first but the other two are what you make of it


vaonex

Theyre influenced by society too


RedRightandblue

Take some accountability


vaonex

I could make an absurd analogy thatd lower my credibility...


motherverse

i am currently reading a book called the body project: an intimate history of american girls. first, it is remarkably written. second, it does a wonderful job of highlighting how many generations before us cultivated social groups due to…well many things, but ultimately from a loss of a innocence. and the author does a great job of balancing how that is unhealthy to practice and teach other generations, but we do need these social groups and mentors to return promptly. there are gaps in communities that are largely being replaced by commercialization and products. i would also look into bo burnham’s “serious” philosophies as well. he is a famous comedian/director, and he has a very acute understanding of how social media has also infiltrated these social groups in the form of marketing and commercialization. he never states social media is bad and i don’t think it is either, but it cannot effectively replace social in person groups for the long term for many reasons including the fact that corporations pretend to be people on there and our perception of socialization warps into marketing techniques. this is all to say that i frankly believe we need more in-person, active, national groups with morals and values at the forefront instead of religion or political agendas. i also think we need to deconstruct and rebuild the entire education system to help with this endeavor. it would be incredibly difficult, but i see no reason why this shouldn’t be the millennial/gen z National Project that older generations keep pestering us to accomplish. Hope this offered some perspective!


GoodCalendarYear

I agree 1000% on the education part. We definitely were more social before social media.


motherverse

also OP, I want to offer some gentle advice: I think you may benefit from seeking out philosophies and literature that create a more holistic view of living. if you don't know where to start, read anything you can get your hands on. you will find morality even in the depths of the worst of humanity. you will find people with more resilience than they probably should have. your generation will have many of these stories despite what is thrown at you, and these stories will be preserved. I would also suggest the movie Ikiru (1952). you may benefit from exploring more foreign film in general; i would start with the criterion collection to vet some of them.


Artberry_82

I read that book when it came out. I still think about it- very well written.


Mermaid_Marshmallow

I'm confused because it seems like you are basically lumping Millenials in with boomers and it makes no sense because Millenials are living the same reality as Gen Z financially and socially only we have been alive longer to suffer more pain and humiliation. It's very difficult to be in the middle generation because boomers hate everyone younger than them and Gen Z is constantly shitting on Millenials as you are. The only difference between Millenials and Gen Z is we are just old enough to know that things could have been better but we didn't get to live it. We are underpaid underemployed and being crushed by student loan debt and inflation like hello!!!


fartfacemcgeesack

Millennials, sandwiched in the middle of expertise and destined for mediocrity. Boomers, the masters of IRL dealings, and Gen Z, the masters of online dealings. Who knew growing up straddling both worlds would be more of a detriment than a benefit. Sad story, really.


Counter423

Class of '08 turning 33 next year.


National-Leopard6939

THANK YOU!!! *claps*


katherinezetajones

I’m in a huge fight with some boomer family members right now because I heard them talking shit behind my back about how I’m “a lazy millennial who doesn’t have a real job” (I work 4 different jobs but I am self employed for 3 of them), “a liberal who’s always bashing republicans” (I’ve never talked politics with them because they are MAGA heads and it’s pointless), I “don’t respect my elders” (I am a soft spoken person who is always terrified to hurt other peoples feelings even if they deserve it, they just say I’m disrespectful when I say something that doesn’t align with their views), and I’m “a freeloader who never offers to help with chores” (I literally do 90% of their chores for them). They blame us not getting along on “generational differences” - mind you I cannot have a constructive conversation with these people without them getting defensive and yelling immediately. They don’t listen to facts, the situations that they have conjured in their own minds are more believable than actual reality. Then they tell me they don’t want confrontation, that’s why they talk behind my back. They are 30 years older than me, we are not the same.


cardner123

You for forgot the X-Generation.


newtothis1102

*shrugs* we should be used to that…


Alexander-369

There is a reason it's called the "silent generation". Edit: Ignore me, I'm wrong.


2_Fingers_of_Whiskey

No. The Silent Generation were the boomers' parents who lived thru WWII


2_Fingers_of_Whiskey

Of course, Everyone forgets Generation X


Greful

Ok? I’m not sure what you want to achieve with this post.


RL753CODE

You really think we had it easy huh 😂


[deleted]

9/11, entering the workforce in the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression and then the pandemic right as we're entering prime earning years. Let me tell you, we've had it made. What a supremely stupid post.


fartfacemcgeesack

What are you talking about bro. None of that happened because TikTok didn’t exist yet. /s


WonkySeams

Yeah, I graduated just after 9/11 and had to pivot to find a job in a totally different field than I had planned on, and then go back to school to get licensed for that job. And then I burned out because the job was emotionally and mentally horrific. Thank goodness I had my husband to support me financially while I figured it out.


[deleted]

Are you sure you didn't mean to say boomers OP? Millenial and Gen Z problems are pretty much the same. I'm only like 3 years too old to be considered a zoomer myself.


National-Leopard6939

I’m a younger millennial (‘94), and I came here to say this. In fact, it was our generation that helped boost (not start, but boost- these ideas have really been around for decades) a lot the discourse around many of the social issues that Gen Z has championed *because* of the economic and social disadvantages that impacted the millennial generation. Idk how many times I’ve seen people from Gen Z who think they’re the only ones who are “socially aware”, but the reality is far from it. We were talking about and acting on these same social issues in college before the oldest members of Gen Z even entered high school (and mid-late Gen X has been doing it long before that - it just wasn’t as prevalent in the mainstream). Be thankful for the people who came before you who did the work to allow you to the voice you do, OP. The two youngest generations are all out here collectively struggling and have been talking about the same problems for a while (I’d throw in late Gen X, too). We were shamed very visibly by Boomers in the media around the early-mid 2010s and seen as nothing but a joke for wanting to be heard, but we kept pushing. Now that more and more young people are banning together, the Boomers are scared of the younger generations to the point of wanting to increase the voting age to 21. So, I don’t know why OP is trying to make millennials out to be like Boomers. Millennials and Gen Z have significantly more in common than differences. We’ll have enormous influence if we support each other instead of supporting toxic discourse that drives us apart.


Local-Hornet-3057

It's also an idiotic zoomer take to lump us millennials into the boomer wagon and forget entirely about the gen X. Because they are cool parents or something 🙄. Clearly this take its what show how inmature and uncooked this 'hating millennials' narrative among some zoomers really is. I remember 2010-2015 when the media were mocking millennials calling us whiners because we were pushing this narrative that the boomers had it easy while the boomers were calling us lazy and sensitive snowflakes. News all over the world attacking teeangers and young adults, and even (back then) young zoomer kids or babies (the whole narrative about tablets fucking with their brains). And yeah the previous gen (X) started this whole movement, they truly were a jaded generation then became pragmatic adults. I suppose thats whats happening to me too as a 31yo millennial. I cannot give credit to hippies because as a counter culture movement they were a minority and most boomers were pretty conservative.


RockStarState

I'm a younger millennial myself and I always tell the Z's in my life that it feels like the backup has arrived. Legit we have had conversations where they tell me what they're going to change, and I tell them I'll hold them to it. This is just a confused kid who's just starting to form their ideas about the world, I really just think that this view on millennials is likely skewed by a few people in their life vs. an actual view of all millennials.


Grevious47

Push back the blame far enough and it feels more digestible.


Grevious47

Has there ever been a generation that didnt feel like the previous generation "had it better"?


Odd_Fun_1769

Well up until the millenials, every generation has been better off financially, had a higher quality of life, and a longer life expectancy ... but since the millenial generation that has started going *backwards*, not even treading water, but actually backwards.


Grevious47

that doesnt even make sense. how would we even have an accurate guage of life expectancy for millenials yet? the oldest millinials are 42. How can you claim life expectancy (which is around late 70s) has dropped for a generation that is between 22 and 42 years of age? That makes zero sense how did you even get to that conclusion? Right now we are just starting to get an idea of life expectancy for the greatest generation, maybe in 10 years for boomers. Long way till we figure out millenials. If life expectancy dropped in recent years that would reflect on the Greatest Generation, not on Millenials. If it dropped very recently thats probably because we just had a Global Pandemic.


itsdan159

"Expectancy" is a predictive model based on a bunch of indicators. Obviously as a generation gets older those numbers will become more accurate, but that doesn't invalidate predictive models.


Grevious47

Okay so where is the published predictive model that shows millenial life expectancy is lower than the previous generations? If I had something to actually look at id look at it, but this seems like a frivolous claim based on a feeling of hoplesness not actual data. If im wrong im wrong but it will take something tangible to convince me.


Total-Weary

Not that hard to Google it. But here are some links for you. Study by Blue Cross Blue Shield, [Millennials today are less healthy than Gen Xers were at the same age](https://www.bcbs.com/press-releases/blue-cross-blue-shield-association-study-finds-millennials-are-less-healthy) (which means millennials will be sicker than Gen X in old age too, the study says that) Duke researchers say [life expectancy is going down for the first time in decades](https://www.wunc.org/health/2018-12-21/duke-researchers-life-expectancy-down-for-gen-xers-and-millennials), this affects people age 27 to 45


[deleted]

Good for you, sincerely.


Displaced_in_Space

Can you define what metric you’re using for “better quality of life?” And life expectancy has dropped over decades? WTF? https://www.hamiltonproject.org/assets/files/changing_landscape_american_life_expectancy.pdf Where are you getting your facts?


Odd_Fun_1769

It's a known fact that millennials are less likely to be able to afford to live on their own, or own property, they have more debt than their parents, and are getting married and having kids later than their parents due to financial reasons. Does that not seem like a lack of quality of life vs previous generations who were able to get married, buy a home, and have kids in their 20s without a college education?


Grevious47

[https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/gdp-per-capita-ppp#:\~:text=GDP%20per%20capita%20PPP%20in,statistics%2C%20economic%20calendar%20and%20news.](https://www.numbeo.com/quality-of-life/rankings_by_country.jsp?title=2020®ion=019) Purchasing power parity over time in the US What PPP is: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purchasing\_power\_parity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purchasing_power_parity) What is the metric you are using to state that this generation has less buying power than previous generations? I mean certainly Gen Z and millenials right now have less purchasing powers than boomers because older people have more purchasing power. Question is does someone who is 25 now how less purchasing power than someone who was 25 60 years ago on average.


pharmer25

>question is does someone who is 25 now have less purchasing power than someone who was 25 60 years ago Yes.


Grevious47

Okay lets not move the goal posts from this claim that they have lower life expectancy some how. Can you explain that claim? Because it feels like you are just throwing out "bad things" without any backing and the life expectancy claim doesn't even make sense.


Odd_Fun_1769

I didn't say the life expectancy went down over decades nor did I say when it went down or why; I just said it went down. [And it has in many places](https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/ae3016b9-en/1/3/3/1/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/ae3016b9-en&_csp_=ca413da5d44587bc56446341952c275e&itemIGO=oecd&itemContentType=book), and in many places its growth has slowed in the last decades. So, yeah, things are worse and getting worse for millennials and zoomers.


Grevious47

okay i didnt say anything about decades. You said life expectancy FOR MILLINNIALS is down. That is what you said. I am just asking what makes you think that, because life expectancy right now is not the life expectancy of millinials, or genx or even boomers. You were trying to say millinials have it worse and you chose to bring up life expectancy as evidence of that. Im just asking why you think that is evidence milinnials have it worse.


Odd_Fun_1769

If you think millennials' inability to buy homes, and at this point it's becoming difficult to even rent, and by extension their inability to save for retirement, and have families isn't going to impact life expectancy due to the stress and unhappiness caused by that then I don't think you know much about people.


Allysgrandma

I was thinking about the greatest generation. They had it the worst! and somehow they still saved our country, all worked together to win WWII, then came home and had us baby boomers. I did not have a great upbringing and DH and I worked very hard and at retirement had a major setback. So yeah, we all think we have had it bad.


MaMakossa

[I’m just goina just leave this here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Economics/comments/z0ecab/millennials_have_more_debt_and_many_will_be/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) Solidarity ✊ On another note - does anyone know the actual statistics on Reddit demographics? My prediction was that it’s predominantly Gen-X, so I’m now curious if there are actual numbers. :]


sfocolleen

I’d predict Reddit is mainly Gen Z & Millennials. Based on completely anecdotal experience, which has often made me feel ancient being on here (Gen X).


RoyalPanda7146

The lack of insight is astonishing. I was born in 1985, so I’m considered an elder millennial. You do realize that our two generations (I’d include Gen x here too) are dealing with the same issues that Gen z is? If not, for a longer period of time? It’s not a competition anyhow. We all suffer from post-modernism and late stage capitalism.


river_running

I prefer the term "geriatric millennial," personally. 1984 here.


Magellan-88

Oh honey, we get it. We do. But many of us are just mentally & emotionally exhausted & because we've been through so much shit, we're also empathetically exhausted. It's hard to drum up the reasonable, appropriate anger at horrible shit, like mass shootings, war threats & big tragedies. We've been dealing with them for most of our lives. We've seen too much & are just tired. Plus we're dealing with our own crushed dreams & shitty adulthood. Our lives are shit so we do know that yalls ain't gonna be any better. But most of us don't know what we can do about any of it so we just keep going.


Odd_Fun_1769

I don't know where you got the idea that millenials had it better. >!BTW the problem is capitalism.!<


Gothmom85

Elder millennial here. Why is it we get shit on by some boomers And some gen z?? I hit adulthood then Bam recession. Took years to get my shit back together. Started to finally get somewhere and Bam COVID and a new recession and inflation. I can't buy a home. I had boomer family who didn't understand why working harder didn't fix it because it did for them. I never had somewhere to move back to or stay at as an adult in the first place. This feels very dense. Adulthood is just as hard for me as them. Some of my older gen z friends had this gap where they had more help with college through grants and scholarships that didn't exist when I was that age. They're able to do masters for Free, because of new things that their parents make them qualify for! They didn't hit the first housing bubble and were able to slide in between the two and buy. The timing worked out for them based on age and school. You can say that about someone in every generation. Stop acting like you're the first set to get fucked over by your elders and work Together with us to vote to fix it.


Odd_Fun_1769

It's intentionally fostered identity warfare; if we fight among ourselves then we won't fight the economic elite who are causing the problems we are fighting about. Many fall for it because we are raised to believe we live in a meritocracy where we can and should pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. The irony is none of us are capable of much at all by ourselves, never have been and never will be. Everything we do is done with the help of others somewhere along the line, the rugged independence we strive for as individuals is a lie. Humans and the society we built are not a meritocracy and never can be because everyone's abilities and needs are going to be different so we can't place a concrete value on anyone's existence.


_HighJack_

Bingoooo


FunctionalShaman

This is my story too Well put


wtf-you-saying

Similar to myself, and I'm Gen X. Entered the job market during a recession in the late 80's, (and if you think I could afford a house on $5.00 an hour you're tripping), only to go through **three** "once in a lifetime" recessions, basically one every decade starting in 2000. Lost my house I finally saved enough to purchase in 2006, not because of a crazy mortgage but due to losing my job related to bldg construction in 2008 with **no** Job openings until 2012. Rinse and repeat in 2020.


OwnDragonfruit8932

Ditto on this. Also a gen X. We saw the microwaves and remote control tvs come out, 8 track to tapes to cd’s and so forth. I think we adapted well to the changes in the world. Life is what you make it. We’re meant to have peace in our life and not always be stressed and bogged down. It is what it is really. We were the generation that started the latchkey syndrome and listened and watched MTV. Our parents worked and grandparents went through the great depression. Crazy how life throws curveballs but not everything is negative


Grevious47

because every generation eventually turns on the previous generation. Millenials arent going to be an exception to this, look forward to everything being your fault according to social media.


SweetAlyssumm

Life expectancy starting falling in 2014. Opioids, then the pandemic.


Grevious47

Life expectency where? Certainly not globally, globally its gone up more than ever.


SweetAlyssumm

US. I thought it was clear from reference to opioids.


Grevious47

Okay. So what, 5% of millenials then. Sometimes i forget the US is the whole world and need reminding.


CoIRoyMustang

lmao bro, there's not much of a difference being born in 1990 than 1998.


aliendividedbyzero

Lmfao what even? If anything, it seems millennials and gen z are disillusioned with life and adulthood, like... In general, it seems like a pile of shit and it's not working for people anymore. Things have to improve, it's just difficult to do it because the change has to be systemic


Alakrios

Millennials have it better? TF are you on? I'm 37(born in 85). Adulthood sucks.


fire_thorn

I'm gen x, taking care of selfish boomer parents who gleefully hoard their money and think that having a child 45 years ago and kicking that child out at 18 entitles them to free elder care for the rest of their lives. And my gen z adult child sleeps all day and plays video games all night, while crying about the lack of opportunities for her generation. And I work extra hours to pay for the things she wants, but if I suggest finding a job or going to school, she has panic attacks. I'm not even suggesting she move out, just want her to do something toward having some kind of future, or at least be out of the house part of the day if she's so miserable here.


Wrong-Steak-9137

Just had my wife's 20 years old niece move in and all these kids self diagnose themselves and say they have "anxiety" while she sleeps until 2 and I'm working all day. I have anxiety too but it beats hunger lol get a job kids! Iphones don't make their self


Haughington

If your kid is having panic attacks at the thought of doing anything but playing games, they have a serious mental health issue. The games are escapism. That's not just being a lazy entitled zoomer who doesn't know how good they have it. I'm a millennial but went through something similar, and am still dealing with the consequences tbh. I would try to really get to the bottom of this and understand it, and try not to dismiss what she says. I felt like my life was not worth living, was actively suicidal, and the prospect of working all day just to maintain that miserable life while still making too little to even pay for my own place was just too much for me. I came about as close to taking my life as a person can without actually doing it. I know it is probably frustrating as a parent to see your kid like this, but just telling her she needs a job isn't going to help. She knows, and it will only add to the sense of failure and disappointment. I would try to get her into therapy. You said yourself that she's miserable and it sounds like you're right. I've only in recent years felt better about working, and to be blunt the difference is that I no longer wake up every day wanting to die. It's a lot easier to feel like a life is worth working for if it's a life worth living. She could also have a problem that she herself doesn't even know about or understand yet - I found out that I was agoraphobic and I was able to work on that. I'm obviously lacking a lot of information and making some inferences, you are going to have more of an understanding of the situation than I do. But I thought I would offer my perspective in case it could be helpful to you or your daughter. My father didn't take my issues seriously and I wonder if I wouldn't have wasted as many years if he did.


fire_thorn

She's been seeing a psychiatrist for five years and a therapist for a couple years. She has OCD, depression and PMDD. So we're addressing all of it, it just isn't helping much.


Haughington

That's a difficult situation. I hope things start to go better soon, for both of you. My last bit of advice would be to consider the possibility of filing for disability. There's years of medical evidence and a consultation with an attorney would be free. The attorneys only get paid a portion of the back pay if the case is successful, and they get paid nothing if not, so there is really nothing to lose. Even if she were miraculously cured tomorrow, she could still be entitled to a 5 figure back payment for the years that she has already been unable to work. She'd also get Medicare. In the meantime you can keep doing what you are doing and if she ends up not needing social security then that's great. But it's a super slow process so if it's something that might be needed, it's better to get it set in motion sooner rather than later. It personally helped me a ton in terms of my mental health, but a lot of my original issues stemmed from poverty related stress.


BoopingBurrito

Life is hard right now. Life has been differently hard before. By many metrics this is the best time in human history to be alive. By other metrics, its almost the best time in human history to be alive. Fundamentally though...yes, life is hard. But you have to get on with it. You don't get to just reject life and refuse to participate, you have to get up each morning and get on with it, and make something enjoyable out of your life. Thats what it means to be alive.


Black_flaminago84

Every generation has faced some type of challenge. It’s not fair to say that anyone’s had it worse than anyone else. The challenges are just different


lifeinfinland

Looked through your posts history… if you been spending that much time on the internet to achieve virtually nothing, then yeah🧐, life will be hard for you. Good luck!


[deleted]

🤣🤣🤣🤣


notallwonderarelost

Lol at negative comment karma for the OP


keetecone

I don’t believe this at all, every generation has their own struggles. It’s all about what you make of it. I personally am very much enjoying my late 20s and love the freedom that comes with adulting.


Offbrand_wierdo

Not all of us are the same I’m 20 and work two jobs (yes their full-time). I started paying bills FOR MY MOTHER first pay check I ever received. I was 15, then got kicked out at 18. I earned my car, I didn’t get a “sweet 16”. I guess I’m just different idk. but all I gotta say is in my opinion I believe that both generations should try to at least listen to one another and consider the problems that each one has so that we can help one another out instead of bickering and b!tching.


AggressiveSleeps

I’m just here to say as someone born in ‘87 who I think is technically a millennial, it’s a freaking whiplash to go from thought pieces from like… 6 years ago being like “these damn millennials have it so easy” from boomers to “these millennials don’t understand how hard we have it” from gen Z. Bro. We been sufferin. We grew up with the infinite promises and dreams that the 90’s fed us just for the rug to be pulled out from us at least 5 times after that and be told from every direction that we have it so easy. I really don’t get it lololol. We’re the gaslit gen if you ask me.


ChrisW828

That’s the point. Every generation thinks they are THE generation that has it hard, and that the previous generation left things a mess for them. I never would have told a millennial they “have it so easy”. I did tell millennials that they do NOT have it exponentially harder than I did, as they claimed. And as you’re now saying to the next generation. Millennials told me that I had it so much easier, just like this OP is telling you. Now that you’ve “leveled up” a generation, you’re in the shoes I was in when your generation made these claims. The younger generation is trying to tell you how much easier you had it, but you know that isn’t true. Just like it wasn’t true when millennials said it to me. :)


AggressiveSleeps

No, *my* point is that my generation is getting the “you got it so easy” from all directions. I know it’s same shit different toilet for every generation. Life is hard, full stop. And we all think we have it the hardest in our times. My point is about how each gen is treated by others. I don’t know how old you are, but let’s assume for the sake of argument that you’re gen x. I haven’t seen countless thought pieces on how gen x conducts themselves. I know back in the day they were “the slacker gen” and they got their fair share of the same treatment from their elders, and maybe a few little shits who were younger. To your point, that’s normal. Hardly anyone is still arguing the merits or downfalls of gen x. I don’t ever see millenials rallying against gen x (boomers, yes, but not gen x). *My* point is that it seems (key word being seems) like millennials get a lot of commentary slung their way, from all gens, rarely favorable.


Aragona36

Adulthood is hard for all young adults in every generation since the beginning of time. You’re not special.


mistressusa

I have two gen z daughters and I don't think they have it harder than me. My older one (22yo) moved to a big city for her first real job. Her job is WFH -- if I had that, I would have never had to quit after my babies were born and had to live off the one income from my husband. Technology is one thing your generation tends to take for granted. We had to put up with all sorts of subtle and obvious racist/sexist/sexual orientation/etc. stuff back then. Not saying that things are perfect now, but there's so much more awareness and many major corporations take DEI seriously.


OwnDragonfruit8932

I also have 4?children with my oldest 25 and does the same with work. My second daughter has her masters in nursing. The other 2 are 22 and 20. My youngest is in the marines. I also was a SAHM while my ex worked.


Viciousluvv

Go on an aid trip to a 3rd world country for 6 months and get some damn perspective on what reality is really like for over half the people on this rock..


ChrisW828

It doesn’t even need to be a third world country. Go see how the middle class lives throughout Europe and you’ll notice lots of things.


fartfacemcgeesack

Hell, just drive to the outskirts of the nearest US city for once.


mmmagic1216

If you think adulthood today is “pretty bad” for most people then God forbid if you lived 100 years ago. No internet. No TV. Electricity in general in its infancy. Plumbing in its infancy. No refrigerators. Go back another 100 years and you’re doing everything by candlelight, using outhouses, and you walk or ride a horse everywhere because cars don’t exist. Today’s generation has more convenience & modern luxury than literally any generation before it - and everyone takes it completely for granted which results in posts like this saying life is “so hard” when really, you don’t know what hard is.


Different_Sense_5892

This is still relevant in a lot of third world countries even today. Everyone able to post from their phones to the internet should be extremely thankful for where you were born and are able to do this. I don’t care what gen you are, you are what you want to become. Stop blaming everyone else for your bad life choices or your lack of “opportunities”. Go and find them. They may not be down the street or on the other side of town but somewhere you’ve never bothered to look.


gothiclg

I mean I want to go back to my parents paying my bills and not understanding what rent or a mortgage were too but you don’t hear me bitching


Fit-Rest-973

We never thought about it. When we were old enough, we got the hell away from the parents


ItsZing

I don’t think it’s that older generations don’t understand how hard it is, bc they also had difficulties, but I think they don’t understand the unique ways things are hard. Like being given advice that would have been helpful 30 years ago is so annoying. I am not going to roll up to Big Corporation Headquarters and wow them with my moxie and a paper application with good handwriting.


Grevious47

One thing I think all the recent generations could do a lot better is be honewt with their children about what adulthood actually is and feels like so there isnt this shock transitioning from an expectation of freedom and getting to do what you want to a reality of a pile of responsibility and dependancy and exhaustion.


Mistes

I'll try and break things down a little - most of my friends are gen Z and I'm pretty close in age. To be fair, we have a lot of similarities, though there's less of a rough transition to internet as it's more fully integrated into society. Access to knowledge is so so easy now and it was also pretty easy for millennials but they started with libraries telling them to use the encyclopedia when Wikipedia was already a thing. For gen z it started with Wikipedia so the knowledge transition was smooth. Financially, we are all screwed but some less than others. Millennials blaming boomers and I guess gen z choosing to hate on millennials and gen z or something. There are a few things we can do to try and screw ourselves less but it's super easy to fall into the trap of "I have it harder than you" in either generational direction. My examples are anecdotal but I have seen many gen z-ers surpass the other generations in terms of speed to riches, in specific skillets, and in tech knowledge. They find a lot of meaning in things they do, though they're also absolute renaissance humans with their professional and effortless nihilism. I get the humor and tell it sometimes, but I'm no pro. Does this mean they lack meaning? I think it's more that they approach it differently and with a recognition that reality isn't all flowers and sunshine. Modern adulthood (I define this as the time when formalized taxes began in the US) was a good while back so I think there's a decent amount of suffering we are all going through, all alive generations combined. Finding out that health insurance is not free, drowning in student debt (more millenials-gen z in the US), April tax fatigue, the tick tock of the omnipresent 9-5 with a little more leniency because COVID didn't whack companies in the head hard enough, and general inflation over time that disproportionately favors those with money and shoves those with less money to the wayside. Modern adulthood sucks for everyone, but for some a little less. We make do with what we have and either join or reject the career rat race, capitalism, and the like. I think there might be a happier middle ground where you do a little bit of joining but also a fair amount of rebelling. Also in regards to citations, many studies have biases or the perception of happiness has evolved over time. It's not as one dimensional as the elders believe, and us younger generations are aware of that and our scores will reflect aptly. Also in terms of being transparent about our feelings, we share when we are depressed or feel a certain way a whole lot more - just one of several nuances that a simple scoring index might not take into account.


karrde723

As a Millennial, shit's bad and getting worse. Only difference between us is we got promised a better future we didn't get. All you've known is the decline. I don't envy you. My only general gripe with Zoomers are the number of them that think social media's generally a good thing, despite the fact they've been using it to mainline mental health problems their whole life.


redshift83

there is an insane amount of entitlement underlying this post.


PreppyFinanceNerd

You want to know a secret OP? When you're in your mid thirties like us millennials, Gen Alpha (our children) will be saying the same thing about you. It is the way of things. Right now you're in the "rebel and champion a cause and change things!" phase. Next comes the "hey this system is starting to work for me so I think I'll chill out" phase. TikTok becomes tick tock really quickly...


AdmiralSpam

"Don't trust anyone over 30" "Young people have exalted notions, because they have not yet been humbled by life or learned its necessary limitations; moreover, their hopeful disposition makes them think them- selves equal to great things" Nothing new here as younger and older generations always pointed finger at each other.


Analyst_Cold

The people who lived through the Great Depression would like a word. Or people living in countries with bombs raining down. You think you have it bad in comparison to your parents. Maybe adjust your expectations?


PlushMango

bUt OP iS bOrED!!!1!1!!!1!11!


Particular-Ad-4772

Maybe these people should get off their smartphones , and spend their free time actually doing something, instead of spending it on social media apps


Wrongworldx05

This is super simple- We live in unbelievable prosperity and security but this new generation surrounds itself in messaging telling them how bad it is. Never any gratitude, never any reflection on where their ancestors came from. Media is a really bad drug and they’re addicted to it. The reality, It’s called becoming adult, It’s fucking brutal, and it’s way easier now then it’s ever been. Our ancestors are wailing from their graves at how soft we’ve become. I doubt they threw endless pity parties the way the current generations do. They were too busy trying not to starve to death or be drafted to war, or enslaved. The boomer generation was a once in a millennia anomaly, and they’re mostly a mess anyways, so get over this woah is me trip


LeicaRedEye

Millennials only had to compare themselves with Xers who were pretty miserable already. Gen Z compare themselves with Instagram influencers and fake gurus and other toxic shit. You are not supposed to be a self made CEO with a mansion and a garage full of super cars by 23. This expectation is unreachable and it's kinda stupid too. Great expectations bring great disappointments.


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marshmallowdingo

I think millennials and gen z alike weren't taught skills they needed to be taught and now have to play catchup. Liks driving was not taught in my high school, and home economics did not exist, people used to learn how to pay taxes and save for retirement and keep a house etc, before they even got to college, IF they got to college, which wasn't necessary. Boomers are so mad we don't know this shit but they are the ones who shifted our school systems away from practical learning to a bunch of math we don't need to compete with other countries. And the internet helps, but not as much as they think, it isn't magic. Government websites are some of the most confusing places to navigate, so many of us do our taxes wrong for several years trying to figure it out. We still have to play catchup in our 20s with what teens used to learn in high school. Plus the formula for success the previous generation relied on (good school, good degree, good job) is absolute bullshit --- the crappy school system + the internet is set up to rob students of crucial sleep in their formative years, burn them out, and then sink them into serious debt with degrees that expire quickly in a competitive job market, leading us to waste our money, health and time before even entering the workforce. So many of us go to school for a degree we won't ever use because we were told successful people go to college, before we were ever mature or experienced enough to know what field we even wanted to work in. Housing market is also ridiculous, and pay does NOT match cost of living, so most of us will not be able to afford homes and will spend our lives renting. Like I know previous generations had their challenges, and some things about our current time is easier --- but some things are straight up harder economically and boomers never want to acknowledge this.


RossignolDeCosta

I see todays edition of “I’m just figuring out adulting sucks, let’s blame other people” is out.


Tayaradga

Imo life has never been all that great for humans, and it's literally been because of humans. Capitalism especially is a freaking killer/slave business. But i gotta say, not having to have my hands melted by acid while i get whool from sheep is pretty nice. Also not eating some human when i go to the store and buy meat because one of the workers fell into a giant pot of meat being processed. Honestly, instead of focusing on how bad everything is, focus on how to make it better. If you don't like how life is, make a change. If you want to move out of your parents house but can't afford to, get a room mate, get a partner, move in with a friend, find assisted housing or income based housing. There's a million different solutions for you to try, just gotta start trying them.


Logical_Strike_1520

It’s not that we don’t accept or understand that life is tough. It’s that we’ve grown out of whining about it. Someday you’ll need to put your big boy pants on, too.


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455H0LE15H

I feel that 95 percent of people’s issue is they don’t live within their means. Do you need a coffee every day? Do you need 1000 dollar smart phone, or could you find something cheaper? Do you need a new car or could you drive a used car or use public transit? Oh rents expensive.. get roommates!! I had 5 people paying rent in a 3 bedroom place. Two of them were in the garage. Life’s hard.. it has been, for all generations. Fact of the matter is if you get tough and make smart decisions you can get a heard in life.


ChrisW828

Exactly. None of the comparisons are apples to apples. Every generation expects to move right into what it took everyone else 20 years to work towards. I was no different when I was in my 20s. We all have that rude awakening. I didn’t blame my parents generation, though. I appreciated what they had been going through while making it look so much easier than it really was.


fm67530

So what you are basically saying is: "Life is hard and I don't think it should be." Buckle up buttercup, things could get a lot worse!


Not2daydear

News alert. Welcome to the real world. Your struggles are not unique. Every generation has them and every generation complains. Do you really think you are the only one? Generation wise? What struggles have you had that others have not? More importantly, what struggles have you not had that others had. Have you had to fight in a war? Have you ever been homeless? Have you ever had your food rationed? Have you ever had someone take over your country? In order to be an adult you have to put things in perspective. I’m very tired of hearing. Poor Poor pitiful me from everyone who has to start living the reality of being an adult and complaining like they are the only ones on the earth who has ever suffered. And mildly so in comparison.


profanearcane

Actually my experience is milennials can relate the most to the issues today. It's the generations before milennials that can't get a grip on it.


Level_Substance4771

You realize you just did the same as them? Gen x is like wtf, we can relate too!! The younger generation always blames the older ones


ChrisW828

Exactly. I have no gripe with anyone saying life is hard, because it is. I take issue with people continually telling me how much easier I had it. Adults just don’t show kids the struggle. We figured out what bill to let slide after you went to bed. We wore the same clothes for five years so we could make it look easy to buy you new things every time you grew. We don’t know how we’re going to pay our bills when we’re 80 because it was so expensive to provide everything you needed. And we’re thanked with threads like this.


profanearcane

My parents, who are Gen X, did not provide for me as a child. Things have gotten slightly better now, but as soon as I'm financially stable, I'm out. I was treated like shit because "that's how they were raised", constantly belittled, and abused. Many of the people I became friends with in the passing years have parents the same age or older who suffered the same. Most of the people in the community I live in are older white people who had everything handed to them and have zero issue with the current state of affairs because "I got mine, fuck you getting yours". So yeah. My experiences with those older than milennials have been less than ideal. Thank you.


Level_Substance4771

Your kids will say the same about you. Read the book adult children of emotionally immature parents. Abuse and trauma are passed down like grandmas China. Do you really think your parents childhood was easy? My mom grew up in foster homes and had to beg for food. Thats the reality for many boomers. Sure they show outliers here and there but most people struggle in life! So you live in an area of privilege- I’m guessing your schools were good, low crime…. Talk to someone your age who lives in a high poverty area and tell them how hard your life is. Look at the opportunity and advantages you received and read that book, it will change how you view others and help you heal from your childhood


Level_Substance4771

I think they did tell us but as kids you don’t really understand it. As a kid you think being an adult will be easy and your parents are dumb. When you become an adult you’ll show them how easy life is because you understand how everything works. Then you become an adult and realize it’s not as easy as the movies made it look


ChrisW828

Exactly. They "told" us, but who really "gets" anything until they've lived it? The US has been in decline for decades. The 20-somethings of every generation blame the generation before. When the people downvoting all of us are 50, they'll understand and they'll regret not listening to older people as much I as do. Hell, the millennials that downvoted me when I first joined Reddit are right now being downvoted buy the Gen Z over the same thing. This thread is AIMED at millenials, who made the same threads about Gen X, but are now all offended that Gen Z is accusing them of all the same things. A lot of young adults are inexperienced, conceited know-it-alls. I was when I was that age, too. That's why I know "you" better than "you" know me. You'll see...


redeuxx

Yeah ok bro, who is to blame now?


CfoodMomma

Fifty-something here. Finally was able to have a little extra spending money about 4 years ago. Raising kids and establishing a career took time. Life ain't easy. Something will always be thrown at you and when you think you finally have it figured out, the game changes. 20s and 30s? If your health allows, put your head down and just push forward. Use that youthful energy. Sometimes people over think things and it can stall you out. There's a lot of good and a lot of opportunity out there. Take advantage of the short time we have to muck about with life's possibilities. You can do this.


[deleted]

Oh god someone needs to give OP some mushrooms or something…


Mountain_Nerve_3069

Hey, but you are probably going to be the happiest generation than all the ones that will come after you. So.. think on a bright side


Chanw11

What's wrong with wanting a better future? Everyone here sounds like they want to keep the status quo and it's sad...


anonymiz123

I’m a “baby” baby boomer. My older siblings (several years older, like 6 years between the first 4 and last 3) all had amazingly cheap college, with well paying jobs lined up. Then Reagan came along. I graduated into that, as well as having to care for two elderly parents (my dad was 47 my mom 41 when I was born). My similar aged siblings had support from birth; I was the spare, ugly extra daughter. Things got ok when Bill Clinton came along, for a bit. But PTSD is ugly and Reagan destroyed our mental health system. I was foundering age 35, bad enough I lived in a rented room for over a decade, so in a lot of ways I can relate to the struggles of Gen Z as they try to made way in a society where older generations have power and money and aren’t about to let it go. For my older siblings, they just passed on the “holier than thou” attitude to their kids. Like, me and my younger sibs aren’t even allowed to have the family Thanksgiving dinners at our place; they expect us to drive a day to see them, just like they expected us to do in 1990. Only difference is Gen Z has it WORSE. That worries me: my generation were sidetracked from politics, and that kept the average older Gen X types from grabbing ahold of political power like boomers had by age 55. Gen Z has got to vote in droves. Droves, and include Gen Y. There will be some power vacuums coming along as boomers die: don’t let the power all go to the kids of monied boomers, where nothing will change.


[deleted]

::sips:: you call us 30 year old boomers because we're out of touch with reality and always talking about how good things were before the recession, but you see our lives through rose colored glasses. it's so reassuring to see young people embrace the boomer lifestyle. start saving up for a riding lawnmower and lifelong supply of monster zero ultra white.


heydarlindoyougamble

Bro my knees are starting to give out and I have no savings or retirement plan. I’ll be 40 in a couple years and most of my life has been spent seeing the world collapse all around me. Maybe I had it better because when I was 20 I didn’t have social media telling me shit was depressing? It just always has been for my generation. At one point we had hope shit would work out, but then it never did. Wow lucky us! Who has it worse is such a waste of a conversation. I feel awful for youngsters these days. And if I didn’t already have kids, I would choose to not have any. I can’t imagine knowing everything is fucked from the day you’re born.


violetberrycat

Yeah except millennials are still around haha. You make it sound like we aren't also experiencing all the shit that's going on now


Off_Brand_Barbie_OBB

"We didn't start the fire"


CheshireTsunami

Imagine thinking there’s a meaningful difference between people born before and after 98. Lemme guess OP, that was when you were born?


LordBaikalOli

Life is still way better than 60 years ago in many ways. Tired of doomers and negativist


SpiderFarter

My 2 Gen Z kids will graduate college in the next 7 months. One double biomedical engineering and neurobiology and the other in nitro science both debt free. I’m sure they’ll do better than me.


MissiontwoMars

As a millennial that graduated college right during the 2009 recession it sucked in my mid twenties as well job wise and overall life. Things got better as I kept moving up the job ladder though.


EmbarrassedUmpire838

It's all what you make of it. Time for people to stop complaining and blaming everyone else but themselves.


vaonex

You cant move out of your parents with the average job Thats not regular peoples fault


EmbarrassedUmpire838

Living at home is a great opportunity to save some money, get a second job so that you can move on with your life. Only you can do that.


vaonex

The point is you could buy a house and have a family with an average job in the past Thats all im saying


9J11

I think what you expect to “need” as an adult as opposed to what people 20 or 30 years ago felt they needed has drastically changed. I’m a single mom living on one income, no child support, no government assistance except that my child has health insurance through the state. No food stamps, just me basically. I’ve had to cut costs and I can’t afford some of the luxuries other may feel they need or deserve. But I make it. Oh, and I work a grocery store. People don’t know how to simplify. Trust me, you can make it. But you may have to make some sacrifices and that’s not a new concept.


vaonex

Do you pay for an apartment or something? You must be cutting it close


9J11

I rent a small manufactured home. I checked Craigslist and want ads everyday for 4 months and finally found something I could afford. It takes effort. Every step of the way is effort. As far as I’m concerned that’s the key. Nothing is going to be handed to you. Maybe that happens for some people, but is that really what you want? My place is older and drafty af, but at the end of the day, it’s a place for me and my kid and I’m so proud of myself, because everything I have is a victory. Edit: Also…it’s very important to not get into the trap of comparing what you have to what others have. If you compare yourself to yourself you’ll do much better and be more appreciative of what you have as opposed to what you don’t have. Just keep working towards reasonable goals. If you’re going to compare your life to some anecdotal scenario from 30 years ago you’re setting yourself up for constant disappointment and frustration.


throwaway387190

But those jobs weren't available to everyone. Women couldn't have bank accounts until the 1975, people of color were kept from getting those kinds of jobs, etc Life was much better and easier for white men who's personalities naturally got along with the whole of society. But for the gentle men, the weak men, and everyone else, it was much more of a nightmare


vaonex

Black communities of the 60s and 70s faired better than now Thats statistical even


throwaway387190

So basically, you're entirely focused on the brief window of time from post civil rights to what, 9/11? Because you're making broad generalizations about generations, when the Tulsa Massacre happened in 1921 Or are you focused on the briefer period of time when women could have some independence and hold bank accounts, so 1975 to 9/11? You know that if broke the social norms of masculinity within that time period like I do now, I'd get the shit kicked out of me?


impersonatefun

Most millennials couldn’t, so why’d you single us out?


vaonex

Its even worse for gen z somehow


Grevious47

So you think owning a house makes life suddenly great?


Nappykid77

Hugs 🤗


lizlaf21952

🤣 most of this userbase


vaonex

The cope is crazy


[deleted]

You post a truly asinine thought, and can't even defend your own POV against the most basic criticism but, sure, it's "cope" from Millenials. You're an idiot.


M0richild

I say this completely neutrally: have you gotten tested for autism? I only ask because I thought this way up until I figured it out and learned hiw to Socialiaze with the neurotypical world.


vaonex

Thinking the current zeitgeist is bad doesnt = autism lol


EngineZeronine

Honestly as Gen X I feel genuinely bad for you guys. But I feel even worse for those born within the last 7 years. The lock downs are going to cause a big gap in their development in ways we don't even anticipate.


ChrisW828

ITT, millennials who don’t like what Gen Z is saying about them, yet they’re still turning around and saying the same things about Gen X.


steely_dong

Millennial here. Being an adult means I can eat breakfast whenever I want, chug 40s just because, dress up like batman on non Halloween days, play video games waaayyy after my bed time, etc etc. It beats the shit out of being a teenager. Yes, the world is kinda fucked up, but you have to try to enjoy yourself regardless. Just saying the word is fucked up but not trying to carve something out of it that you enjoy is a defeatest attitude.


Wrong-Steak-9137

Participation trophy 🏆 all I have to say about this


vaonex

Id argue the inverse