Who was it that raised the Millennial's? For the life of me I can't recall ever having seen children handing out "participation trophy's" to other children... What was it the Greatest Generation said about the Baby Boomers in the 60's? Something about dirty hippies?
Children are a product of the times they grow up in, but to blame Millennials' for Millennials' is to imply that they were raised in a vacuum by each other. Millennials' did not raise Millennials'. Baby boomers and to a lesser extent Gen Xers raised Millennials, Boomers and Xers handed out participation trophies. Boomers and Xers bought Millennials the video games system. Boomers and Xers created the environment that Millennials' grew up in. Boomers and Xers created the TV content and Music that Millennials' grew up with. Boomers and Xers created and marketed ALL the tech that shaped the Millennial generation. Don't blame Frankenstein's monster for Frankenstein's monster.I grew up at my fathers side, he was always working on something and I was right there looking over his shoulder and handing him wrenches, he taught me a lot. When I was a teenager I bought an old worn out pickup and he helped me fix it up, taught me how to do my own work.
Fast forward to my own two boys ( Now 36 and 39 ) , no interest whatsoever in anything mechanical. They work in offices, nothing wrong with that, they are their own persons. But I think they are a snapshot of their generation that grew up with computers and video games.
My childhood was spent playing ball in the neighborhood park with all the other kids on my street, television had five channels and was in black and white. When I was a teen, working on cars with your pals was hugely entertaining.......ah, but I digress.
now I'm a machinist for the FAA.
The wife's Grand Prix is a transverse 6. To change the rear plugs you have to remove the dog bone mounts on top and other odds and ends.... and roll the motor forward. What a pain.I know I’m digressing, but just for example, I just installed new spark plugs in my Fiat, talk about a motor being shoe horned into a tiny space! The plugs are in the top of the head like a hemi, I had to remove three layers of parts just to see them, then they reside about 8” down in a hole just big enough to get the socket down in and every spark plug has it’s own coil. It sure ain’t like the Chevys I grew up working on!
I grew up at my fathers side, he was always working on something and I was right there looking over his shoulder and handing him wrenches, he taught me a lot. When I was a teenager I bought an old worn out pickup and he helped me fix it up, taught me how to do my own work.
Fast forward to my own two boys ( Now 36 and 39 ) , no interest whatsoever in anything mechanical. They work in offices, nothing wrong with that, they are their own persons. But I think they are a snapshot of their generation that grew up with computers and video games.
My childhood was spent playing ball in the neighborhood park with all the other kids on my street, television had five channels and was in black and white. When I was a teen, working on cars with your pals was hugely entertaining.......ah, but I digress.
For the last 100 years every generation has been mocked by previous generation's. All generation's are subject to stereotypes, all generational stereotypes are based in fact but not every person of said generation fits that stereotype. It's easy to lump all millennials' into the tight pants, self-absorbed, me first group. But lets not overlook the fact that with youngest gen Xers being 40+ this year, our military is made up of almost %100 millennials'. Our skilled trades while somewhat under staffed is now made up of roughly %50 millennials' at this point. Also remember that (many) millennials' are as disgusted by the actions of their fellow millennials' as you are.We live on a small farm. Horses, chickens, vegetables, etc. If you don't work. You don't eat. That was the rule. They also drove old cars (1985 Ranger, 1979 CJ5) and helped me to fix them. As a result both are hard working, responsible young adults. So... not all millennials fit the stereotype.
But there are stereotypes for a reason...