40 Painfully Relatable Truths All Millennials Can Relate To, As Shared On The ‘Lost Generation’ Online Group (New Pics)
Millennials are the generation born between roughly 1981 and 1996, although the actual dates can slightly vary depending on where you look.
In terms of numbers, it recently surpassed baby boomers as the most significant group in the United States, with an estimated population of 72.1 million.
But that doesn't mean the world revolves around them.
Millennials face the most uncertain economic future of any generation in America since the Great Depression—three decades of stagnant wages were followed by the Great Recession (which left more than 15% of those in their early 20s out of work), and then came the pandemic, which upended the financial and housing markets plus impacted employment across multiple sectors.
To paint you a better picture of their struggles, we at Bored Panda covered the subreddit the 'Lost Generation.' But with the Great Resignation and major geopolitical changes reshaping the world, we thought we need to release an update. So continue scrolling to check out some of the posts that recently went viral within this online community.
This post may include affiliate links.
Found On Another Sub, Another Issue Blamed On Us
So binge watching Netflix is not okay but owning multiple gas guzzlers and private planes is okay? Got it.
Yes Right They Are The 1% In The World
That's the point. A bunch of rich people convincing the middle class that poor people are the problem while minimum wage has stayed the same since 2009. Hint, if minimum wage goes up, then so does everyone else's salaries. This is why minimum wage hasn't been increased and no politician wants it to increase because it will affect their stocks.
We managed to get in touch with Reddit user u/Adahn5, one of the moderators of 'Lost Generation,' and they agreed to tell us more about this community.
"Millennials have come of age during the later stages of development of neoliberal economic reforms that began in the 1970s. Because this led to the repeal of many worker protections and social safety net policies, along with a substantially declined rate of profit compared to post-war America, millennials simply weren't able to access the kinds of benefits and security that the Keynesian economic measures created by the New Deal had originally set up for working-class people," the mod told Bored Panda.
"Their economic opportunities have been stunted out of the gate. If we study economics, we can easily see how there is a natural tendency within capitalism toward reduced profits over time for a number of reasons, and since material costs are relatively fixed because of global value chains, the ones who pay the cost are ultimately workers. Millennials, and now Gen Z, being the most recent generations, experience the worst effects in this outcome, and we can expect the same for Gen Alpha, the generation coming after them."
Yep
Blame your employer, don't blame people literally trying not to starve or get evicted because they lost their jobs.
Friendly Neighborhood Preexisting Condition
He's not Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark. He can't afford the emergency room trip.
Millennials have adopted a somewhat global mindset, with factors such as social responsibility and the environment frequently playing a pivotal role in placing their money.
Thus, as a generation, millennials choose to follow either their instincts or go along with their peers regarding individual investment choices.
However, the distrust of financial advisors doesn't seem to apply to all of them. Investopedia's Affluent Millennial Investing Survey, for example, revealed that nearly two-thirds (65%) of the affluent millennials surveyed do, in fact, trust financial advisors.
The Retirement Age
Now a revolutionary proposal: Why don't we give power to the people who have to live with the consequences of their actions for several decades to come? Current politicians will no longer live when their decisions come to fruition...
Preach
Everything Is F**ked
Plus, the absorbing of all the lies from "certain we're-not-mainstream-media outlets" have taught people that anything even slightly good is bad by default. Spite against progress. Dunning Kruger "researchers"
Schrödinger's Worker
She doesn't get it, she should have had rich parents... What an idiot.
The survey gathered information from 1,405 millennials who reported a median income of $132,000 and also found that those who consider themselves knowledgeable about investing are more than twice as likely to have a financial advisor.
Interestingly, many millennials are interested in having a personal connection with those who manage their money, despite their comfort with the use of mobile and online technology to perform many investing functions.
Considering all of that, it shouldn't come as a surprise that millennials are often characterized as conscious spenders.
Sustainability and customer service are high on the list of what they buy and how they shop. Millennials spent over $4,000 on travel in 2021, and high-net-worth millennials spent upwards of $5,000 or more. According to Expedia, millennials travel 35 days per year.
Here Comes The Boom!
Agreed. The Reagan generation handing over power to the corporate liars and their insane marketing of how being poor is good for the economy
How Many Of Us Are Actually Enjoying Life?
The Lesson Of Taking Big Risks
Exactly!!!
It's all the poor people and the president greedily raising inflation! /s
However, when they're not traveling, millennials are enjoying their food and beverages.
On average, this generation spends more on dining and shopping online than previous generations. Millennials and post-millennials spent 47% of their total food spending on dining out or take-out food, according to 2018 figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Their desire to indulge themselves could be explained by the uncertainty of the future we mentioned before. If you don't know what tomorrow will bring, you might as well enjoy yourself today.
Now Another Invention From Health Care Capitalism
The Big Corporation Is Our Problem
Seriously? They're just trying to grow some food and survive. What kind of fresh hell is this?
Let's Talk About This
At My Age I Had...
But u/Adahn5 doesn't think millennials are left to deal with their problems alone. The mod of the subreddit believes different generations can actually talk and, most importantly, understand each other.
"The issue at play isn't a problem of language, the impasse is ideological," they said. "Younger generations simply can't buy into the notion that capitalism as a socio-economic system is capable of bringing them well-being or moderate prosperity.
"Working-class people, whether baby boomers or millennials, live under the same system, but the latter were able to live through a period that still maintained some of the Keynesian social-democratic reforms that made their existence much easier than it is now. Lower costs and higher access to things like higher education, homeownership, and job security make them unable to empathize, which is to say put themselves in the shoes, of millennials who don't have the same economic support systems."
Why No One Has Kids Anymore
Game Theorists
Millenials learn to cut own hair and tailor own clothes as they can't afford for others to do it for them.
Employment Lesson
Millennials are most worried about saving money, managing debt, and planning for retirement. But data shows most of them remain hopeful about their financial future.
u/Adahn5 said the reason for this optimism might lie in the support of the system. "If you read some of the philosophy behind how ideology operates, particularly from writers like Engels, Lukács, Marcuse, or Zizek, we understand that ideology isn't just in what we think or what we say, it's in the doing of it," the mod said.
"Zizek in particular has an example he likes to trot out about belief in Santa Clause. If you ask parents whether they believe or not, they'll tell you, 'No, I'm not an idiot. I'm the one who buys the presents, but I do it for the children.'"
"When you ask the children, though, you get a similar response. 'No, of course not, I'm not a dummy. I just pretend not to hurt my parents.' The extra toys probably don't hurt either."
Basically, The Laws Exist To Protect The Capitalist Class
Tell Me We Are Living In A Dysfunctional, Dystopian Nightmare, Without Saying We’re Living In A Fucking Dysfunctional, Dystopian Nightmare
Couple Gives Up Baby Because They Can't Afford One
No, this can’t be true?? This is absolutely disgusting and heartbreaking. Doesn’t the US have child benefit or child tax credits or whatever the equivalent is? That poor couple, I hope they do get to meet him again one day 😥
This Is Unthinkable Today
Nowadays, a person with a bachelor's or master's degree can't even afford to buy a home.
"Neither groups believe, but the ideology sustains itself nonetheless because both continue to act as though it does. Why do millennials and Gen Z continue going to college despite the fact that they don't believe it will guarantee them a job anymore? Why do they continue thinking that homeownership is the fastest pathway to 'building generational wealth'? It's what the system has articulated for them, and what the system allows in so far as what a single person can do in this day and age as they go through life."
Give This Guy A Medal!!
Know The Real Culprits
The entirety of Texas did this when we had the freeze of February 2021 and then the heatwave that summer. Cut off the power to the residential areas and left the power on to the businesses that weren't open. Then tried to tell us that even though it was over 100 outside we needed to conserve power and not use the A/C. THEN the power companies gouged prices to those that didn't lose power during the freeze. They want us all to die, it's simple as that, human life is now worthless unless you're a millionaire or "better"
Capitalism Moment
Time To Start Building Our Hobbit Holes
The moderator of 'Lost Generation' believes "the remedy to all of this won't be found in the bosom of social democracy; not when the mechanisms that pressured it into being after the Great Depression were eliminated."
"Millennials and Gen Z seem to understand this and are seeking to build up working-class political organizations, and unions, use direct action, engage in mutual aid, and reinvest their time and efforts into community organizing. The future is uncertain, but people by and large aren't giving up."
Totally Normal
Bosses Decided To F**k Around...now They Are Finding Out
It's very refreshing that the current generations are standing up for themselves. It's sad that they have to .
Damn True
The.What..? I get them free. Why doesn't the FBI step in? It's racketeering
Thanks To Investors For Pumping Housing Prices
Wouldn't work for me anyway - my only remaining parent remarried a much younger person and they'll get it all. Their money, their choice 🤷
See The Problem
Millennial's American Dream Is To Rent An Apartment Without A Roommate
What Do You Think?
I'm a boomer and I wiped bums for a living. Definitely not a 6 figure wage.
Oh Noooo, Not Negative Prices For Electricity!
Why else would people demonize the green new deal so badly? They and the people that own them will lose a ton of cash.
The Most-Educated Generation Is The Poorest
“A lot of these cultural crimes I’m complaining about can be blamed on the Baby Boomers. Whiny, narcissistic, self-indulgent people with a simple philosophy: ‘GIMME IT, IT’S MINE!’ ‘GIMME THAT, IT’S MINE!’ These people were given everything. Everything was handed to them. And they took it all: sex, drugs, and rock and roll, and they stayed loaded for 20 years and had a free ride.” “But now they’re staring down the barrel of middle-age burnout, and they don’t like it. So they’ve turned self-righteous. They want to make things harder on younger people. They tell ’em, abstain from sex, say no to drugs; as for the rock and roll, they sold that for television commercials a long time ago…so they could buy pasta machines and Stairmasters and soybean futures. These people went from ‘Do Your Own Thing’ to ‘Just Say No.’ They went from ‘Love is All You Need’ to ‘Whoever Winds Up With the Most Toys, Wins.’ And they went from cocaine to Rogaine.” -- Carlin 1996
This Is A Good Example Of The Events Necessary To Cause Laughing And Crying At The Same Time
Well, we can't afford hospital bills if we get a heart attack or stroke. So we're just trying to stay healthier by eating homemade food.
Empty Flights As The World Burns, The Efficiency Of Capitalism
Thought This Belongs Here
Quite the opposite and even if we were worried, it'd be because the boyfriends and husbands are generally being grossly underpaid for the amount of work they do
Sage Advice…
Only to be told that they need 15 years experience selling houses before they can do it.
Pay Me What I Am Worth, Give Me Healthcare And Leave Me Alone
Just Be Born To A Tech Entrepreneur /S. Also, Reddit Employee Shit Posting On Linkedin
This Made Me Sit & Think In Silence For Like An Hour
It's also sad that there are more vacant houses in the US than homeless people. In this fact check, the numbers were off, but it still is true. https://amp.checkyourfact.com/2019/12/24/fact-check-633000-homeless-million-vacant-homes
Exactly How Far Their Premiums Would Go To Take Care Of Them
Yes, this American complaint always makes me smile.. insurance is the ultimate socialist construct. Everyone pays a small amount to afford something collectively...
Respect For His Bravery...
Point out that they encourage people to be as honest as possible while yelling, "You can't handle the truth!"
Millennial Day Dream
And daydreaming creative ways to tell your employer that you quit if you were ever to get rich.
Late Stage Capitalism Is Depressing As Hell
Representative Lee Carter
We Don't Even Know What We've Lost
Then put it literally everywhere. Litter the entire planet with it. To the point I swear we’re going to have advertisements running in our showers. No f*****g escape from it.
Giving Massive Loans To 18yr Olds For Stupid Degrees Is Actually The Governments Mistake. Paying Them Back Will Only Reinforce Their Beliefs Lol
It's about time the government learnt to take responsibility for their actions and the best way to learn is through experience.
What Do You Think?
We Are So Smart
Let's Promise To Follow Her Lead And Not Repeat To Future Generations What's Been Barked At Us
Thing is, I actually am older (61), and never played by or agreed with—-in fact, pushed back against—-those “rules”. Back then I was part of a minuscule minority, so even my fellow oppressed employees didn’t stand up with me. Cost me some jobs, and now I have to work until I die because of the hits to my retirement fund—-that is, IF I can get a job, after losing my last one to the pandemic (exposed to COVID in the office, company was in denial and wouldn’t let me stay home to quarantine, so I had to resign), because ageism. Didn’t make for an easy life, but at least I can say I was one of the early protestors against the wage slave mentality of my generation.
4 Day Work Week Doesn’t Really Sound That Bad
I can't make sense of how to make that work well for hourly workers. Shortening the work week means less hours, which means less money per paycheck. Increasing minimum wage would help those at the bottom. Some people who get paid hourly and make more than minimum wage would still get screwed.
Do The Math
As if making them pay out even half or three quarters of their yearly earnings will mean they won’t be able to pay rent or buy food, and will end up homeless. Like it would—-does—-for the rest of us. Yes, there actually ARE homeless people who are working full time jobs. They just don’t make six or seven figures doing it, so can’t afford rent. Well, they used to, but the neighborhood gentrified, their landlord got greedy, or both, and they were priced right out of their the -affordable apartments and couldn’t find new ones.
Millennials R Causing The Biggest Babybust In History. Last F U To The Economical Hardships Created By Wealthy Older People
Pro Tip: When they say "replacement level," they mean "an abundant labor pool to guarantee the employer has the advantage."
We Send A Lot More Than That And Unlike Stimulus It Doesn't Get Recirculated
Double Dare
Instead of eating an entire whole meal for dinner, why not split it up into 3-4 days worth of food?
Backsliding By Design
Unsurprising, And Yet
Insert Grindset Quote About Building Your Business With Hard Work And Sacrifice
Was having this discussion with someone last night. "No matter what your situation, it's all on you to be successful!" No, dude. Outside forces you can't control have a HUGE impact on what you're able to do. It's not excuses or negativity, it's just fact.
Stolen From Facebook, Still Funny
Speechless
The Meat Shield Generation Since 1981
And X, well, we're not going to really get a good chance. We've watched things catch fire for decades. We've had no real power because Boomers won't step aside. I have huge hopes for the Mil and Z's. I hope that they can get things on the right path. Most of X is rooting for you guys!
Not Really Into Politics
Why Is It Every Time I Try To Find The Source Of An American Problem, It’s Him?
Affordable Housing
Probably the reason why Animal Crossing NH is/was so popular: you could purchase a house, actually pay it off and start remodelling.
At Some Pint You Realize Everything Is Just For Distraction
I think we should chain the billionaires and have them fight to the death. If we had a bracketed billionaire bare-knuckle boxing tournament (without separate weight classes), I could see the final coming down to Sergey Brin vs. Gautam Adani. Conversely, Bernard Arnault & Warren Buffet would definitely fall in the first round.
You Gotta Laugh At The Absurdity Of It All
Lol. $415 000?! That's a steal where I live. Add another $600 000 and you might buy a modest 2 bedroom. I have a masters degree in sociology and political science (aka saving the damn world), 80k in debt, and I manage a restaurant/nightclub. Our wealthy clientele love to laugh at my education and surmise why I am where I am. I don't tell them about my education anymore. Eat the rich- cuz for f*ck's sake, they sure eat you and I.
Implosion Imminent...
Anyone ever daydream about going back a couple of decades but still maintain your present day salary and imagining how ballin' your life would be?
I Can't Wait To Get Sterilized
Lifecycle Of A Millennial
Loans Start Repayment In January. A F**k You From The Democrats
Parasites
“I wOrKeD hArD fOr My InCoMe” no my man, I worked hard for your income.
No Kidding
Working just to stay alive :( some people don’t even make enough for that.
Pizza Time
I will never ever forget the day, gen x though i am. I turned and told my boss, who has just ordered me to clean up 🤮 in the bathroom, that her $7 and tips bartender job only bought so much! We stared at each other, and she grabbed the mop not me. This was in 2006. I'd been there for nine years. It was a good second job, but not that good. I didn't lose it either.
Poor Millennials
I can't read posts like these anymore. i don't think anything is going to change for the better, especially in regards to environmental destruction. This planet is going to hell in a handbasket and NOTHING will be done to stop it. We are absolutely not going to make it to 2100.
We can turn the environment around, really. It bounces back so fast. We just need to change enough environmental policies to actually give it some breathing room, which I'm afraid, is the real struggle.
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Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Tesla and Amazon are owned by GenX, not boomers. Just saying ...
They aren't owned by any generation, they are owned by a couple of incredibly rich men who represent nobody but themselves.
Load More Replies... I can't read posts like these anymore. i don't think anything is going to change for the better, especially in regards to environmental destruction. This planet is going to hell in a handbasket and NOTHING will be done to stop it. We are absolutely not going to make it to 2100.
We can turn the environment around, really. It bounces back so fast. We just need to change enough environmental policies to actually give it some breathing room, which I'm afraid, is the real struggle.
Load More Replies... Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Tesla and Amazon are owned by GenX, not boomers. Just saying ...
They aren't owned by any generation, they are owned by a couple of incredibly rich men who represent nobody but themselves.
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