Millennials are very hard done by. Society is obsessed with telling us that we’re wrong. When we express our frustrations with the world around us we’re told to stop complaining. They say we’re ‘snowflakes’ for arguing against things we believe are wrong. And, it takes one simple Google search to discover hoards of articles calling us lazy, entitled and selfish. However, we are facing insane challenges unlike any generation before us. We had no control of how we got here yet, here we are, constantly having to fight against the societal forces the world is serving us.
This idea of entitlement seems to come from us questioning the hand we’ve been dealt, particularly when it comes to money and housing, but it’s no wonder. By the time my parents were in their early 30s, they were on the housing ladder. This was not a rarity. On the other hand, a report by the Resolution Foundation last year found that by the time I reach that age, this reality is only half as likely. For it to be possible at all, I’ll most likely have to move back into my family home and save the money that would’ve otherwise been filtered into the pocket of a landlord. Even then, it’s a pipe dream.
When we were teens it was sold to us that going to university and getting a good degree translated to an equally good and relevant job. And to be fair that used to be the case. The generations before us studied hard [probably for free – tuition fees didn’t even exist until the late 90s] and were rewarded with relevant graduate employment. Now, we pay £9000+ a year before accommodation and living costs for an ever-increasingly large proportion of us to end up working in entry level role.
Taking into account that, despite putting ourselves into considerable amounts of debt getting an education, we rarely end up working in the job we want to, we’re either living in extortionately priced rented accommodation or with our parents, and wages are seriously lagging behind inflation rates, please cut us some slack. It’s not a fair situation to be in and it should be completely understandable that we’re pissed off. So, consider this. Maybe we’re not entitled, or lazy, or snowflakes. Maybe we’re just being let down by a world that promised us everything and has yet to deliver.