Millenials, their difficulties, problems and disadvantages seem to dominate the media at the moment.
One of the stories getting the most exposure this week is about Michael Rotondo, the 30-year-old being evicted from his parent house by a judge in New York State.
It appears that his parents had been unsuccessfully trying to get him to move out of the home for years. He was unemployed and claimed to be concentrating on being a father.
What does the need for a court order to evict a son say about the state of contemporary society?
That story may have a happy ending.
Pizza restaurant Villa Italian Kitchen has offered him a job and an $1101 signing bonus.
Are Millenials really facing more difficulties than earlier generations?
It’s easy to generalize and compare the plight of today’s young adults with those of the Seniors who became adults in the aftermath of WWII, the Boomer Generation who got caught up in the Hippie movement. The Vietnam war for Americans. The effects of terrorism in Rhodesia and South Africa. Members of Generation X my son’s generation have had their share of difficulties too.
In the 1970’s newly married with a first child on the way, my wife and I could not see how we could ever afford to buy a house. We did, it was a struggle to pay the bills at first but we managed, as did most of our generation.
In 1998, my 23-year-old son moved to Canada with a wife and small child. He and his wife worked hard taking on extra jobs, delivering newspapers, working nights until 2 years later they bought their first house.
They were not unique, many of their generations without wealthy parents had similar experiences. Those that chose to work hard and delay spending money on “things” generally survived and thrived. Those that chose instant gratification over saving and investing are still struggling.
Millenials real problems
Stories about successful Millenials can be found every day. Clearly, the problem is not affecting everyone born after 1980.
I don’t believe there is a single or simple answer. I don’t think all the blame for the plight of 20 – 30-year-olds can be laid on society in general, parents or the young adults themselves.
It’s a combination of influences. We hear of employers and educators talking about the Millenials sense of entitlement, that may well be true. Permissive parenting and lack of discipline in schools result in the belief that bad behaviour or poor performance will not have any adverse consequences.
The real world does not work like that. There are always consequences. Sometimes immediate, other times delayed. Sometimes direct at others indirect. Generally painful, physically, emotionally or financially.
In most Western societies and many developing nations, it has become much easier to survive, but paradoxically more difficult to excel. Increasingly liberal governments have adopted policies that reward mediocrity and through increased taxation, punish excellence.
Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one. – Benjamin Franklin
Most of the world has become safer. Apart from Americans called up for military service in Vietnam and regular soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, no generation from the Boomers onwards had faced major, widespread adversity. No World Wars, no global plagues or epidemics, no financial upheaval on the scale of the great depression in the early 1900s.
Adversity develops strength. Comfort leads to complacency. I wrote about an extraordinary of overcoming adversity in this post.
Every generation has to face its own problems. All the earlier generations overcame theirs,
Millenials will too if they choose to.
It’s always, all about choice.
millennial mage by stocksnap / pixabay