Dear People who think Millennials are Murderers,
Lately, us millennials have been proclaimed to have killed many things. From soap, to vacations and the napkin industry, we’ve been blamed for it all. I really wish I was making this up. No, it’s not sarcastic. People genuinely are blaming a generation for the way the world evolves. What a concept!
For those who genuinely think we’re to blame for the loss of many industries, I would love to meet you. For those who call us too lazy, let’s go get some coffee that I’ll buy with my parent’s money because there’s no way I could afford it on my own since all I do is sit at home and watch Netflix, right? For those who think we’re too narcissistic… what’d you say? I couldn’t hear you over my selfie, wanna join?
Adults who really believe these exaggerated claims must be some of the most interesting people you’ll ever meet. Never a dull moment when someone scapegoats a generation of young adults for problems started by their own generation of older adults. We’ve destroyed Home Depot because quite frankly, none of us can afford houses. It’s not because we don’t have a job, it’s quite the opposite: some of us have multiple jobs, some are full-time students and some still manage to go home at the end of the day to take care of their families. Oh! And we have so much student debt!!! According to the Wall Street Journal, “the average class of 2015 graduate with student-loan debt will have to pay back a little more than $35,000.” Explain to me how we’re supposed to pay for anything extravagant with that kind of baggage.
On that same note, we’re also killing the wedding industry because so many of us are waiting to get married later, if at all. God forbid we don’t get hitched at the age of 18 and have three kids by 24. Since we’re so concerned with getting an education or making someone out of ourselves with our goals, we’re not buying diamonds! The Economist can’t figure out why! THE HORROR.
Seriously though, I would love to meet the people making these accusations. From personal experience, I’ve had supervisors, administrators, mentors, and even my own family wonder how people our age do it all. We’re lucky here at UM where we can get an education and pursue any other hobby that may fill our time. We do it all with internships, road trips to the Keys, still going to our grandma’s birthday, and late-night study sessions at Club Richter. We get a quick coffee or tea in the morning. We hit the gym later because we still care about our physical health and listen to one another because mental health is also just as important. You might find us napping on a random couch but don’t doubt that we’ll be up in 20 minutes going to work or class. We might be in debt when we get out of here but we’ll do it knowing we’re changing the world, one Fitbit step at a time.
To all those who genuinely think we’ve destroyed the world, newsflash: we’re changing it. We’ll happily be called murderers and we look forward to bringing down whatever other statement you want to make about us. Anyway, we’ll be typing it out on Twitter faster than you can say it out loud.
Xoxo,
Frustrated Millennial
Alina Zerpa is a senior majoring in journalism and psychology, a major Oreo enthusiast and spends way too much time on Tumblr.
words_alina zerpa.