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Older Millennials Explain Which Stereotypes Aggravate Them The Most

People between the ages of 22 to 37, these are for you.


Speaking as one, being a millennial can be the most challenging (apparently) 15 years of your life. For whatever reason the generations that came before us seem to have intense, unresolved hate and irritation with our demographic. But why? Is it because we've figured out how to streamline previously long, ineffective work? Is it because they don't know how to handle getting older? Whatever the reason, reading through these stereotypes people have for millennials will certainly make your blood boil if you let it.

Reddit user, u/NukeEnergy, wanted to know what ticks you off the most when they asked:

Elder millennials, what stereotype aggravates you the most?

They Think We Know Us

Just to be clear - Anecdotal evidence is not evidence. Just because they once knew someone who worked with someone who's nephew is a bit lazy, all of a sudden that means all millennials are lazy? Right?

You Know What I've Done To Get Here/

I had to go on a business trip and work with an older lady who was just about ready to retire. I manage tradeshows and travel around North America to convention centers and hotels organizing events. She had an old school way of checking inventory by hand. I'm pretty good with excel and salesforce, so I had a faster way of doing it.

I got the job done like I've been doing for years and left so I could go enjoy Vancouver. We've all heard the saying "Work Smarter, not harder". She couldn't get it through her head that the work day was done for me. I found out from another colleague that she called me a lazy entitled [millennial] with no work ethic. So that's the stereotype I hate. I busted my a-- and paid my way through college. I worked long hours and kissed a-- to get to the position I'm in. I know plenty of other young professionals that have done the same. This idea from baby boomers that we're entitled or lazy gets tiresome.

FieriFlavortown0

Yeah, We're Here Right Alongside You, Dummy

That we don't take our jobs seriously. I had to sit my peer (55+) down and tell him that the millennials he was b-tching about were the same age as the "very qualified and mission-focused" person he's been working with for the past decade.

We're* upper management.

*me and colleague in story specifically, not a generalization on millennials, to clarify

werewolf3five9

Look At Where You Are

I'm getting really tired of hearing about us lying around expecting handouts and not working. Especially when it's a situation where the person saying it is standing in a room with a lot of millennials, all of whom have jobs, which is every single time I've heard this said in real life.

Like, who here is lying around doing nothing?

Whose your example? Oh it's your neighbour's best friend's cousins son, he doesn't have a job and lies on the couch all day. Okay.

12ed11

That I don't know what hard work is.

I am 37 and have worked in construction since I was 15 and still in high school. Chances are I've worked harder than most people's whiny self absorbed "consultant" parents.

What a great generation they lived in. The world was handed to them by the greatest generation, and they f-cked it all up for us to inherit and now they get to kick back before the oceans rise from the damage they helped create and call their kids, us, lazy and entitled.

Don't forget to remind me how you were able to afford your house you bought in the 70s by "saving up and spending wisely." This of course after you guys spent the following decades shredding the housing market for the rest of us.

I'm also sick and tired of listening to old dinosaurs rant about how much better life was in their day. Yeah, the lack of civil rights and rampant sexism or homophobia was real awesome. So was being a deadbeat dad who didn't know how to express his emotions to his kids or love his wife properly. The good old days sounded great, where you also just unquestioningly obeyed your government and media sources instead of being a critical thinker. Real awesome. The way you people lived is why the world is so f-cked up still today. There was nothing great about it, so stop acting like your generation was the be-all, end-all of human society.

The_UnApologist

What We Lack And What Problems We Create

An easy way to grab readers' attention is have your headline blame things on millennials. It's not hard to see why. Older readers love to see what we're ruining now while the younger readers (us) read it to disagree with it. Obviously, we're the root cause for the complete and utter collapse of all civilization.

The World Evolves

I, for one, am tired of hearing about the things we've "killed".

Tastes change all the time, this is not new.

Aztaris

There's an anecdote that JFK "killed the hat industry"

Hats used to be a staple of American men's fashion. There were dedicated hat shops.

Then JFK came along with his public image of a suave man with impeccable hair. Hats vanished from the mainstream fairly quickly, and the fedora has never recovered.

AdvocateSaint

Our Inability To Learn Is Our Downfall

I hate that we're constantly being accused of being culturally ignorant. Many of us, myself included to a large extent, came out of college with 6 months to find a job to immediately begin paying off a 10 year debt accumulated from going to college. Compared to our peers in Europe or elsewhere that often took a year or more off to travel before or after college - some even getting subsidy from their government in various forms to cover the cost (or lack of income). I believe strongly that this predicament and lack of ability to spend time studying, learning, and engaging with foreign cultures can be strongly linked to the xenophobic and racist mentalities that have caused so many problems in my country (USA).

I'm an optimist and believe a lot of these negative idealism stem from a lack of education and/or opportunities to see the world from various perspectives, one of the many benefits one gains from extended periods traveling as a youth.

Often the same people that voted for, or passively did nothing to prevent, the government and financial policies which created such a burdening system for those seeking education are the same people that shake their heads at the situation we're in.

Marlo-Aurelius

Whose Fault Is This?

When we are looked down upon for needing to use YouTube, etc. for learning tasks (e.g. changing a tyre) that our parents were taught by our grandparents but the former never took the time to teach us.

ScoutyBeagle

My mother never taught me household skills when I was young. When I was a teenager she insisted I do chores like loading the washing machine. Then she got mad when I asked her how the machine works, because "you are a teenager you should know this".

My 5 year old knows how to load and turn on both the washing machine and the dishwasher.

Meilaia

Make. Up. Your. Mind.

"You must go to college and get a degree. You don't want to be flipping burgers or changing the oil in some rich guy's car."

does that, incurs a lot of debt

"These irresponsible millennials and their elitist liberal educations! If they'd been smart, they'd go to community college and transfer/go to trade school. They won't just take a job, any job to pay the bills. They could flip burgers. Why should we pay for their mistakes?"

fishmom5

Maybe You Don't Actually Know What We Are?

Maybe ask yourself if you can substitute the world "millennial" with "much younger person than I" and see if any of your views change.

Sometimes, People Don't Actually Know What A "Millennial" Is

We got blamed for spring break covid outbreaks. WE ARNT IN COLLEGE ANY MORE.

mfsbiwti

"Millenials" has just become a term for "young person with ideals I don't agree with."

KayMaybe

An Unwillingness To Step Aside

as an american, its basically that we're inheriting a system that nobody trusts us to run. all the people who represent us are 2-3 times older than us, the older generations are refusing or unable to retire which is preventing us from actually entering the job market.

ksk3

We currently have the most geriatric Congress in US history, the Boomers refuse to concede power and continue to be elected as they still have sheer numbers on X, Y, and Z. That however will change by 2024 with a relatively even amount and by 2028 most Boomers will be too feeble or will have passed away to be able to make it to the polls.

FicusRobtusa

Maybe You Just Hate Young People?

That we are either 18 years old or 50 years old.

Whatevernameisnt

Seriously. You Just Hate Young People.

The use of the term "millennial" to refer to the general "young person"

Josh4R3d

As a younger millennial, I hate ppl bringing up that I eat tidepods.

Ma'am ppl my age were out of college and in the working world by the time tik tok challenges were a thing.

cloudsandlightning

I'm mid 30s and have had a boomer try to use that to invalidate all of my arguments. "Yeah well at least my generation never ate soap" mine didn't either, and if some of them had, that wouldn't say anything about me.

theprozacfairy

Don't ever let anyone try to put you in a box. If someone is trying to demean you, just because you were born at a different time than they were, remind them that we're living in the most technologically advanced time in all of human history and it's definitely not because of them.

People Reveal The Weirdest Thing About Themselves

Reddit user Isitjustmedownhere asked: 'Give an example; how weird are you really?'

Let's get one thing straight: no one is normal. We're all weird in our own ways, and that is actually normal.

Of course, that doesn't mean we don't all have that one strange trait or quirk that outweighs all the other weirdness we possess.

For me, it's the fact that I'm almost 30 years old, and I still have an imaginary friend. Her name is Sarah, she has red hair and green eyes, and I strongly believe that, since I lived in India when I created her and there were no actual people with red hair around, she was based on Daphne Blake from Scooby-Doo.

I also didn't know the name Sarah when I created her, so that came later. I know she's not really there, hence the term 'imaginary friend,' but she's kind of always been around. We all have conversations in our heads; mine are with Sarah. She keeps me on task and efficient.

My mom thinks I'm crazy that I still have an imaginary friend, and writing about her like this makes me think I may actually be crazy, but I don't mind. As I said, we're all weird, and we all have that one trait that outweighs all the other weirdness.

Redditors know this all too well and are eager to share their weird traits.

It all started when Redditor Isitjustmedownhere asked:

"Give an example; how weird are you really?"

Monsters Under My Bed

"My bed doesn't touch any wall."

"Edit: I guess i should clarify im not rich."

– Practical_Eye_3600

"Gosh the monsters can get you from any angle then."

– bikergirlr7

"At first I thought this was a flex on how big your bedroom is, but then I realized you're just a psycho 😁"

– zenOFiniquity8

Can You See Why?

"I bought one of those super-powerful fans to dry a basement carpet. Afterwards, I realized that it can point straight up and that it would be amazing to use on myself post-shower. Now I squeegee my body with my hands, step out of the shower and get blasted by a wide jet of room-temp air. I barely use my towel at all. Wife thinks I'm weird."

– KingBooRadley

Remember

"In 1990 when I was 8 years old and bored on a field trip, I saw a black Oldsmobile Cutlass driving down the street on a hot day to where you could see that mirage like distortion from the heat on the road. I took a “snapshot” by blinking my eyes and told myself “I wonder how long I can remember this image” ….well."

– AquamarineCheetah

"Even before smartphones, I always take "snapshots" by blinking my eyes hoping I'll remember every detail so I can draw it when I get home. Unfortunately, I may have taken so much snapshots that I can no longer remember every detail I want to draw."

"Makes me think my "memory is full.""

– Reasonable-Pirate902

Same, Same

"I have eaten the same lunch every day for the past 4 years and I'm not bored yet."

– OhhGoood

"How f**king big was this lunch when you started?"

– notmyrealnam3

Not Sure Who Was Weirder

"Had a line cook that worked for us for 6 months never said much. My sous chef once told him with no context, "Baw wit da baw daw bang daw bang diggy diggy." The guy smiled, left, and never came back."

– Frostygrunt

Imagination

"I pace around my house for hours listening to music imagining that I have done all the things I simply lack the brain capacity to do, or in some really bizarre scenarios, I can really get immersed in these imaginations sometimes I don't know if this is some form of schizophrenia or what."

– RandomSharinganUser

"I do the same exact thing, sometimes for hours. When I was young it would be a ridiculous amount of time and many years later it’s sort of trickled off into almost nothing (almost). It’s weird but I just thought it’s how my brain processes sh*t."

– Kolkeia

If Only

"Even as an adult I still think that if you are in a car that goes over a cliff; and right as you are about to hit the ground if you jump up you can avoid the damage and will land safely. I know I'm wrong. You shut up. I'm not crying."

– ShotCompetition2593

Pet Food

"As a kid I would snack on my dog's Milkbones."

– drummerskillit

"Haha, I have a clear memory of myself doing this as well. I was around 3 y/o. Needless to say no one was supervising me."

– Isitjustmedownhere

"When I was younger, one of my responsibilities was to feed the pet fish every day. Instead, I would hide under the futon in the spare bedroom and eat the fish food."

– -GateKeep-

My Favorite Subject

"I'm autistic and have always had a thing for insects. My neurotypical best friend and I used to hang out at this local bar to talk to girls, back in the late 90s. One time he claimed that my tendency to circle conversations back to insects was hurting my game. The next time we went to that bar (with a few other friends), he turned and said sternly "No talking about bugs. Or space, or statistics or other bullsh*t but mainly no bugs." I felt like he was losing his mind over nothing."

"It was summer, the bar had its windows open. Our group hit it off with a group of young ladies, We were all chatting and having a good time. I was talking to one of these girls, my buddy was behind her facing away from me talking to a few other people."

"A cloudless sulphur flies in and lands on little thing that holds coasters."

"Cue Jordan Peele sweating gif."

"The girl notices my tension, and asks if I am looking at the leaf. "Actually, that's a lepidoptera called..." I looked at the back of my friend's head, he wasn't looking, "I mean a butterfly..." I poked it and it spread its wings the girl says "oh that's a BUG?!" and I still remember my friend turning around slowly to look at me with chastisement. The ONE thing he told me not to do."

"I was 21, and was completely not aware that I already had a rep for being an oddball. It got worse from there."

– Phormicidae

*Teeth Chatter*

"I bite ice cream sometimes."

RedditbOiiiiiiiiii

"That's how I am with popsicles. My wife shudders every single time."

monobarreller

Never Speak Of This

"I put ice in my milk."

– GTFOakaFOD

"You should keep that kind of thing to yourself. Even when asked."

– We-R-Doomed

"There's some disturbing sh*t in this thread, but this one takes the cake."

– RatonaMuffin

More Than Super Hearing

"I can hear the television while it's on mute."

– Tira13e

"What does it say to you, child?"

– Mama_Skip

Yikes!

"I put mustard on my omelettes."

– Deleted User

"Oh."

– NotCrustOr-filling

Evened Up

"Whenever I say a word and feel like I used a half of my mouth more than the other half, I have to even it out by saying the word again using the other half of my mouth more. If I don't do it correctly, that can go on forever until I feel it's ok."

"I do it silently so I don't creep people out."

– LesPaltaX

"That sounds like a symptom of OCD (I have it myself). Some people with OCD feel like certain actions have to be balanced (like counting or making sure physical movements are even). You should find a therapist who specializes in OCD, because they can help you."

– MoonlightKayla

I totally have the same need for things to be balanced! Guess I'm weird and a little OCD!

Close up face of a woman in bed, staring into the camera
Photo by Jen Theodore

Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.

Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?

But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.

It would be so great to be sure there is something else.

But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.

Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:

"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"

Sensations

Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy

"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."

PeachesnPain

Recovery

"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."

"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."

"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."

good_golly99

Take Me Back

"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."

"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."

rayrayrayray

Free

The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy

"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."

TooReDTooHigh

This is why I hate surgery.

You just never know.

Shocked

Giphy

"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."

Admirable_Buyer6528

The SOB

"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."

"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”

1-cupcake-at-a-time

Colors

"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"

Hannah_LL7

"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"

huntokarrr

The Fog

"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."

"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."

Fluffy-Hotel-5184

Through the Walls

"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."

"She's quite alive and well today."

Hot-Refrigerator6583

Well let's all be happy to be alive.

It seems to be all we have.

Man's waist line
Santhosh Vaithiyanathan/Unsplash

Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.

The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.

Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.

Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:

"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"

Redditors didn't see these coming.

Shiver Me Timbers

"I’m always cold now!"

– Telrom_1

"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."

– r7ndom

"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."

– mr_remy

Drawing Concern

"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."

– dee-fondy

"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"

"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."

– LizardofDeath

Unleashing Insults

"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”

"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."

– alanamablamaspama

Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight

"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."

– KeltarCentauri

"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."

– KatMagic1977

"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."

– Jaew96

These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.

Shopping

"I can buy clothes in any store I want."

– WaySavvyD

"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."

– ganache98012

No More Symptoms

"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."

– colleennicole93

Expanding Capabilities

"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."

– Ramblonius

People Change Their Tune

"How much nicer people are to you."

"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"

– LiZZygsu

"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"

"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"

– awholedamngarden

It's gonna take some getting used to.

Bones Everywhere

"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."

– Princess-Pancake-97

"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."

– bekastrange

Knee Pillow

"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."

– snic2030

"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."

– Strongbad23

More Mobility

"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."

"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."

– dma1965

People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.

But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.

That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.