It’s easy to get used to being “the younger generation.” I’m sure that when Baby Boomers transitioned from being young hippie free thinkers to yuppie Reaganites, it felt weird to no longer be the youngest generation. People cared about disaffected Gen Xers for a brief moment in the 90s, but since then, Millennials have dominated the generational discourse. I remember seeing a cover of Time Magazine hailing Millennials as “The Me Generation,” claiming they were uniquely obsessed with themselves. In hindsight, that is a silly analysis considering how Boomers are similarly obsessed with themselves.
Every single “older generation” has had the same critiques of the younger generation for centuries: they claim they’re coddled and not as hard-working when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Luckily for millennials, there’s a new scapegoat in town. “Gen Z” as a term only took off in the last five years, and they’re now the superstars of the generation conversation. Unfortunately, that leaves millennials with a startling new reality: they are no longer “the younger generation.” Luckily for millennials, pushing 40 does not mean they can’t still enjoy their favorite activities, like not buying a house because of avocado toast and scrolling through dank memes!
