Why are millennials so miserable?

[anticlimatic]

Interesting video.

Are there any millennials here who do not fit the bill as he describes them (beginning around the 5:00 mark)? If so, in which way?

 

[Lark]

Rise of the far right.

Also neo-liberalism.

Also regular liberalism.

Also LGBT liberalism.

Think that about covers it.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Rise of the far right.

Also neo-liberalism.

Also regular liberalism.

Also LGBT liberalism.

Think that about covers it.

And terrorism

And climate change

And decaying infrastructure

And opioid crisis

And reality TV

And unhealthy food


....... etc.

 

[hurl3y4456]

High expectations due to family and media influence and multiple other reasons.....The extremes of society are more readily displayed today relative to the past, hence, our standards for our success increase. Millennial's are constantly seeking external validation (think snap-chat, instagram, facebook, exc), which causes our neurotransmitters to adapt to the new level of stimulus. Further, we become more resistant to the positive effects over time if an addiction (repetition) is formed. Therefore, we may form new addictions to compensate, however, this creates chaos within the body. It sucks our energy over time due to constant abuse. We can only set the bar so high, and it's proportional to our strengths....Those at the extremes are far more gifted than us in certain areas, thus, we may direct toward a bumpy road.....Hence, failure is likely to plummet towards us. By seeking outward stimulus to define our well being impulsively, we are reducing our ability to mitigate future problems. Recurring problems can sap our well being and potentially lead to further abuse, which causes a viscous cycle.

 

[SD45T-2]

Are there any millennials here who do not fit the bill as he describes them (beginning around the 5:00 mark)?

Yes.

If so, in which way?

I'm religious but not spiritual. And I have some historical perspective.

 

[Yuurei]

High expectations due to family and media influence and multiple other reasons.....The extremes of society are more readily displayed today relative to the past, hence, our standards for our success increase. Millennial's are constantly seeking external validation (think snap-chat, instagram, facebook, exc), which causes our neurotransmitters to adapt to the new level of stimulus. Further, we become more resistant to the positive effects over time if an addiction (repetition) is formed. Therefore, we may form new addictions to compensate, however, this creates chaos within the body. It sucks our energy over time due to constant abuse. We can only set the bar so high, and it's proportional to our strengths....Those at the extremes are far more gifted than us in certain areas, thus, we may direct toward a bumpy road.....Hence, failure is likely to plummet towards us. By seeking outward stimulus to define our well being impulsively, we are reducing our ability to mitigate future problems. Recurring problems can sap our well being and potentially lead to further abuse, which causes a viscous cycle.

This is an interesting concept. I don't disagree that this makes (everyone) miserable but as most things in society which are horrible for us, we do it to ourselves. No one is forcing us, yet we can't seem to stop (as a society)
It's as easy as turning off the computer (or not picking up the phone) and walking away.

TBH, for me, avoiding it all together has been easy but that may be because I've never really been one to follow trends or to do anything for the sake of fitting in. I have to say I can't even imagine what it would take for me to get dragged into it. Yet, so, many people do so clearly there is something pulling the proverbial strings.

I guess it comes down to the same choice it always has; sell your soul to fit in, or stay true to yourself and eternally alone.

 

[SurrealisticSlumbers]

Millennials, or Generation Y as we used to be called only a few years back, don't have a chance at the opportunities that older generations have historically had. Are there some exceptions? Yes, but they're the spawn of oligarchs. For the majority of us, it is a herculean task to find work, any work, cough up tuition money (if one wants to get an education or post-secondary training of some sort), and the idea of homeownership is laughable to most of us. In about early 2008, when I started hearing talk of a "global recession," I was entering my junior year of high school and didn't think much of it. Like most sixteen year-olds, I was naive. I thought the whole thing would blow over, and mistakenly believed that it was a select few major corporations doing the lay-offs, or had something to do with the stock markets. Stuff far removed from my reality. I had a vague notion that it wasn't good, but I was also self-centered and didn't get real concerned because hey, it's not affecting me or anyone I know.

Then, classmates of mine started losing their homes. Lots of people's parents were losing their jobs or getting furloughed. I live in close proximity to a military proving ground, which is the area's biggest employer. So-called "recession-proof" jobs were being cut and hiring freezes ensued. A CVS drugstore opened in town my senior year, and I tried applying to work there - never heard back. This would happen innumerable times over the next few years, like a broken record. It didn't matter where I applied, be it a cafe, corner store, or retail chain. Even some time after getting my Associate's degree, I couldn't find a job. Everybody was broke. Everybody still is. I've read article after article trying to wrap my head around what the hell happened. Closure is hard to come by, and at this point I'm just waiting for something resembling an apology to working-class and middle-class America, particularly millennials and Gen X-ers, who are too young to get on Social Security or Medicare. Basically, those of us who actually need to earn a living and would like to have careers - but can't.

Speaking as a "rural American," it's really sad how so many people around here have just given up. They're just living day by day, chasing their drug of choice and applying for their food stamps, never seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and spreading their negativistic mindset like a disease on the rest of us. Many of these people - including family members of mine - voted Trump out of desperation. He's not "bringing back the jobs." Remember, when "economic recovery" started, it was only recovery for a tiny percentage of the populace, mostly city-dwellers. The video below is pretty much how my town is, and it's the young (and very old) who suffer the most acutely from our politicians', banks', and big businesses' mistakes.

NAFTA, "trickle-down" economics, and offshoring (not to mention automation) have spelled out the writing on the wall for most youth and twenty-somethings in the West. It's probably going to get a lot worse before it gets better, and I hate to be grim, but it could take years (and the 60+ crowd to start dying off) for millennials to have our policies instituted. We are the warriors here, taking to the streets and writing to our elected officials (most of whom are sadly out of touch, red or blue). I just hope that when the day comes that we do get affordable healthcare and education, UBI, and clean air and water, Gen Z and Generation Alpha (my future kid?) will see what we've done and not take it for granted. We millennials need to stress to the younger generations that you cannot ever take it easy, or think that even the most fundamental necessities of life are going to continue to remain within your grasp - you need to actually organize, mobilize and demand these "rights." They could be yanked away again at a moment's notice at the whim of the elites.

 

[Cellmold]

Lack of preparation and education in the realms of expectation management and emotional resilience.
Which I don't blame generation Y, aka millennials, for. Led into a nihilistic nightmare by those who only thought ahead a few days at a time.

Frankly I'm of that generation. And I can take responsibility, to a reasonable degree of assumption based on free will. But I cannot take responsibility for the unconscious shaping that I and others underwent via our environment and the inception of maladaptive ideas I was raised under.
All that's left is to learn to recognise these and slowly chip away at them and hope it didn't set me back too far.

 

[Yuurei]

Most people don't understand that an actual "Millennial" is anyone under 40. No, I really do not relate to 20 yr olds. I think there should be a distinction between those remember the world before internet and those who do not.

There also, most of all, needs to be a distinction of class. A lot of these negative stereotypes attributed to "millennial" in general; laziness, entitlement, being unable to "even deal today" avocado toast ect. those are what we call Hipstersthey are typically the offspring of Yuppies. They are vile "people" who have always had everything paid for and done by Mommy and Daddy, tend to get do-nothing jobs which pay an upwards of 250k a yr and think that the world owes them everything.

They are not the same "millennial" as in "of this generation" who get shit jobs in the service industry and would like to buy a home and go on vacation once in a decade but also do not want to lose their garbage jobs.

Still, I am sick of the " Our future was stolen!" meme. It's true, things are very tough right now. Upward mobility is not nearly as achievable as it once was but this "we have NO opportunity" is bullshit. equal opportunity is not a thing but every living person has some opportunity to a varying degree. I feel people who use this mantra often just want an excuse. try, dammit.
Yeah, in today's world you may bust your ass for nothing but you will definitely get nada if you sit around saying " Can't. Future stolen. " while playing video games in your comfy apartment playing $60 video games via high speed internet on your $3000 gaming computer and call it "Escapism."

 

[LucieCat]

In about early 2008, when I started hearing talk of a "global recession," I was entering my junior year of high school and didn't think much of it. Like most sixteen year-olds, I was naive. I thought the whole thing would blow over, and mistakenly believed that

A lot of people were mistaken about the severity of the economic crisis. I'm younger than you are granted, I would probably be classified more of as on the cusp between Y and Z. I remember the reactions to it being very shocked in general. I wasn't surprised to be honest. My parents had seen the writing on the walls for years. The area my parents come from had been deteriorating rapidly ever since the 70s and 80s. My parents saw banks giving away loans people would not be able to pay back, people "living beyond their means," and a lot of irresponsible financial choices in general. So, I can't say I was surprised and I can't say I expected it to be brief. I was young, but with the little I knew what my parents said just made a lot of sense to me.

Closure is hard to come by, and at this point I'm just waiting for something resembling an apology to working-class and middle-class America, particularly millennials and Gen X-ers, who are too young to get on Social Security or Medicare. Basically, those of us who actually need to earn a living and would like to have careers - but can't.

I doubt there will be an apology. The preferred response is to blame it on the people who are struggling. This is, of course ridiculous, since so much of this is not the individual's fault.

Sadly, Social Security will have run out by the time today's young adults will be old enough to access it. This is just a shame.

Speaking as a "rural American," it's really sad how so many people around here have just given up. They're just living day by day, chasing their drug of choice and applying for their food stamps, never seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and spreading their negativistic mindset like a disease on the rest of us. Many of these people - including family members of mine - voted Trump out of desperation. He's not "bringing back the jobs." Remember, when "economic recovery" started, it was only recovery for a tiny percentage of the populace, mostly city-dwellers. The video below is pretty much how my town is, and it's the young (and very old) who suffer the most acutely from our politicians', banks', and big businesses' mistakes.

Well, the rural poor are called the invisible poor for a reason..

People like to say the economy is booming, but it is not really when we have so many people going through what you have described. These people feel dejected and left behind and that's why they voted in droves for Trump and I can understand why. For many, it seems to be a blame game of people pointing fingers and never getting to the issue of whatever problems could be.

I think the elite are out of touch with this segment of the population. Horrifically out of touch. And even the figures these people feel they can turn to I still think are out of touch. Now, Trump might genuinely care about the struggles faced by many of his supporters. Sure, but I don't think he really understands what it is like. I think we also need new, younger blood as leadership.

And I think the increasing polarization of our communities is only excacerbating the problem. People need to work together, not bunker down in an echo chamber of an "us versus them" context. The people have common interests. For the most part. So culture then becomes increasingly hostile.

I only hope future generations can improve on this.

In a lot of "Trump Country" among the people who could be considered "white trash" it is just a horrifically sad situation for people in general. A lot of them are very easily deceived due to anger. There's also large swaths of them who are uneducated. (I know of many highly intelligent Trump supporters, so I'm not trying to call them stupid to deride them. This is just an observation.)

 

[Lark]

most people are miserable because of oppression, some because they are just wired that way, unfortunately sometimes there's a cross over between both of those things

 

[Peter Deadpan]

Commenting to remind myself to come back.

I never actually do, but let's see what happens.

 

[Jaguar]

Who is this jerk in the video? What an ass.

Starting at 6:20. "That's real stress they're feeling and it's because a Republican defeated a Democrat." It's not about Republicans, it's about Trump. Every Democrat I have spoken to IRL has said they'd do anything to have GW back instead of Trump. I was having the same conversation with yet another Democrat just last night at the library. It has nothing to do with Republicans as a whole; it has to do with the juvenile delinquent in the WH who co-opted the Republican party. Or haven't you noticed Republicans leaving the party?

If not, have your eyes and ears checked.

 

[Lark]

Who is this jerk in the video? What an ass.

Starting at 6:20. "That's real stress they're feeling and it's because a Republican defeated a Democrat." It's not about Republicans, it's about Trump. Every Democrat I have spoken to IRL has said they'd do anything to have GW back instead of Trump. I was having the same conversation with yet another Democrat just last night at the library. It has nothing to do with Republicans as a whole; it has to do with the juvenile delinquent in the WH who co-opted the Republican party. Or haven't you noticed Republicans leaving the party?

If not, have your eyes and ears checked.

Have republicans really been leaving the party?

I had wondered about that PJ O'Rourke at least thought that Trump was a bad development.

 

[Jaguar]

Have republicans really been leaving the party?

Lifelong Republicans, yes. Hell, there were a shitload of Republicans working behind the scenes to get Democrats elected during the midterms. Checks and balances.

 

[Virtual ghost]

I am going to say some "horrible things" but I really don't think this is because I am horrible person.


I watched this. However this as well as this whole thread has evident ideological bias that no one questions since people don't consider the full picture. The idea is that if people have it bad someone in the government messed that up. While no one thinks about is this happening because other countries have overpowered you in trade, innovation, system design, resource management ... etc. Regardless of the party or race there seems to be the feeling that no one can be stronger than America under any circumstances. While in fact that stubborn arrogance is what created this entire mess and here is how.



1. In 21th century innovation and adaptability are very important while in US and especially rural US people are prone to keep their beliefs and that is the end. However you can't support people that are anti hard science and expect progress. Since without science and technology there is no manufacturing that made good part of the good paying jobs in rural US. Without science there are no cars, food, computers, buildings, meds, all kinds of equipment, power lines ..... so without this not only that you can't really keep what you have you can't match other countries that even don't have this kinds of debates and are more free to progress. In other words some people for decades are voting against economic growth at any choice they have and that has consequences. This isn't 18th century were you can learn good paying job in a 6 months.




2. So as the world is getting complex the technological level grows and you simply can't improvise in this anymore. Today you need people that went through 20-30 years of pretty rigorous and systematic education to rule the market. While your average homeschooling mom and improvised public education just can't educate you in all the details and experiments as the real expert, no matter how much it loves you or respects you. The fact is that exactly due to individualistic freedoms the big company owners were allowed to outsource jobs, what created a business vacuum and the new generation walked right into this mess and it didn't manage to make something out of itself. Especially since education is often out of sync with what is the foundation of better paid jobs. At this point even the good chunk of well paid jobs in US is done by foreign people since they have the education for it. Therefore since the logic is every man for himself you can just outsource the jobs since many people abroad are more competent and they in general work for less, perhaps even much less and the quality is on the level (what creates extra profit). In other words in the case you have stronger social cohesion in the country you could have found the way to prevent this before the whole thing exploded. Modern economy is a team sport while in America everyone plays for itself and sometimes players get so pissed that they are shooting at their own basket out of spite, everyone want to be a star every game ..... that just isn't how you win in team sports.




3. Perhaps the most important aspect in all this is that the others really worked hard to be better than you. What is absolutely huge thing that gets overlooked or in best case all others are in "they have taken advantage of us". What perhaps is even true to some degree but truly plenty of work and money was invested in progress in the other parts of the world. On this forum I have seen people that don't fully realize that at this point on the other side of Atlantic you have a copy of USA that is more progress minded, it has it's own currency, economy of similar size, about 50% more people, anthem and a parliament ... and it is slowly but surely becoming more hostile/indifferent towards you. Perhaps even more importantly you have the economic miracle of China that is sucking in all concrete knowledge and manufacturing jobs on the planet in a very planned fashion. You have India that is also on the rise and grows in economic sense something like 9% a year at the moment. Plus there is Putin that got Russia back on track and he lurks in the shadows. Also you have "smaller" economic pacts like ASEAN, I say small because ASEAN has twice as many people as the whole USA. USA has only about 320 million people while Eurasia as main landmass has about 5000 million people, which are now waking up from colonialism and ww2/cold war. Therefore expecting that business as usual will work is a very optimistic thinking, especially if we all live in the same global village. The concept that is completely new.


Today the world is a slaughterhouse in economic sense and many in America still think that you can just throw your kid out of the house when they turn 18. While such people are actually unlikely to be truly competitive on the global market. Plus even if they get to college there is a question of quality and student debt, since in the end they will have to face someone like me. The state educated me and it gave me the free health care so that I can focus more on the actual studying process. Plus in the end I have 0$ in student debt and I can open my own business and do whatever I want. Plus I don't have to worry about being shoot as school. While in this video and on this forum people said to me that a person should not depend on the government on anything. Ok, as you wish, but be prepared for the scenario that this will have serious consequences. Especially since most wouldn't get onto those few elite universities and get various scholarships for it.




This is kinda horrible thing to say but America shot itself in the foot a number of times and now it risks bleeding to death. Therefore if someone was asking me to go into a tank battle on a horse I would as well be uninterested in everything. You can moralize about tradition of riding a horse into battle, values and traditions but at the end of the the day that means nothing if you are in a tank battle on a horse. Tank battle is a tank batter regardless of what you think about it.




At least this is the impression that I got for the most part.
Btw the guy from intro video sounds as he is quite glad that entire generation is messed up.

 

[SurrealisticSlumbers]

[MENTION=4347]Virtual ghost[/MENTION], couldn't agree more with everything you said. I always enjoy reading your posts on here. Clearly the U.S.' best years are behind us. I like your analogy of riding into a tank battle when all you have is a horse.
Every civilization has it's 'golden age' and ours is most definitely over. Other countries have more clout, better educated citizens, etc. than the U.S. Sadly, denial is huge among the older generations here. They don't quite get it, and still think if we go back to doing things we did in the past, we'll get somewhere. God forbid you point out what another country is doing as a possible solution, then you're anti-American. I'm sick of the backwards mentality and many others my age are too.

 

[Population: 1]

Commenting to remind myself to come back.

I never actually do, but let's see what happens.

Someone needs to hold you accountable for all these placeholder ‘will provide actual comment later (maybe/probably not)’ posts!

 

[hurl3y4456]

Our identity is a manifestation of personality traits, genetics, external stimulation, internal conditioning (depending on cultural ideologies), exc. Based on these factors, the projection of external events onto our identity can facilitate internal conflict. We decide how strongly these external influences attract/mold to our identity shaped throughout childhood/adolescence. If we seek to solve problems x1,x2,.....xn or attain goal y1,y2,...., yn and we achieve only a proportion/percentage of the total, then we decide how content or accepting we are in regards to the end result....Increasing competition (booming population....) has restricted our ability to attain these factors (in regards to the amount of time/energy invested), yet we have more options. If we choose not to align these options with our interests, we will be left empty. Being accepting of our weaknesses and content with our current status will help us propel forward. If this condition is not met, then we may meander down the wrong path (+ rely on our coping mechanism to intermittently escape). It will only create a heavier burden to carry that will resist us from reaching the peak....By increasing our standards to attain contentment, we increase the elevation of the peak, which only makes it more unattainable.

Also, (although change is very important regarding our lifestyles), if the change occurs too rapidly (communication gap between generations diverges), then the older generation will become more dissatisfied(may look down on the younger generation) because we adapt to conditions placed upon us as we are transitioning to adulthood. We cannot control external negativity projected onto us as it is inevitable....Thus, we must focus on aspects that we can control to better our lifestyle.

 

[Lark]

Lifelong Republicans, yes. Hell, there were a shitload of Republicans working behind the scenes to get Democrats elected during the midterms. Checks and balances.

That's interesting.

I think that Beorn would be the type to support that sort of thing, less so Disco and a few of the other forum republicans here.

- - - Updated - - -

Someone needs to hold you accountable for all these placeholder posts!

placeholder?

- - - Updated - - -

Our identity is a manifestation of personality traits, genetics, external stimulation, internal conditioning (depending on cultural ideologies), exc. Based on these factors, the projection of external events onto our identity can facilitate internal conflict. We decide how strongly these external influences attract/mold to our identity shaped throughout childhood/adolescence. If we seek to solve problems x1,x2,.....xn or attain goal y1,y2,...., yn and we achieve only a proportion/percentage of the total, then we decide how content or accepting we are in regards to the end result....Increasing competition (booming population....) has restricted our ability to attain these factors (in regards to the amount of time/energy invested), yet we have more options. If we choose not to align these options with our interests, we will be left empty. Being accepting of our weaknesses and content with our current status will help us propel forward. If this condition is not met, then we may meander down the wrong path (+ rely on our coping mechanism to intermittently escape). It will only create a heavier burden to carry that will resist us from reaching the peak....By increasing our standards to attain contentment, we increase the elevation of the peak, which only makes it more unattainable.

You should [MENTION=3325]Mole[/MENTION]'s recent discoveries about freedom.

Fascinating stuff.