Millennials, Please Just Shut Up

[SomeRandom]

In these parts, adults handle their problems by either getting drunk or smoking meth, or sometimes getting drunk and smoking meth. We also love our pot and pills. This is pretty much everyone from Boomers to X-ers.

That's a little messed up. You Americans concern us sometimes.

. And you do have to consider that many Millennials are not old enough to have a fully matured brain yet.

Have you ever considered that because we are a more "knowledgeable" now, we are able to find ways to exploit this? It's really quite simple in all honesty.

Besides the older generation decided to wrap us in cotton wool (some more than others.) Is it so unreasonable to point out that by doing this they have forced some of us to become far too fragile for the "real world?"

I guess what I'm trying to say is that people, not generations, have problems and issues. Each generation does bring new things to the social spotlights, and each generation that came before bashes on the generations to come after them. The "greatest generation" sneered at the boomers for free love and widespread drug use, but the "great ones" and "lost ones" tended to drink too much and put work way too high on a pedestal (or it may just seem that way to me because I have never known good jobs, good benefits, or employers that take care of their employees).

True enough.

The "greats" and "lost" and "boomers" looked down on my generation over MTV, Jnco jeans, and our inappropriate music and bad behaviors that lead to the Columbine shooting.

Hmm, well, you Americans were always good at blaming the media for such tragedies. We like to blame your gun culture. But that is probably very unfair to say since I am not American.

You generation is putting emotional needs and sensitivity towards others forward as an issue, and those that came before are doing what every generation that comes before has done, and perhaps has always done and always will do.

Again, too much time spent with apathetic Millennials who hid behind the "sensitivity" movement in order to get away with doing whatever the hell they wanted has left me feeling jaded about the whole thing.

 

[SomeRandom]

Not denying some people might take advantage of the situation but it would be unfair to punish the ones genuinely suffering because of it. Or to call them slurs because one is not aware of the situation, or one has a different outlook on the situation, etc. I don't think it's productive to call them selfish, entitled, immature or whiny (not saying you said it, but listing examples). It's insensitive and dismissive... Easier to say these things than take time to attempt to see where they're coming from, what their point of view is like. I don't think it's conducive to anything positive either, it creates an us vs them mentality instead of trying to reach some understanding.

I mean, wouldn't it be better to try to understand them and try to reassure someone like this than call them names? Maybe they just need an outside voice telling them that, yes things are uncertain but we can try to get the best outcome out of an unfavourable situation. No one lives in a bubble, we all need some solidarity and support at times.

Maybe I'm biased because I have mental health problems but someone calling me things or looking down on me never helped, it only made things worse.

I'm sorry if you thought I was calling you names, or looking down upon you.I was calling out the people who use these things as an excuse. I even said that people who genuinely need help should not hesitate to seek it out. But I admit I can come across as rather insensitive or blunt because, well I guess it's an Aussie thing. It's just how we talk.

I'm just tired of seeing some of my peers use what are otherwise serious issues as an excuse to be lazy or to get out of some measure of responsibility.I think they do a disservice to the goal of trying to help those with mental health issues. Because it's like they cheapen it. They use it as a shield or to feel "special" and it does feed into the whole "this generation is all about victimhood" mentality.
Perhaps I just worded it wrongly, because that sort of thing does kind of anger me and maybe that is why I spoke so harshly without realizing it.

I am not trying to dismiss legitimately serious issues like mental health. I'm just saying that perhaps this new approach can make it more difficult to call people out for their BS. Thereby allowing people to take advantage of things like this.

I feel like we both have a common goal, but perhaps slightly different approaches?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

That's a little messed up. You Americans concern us sometimes.

Don't let it paint an entire picture of America for you. I live where it's very rural, very Conservative (and those types tend to shy away from/shun mental health care) and one the biggest meth states in America. Here we have very poor mental health services (far worse than other states), but lots of churches, lots of bars, and I live within a 30 minute drive of no fewer than 500 known meth labs (meaning the actual number is way higher). Indiana shut down their state hospitals a few decades ago, which pretty much moved the severely mentally ill from a hospital to jails and prisons. We have terrible and crappy jobs that mostly revolve around low-tech industries (such as food plants or car factories - most college grads move out of state to find suitable employment), and going to church or a bar is about all there is to do around here. Indiana is actually shares the dubious honor of "least happiest state" in America with Kentucky (our neighboring state along the Southern border).

We like to blame your gun culture. But that is probably very unfair to say since I am not American.

I too blame our gun culture, and also that even our places that do have better mental health care services tend to be inadequate. And we like to believe physical violence is an appropriate means of conflict resolution.

Again, too much time spent with apathetic Millennials who hid behind the "sensitivity" movement in order to get away with doing whatever the hell they wanted has left me feeling jaded about the whole thing.

As I said, I don't agree with everything (it's mostly the "media worthy" stuff, such as the OP and various other Millennial bashing threads here), but I do think it's a great thing they are bringing up emotional needs and sensitivity towards others. It's better than our typical approach of just bottle everything up, ignoring emotions, and pretending everything is all just in your head.

 

[SomeRandom]

Don't let it paint an entire picture of America for you. I live where it's very rural, very Conservative (and those types tend to shy away from/shun mental health care) and one the biggest meth states in America. Here we have very poor mental health services (far worse than other states), but lots of churches, lots of bars, and I live within a 30 minute drive of no fewer than 500 known meth labs (meaning the actual number is way higher). Indiana shut down their state hospitals a few decades ago, which pretty much moved the severely mentally ill from a hospital to jails and prisons. We have terrible and crappy jobs that mostly revolve around low-tech industries (such as food plants or car factories - most college grads move out of state to find suitable employment), and going to church or a bar is about all there is to do around here. Indiana is actually shares the dubious honor of "least happiest state" in America with Kentucky (our neighboring state along the Southern border).

I too blame our gun culture, and also that even our places that do have better mental health care services tend to be inadequate. And we like to believe physical violence is an appropriate means of conflict resolution.

As I said, I don't agree with everything (it's mostly the "media worthy" stuff, such as the OP and various other Millennial bashing threads here), but I do think it's a great thing they are bringing up emotional needs and sensitivity towards others. It's better than our typical approach of just bottle everything up, ignoring emotions, and pretending everything is all just in your head.

Damn and I thought our public health system sucked!


Hmm I suspect you and I agree.
I might have just been a bit overtly harsh with what I said.
I am glad we're making strides to be more considerate and sensitive. I am. Really.
It's just that it's almost become like an easy out for people. And if you even mildly criticise someone who is most likely hiding behind it, then you're a "bully" and should respect their feelings. It's kind of like during high school the girls would claim to be bisexual just for the attention and to get dates easier (guys liked it for the "exotic" appeal.) And it's just like well thanks for making it harder for people to believe bisexuality exists.
You know?
Not that I'm trying to speak on behalf of any group, mind you. Just an observation.

And don't get me started on those what I like to call "Buzzfeed" types who get offended even by compliments. I had a teacher like that once. She was god awful.
I actually had to stick up for some poor random guy because he politely held a door open for me and said teacher was about ready to sentence him to like detention for the rest of his life lol.

 

[illykitty]

I'm sorry if you thought I was calling you names, or looking down upon you.I was calling out the people who use these things as an excuse. I even said that people who genuinely need help should not hesitate to seek it out. But I admit I can come across as rather insensitive or blunt because, well I guess it's an Aussie thing. It's just how we talk.

I'm just tired of seeing some of my peers use what are otherwise serious issues as an excuse to be lazy or to get out of some measure of responsibility.I think they do a disservice to the goal of trying to help those with mental health issues. Because it's like they cheapen it. They use it as a shield or to feel "special" and it does feed into the whole "this generation is all about victimhood" mentality.
Perhaps I just worded it wrongly, because that sort of thing does kind of anger me and maybe that is why I spoke so harshly without realizing it.

I am not trying to dismiss legitimately serious issues like mental health. I'm just saying that perhaps this new approach can make it more difficult to call people out for their BS. Thereby allowing people to take advantage of things like this.

I feel like we both have a common goal, but perhaps slightly different approaches?

On no, I didn't mean you called me names or anything. I meant I can sympathise with the people who are genuinely affected because of my mental health history and that I had people look down on me or insult me, which didn't help but made me feel worse overall. So no worries about that!

Yeah maybe we do have the same goal. There's always going to be people who will take advantage of things and it's unfair to paint everyone the same colour because of them... Like you said in your reply to Shadow Wolf, the ones that pretend for some advantage "taints" the real people... But there's no reason to hold the bad apples as the representatives. Not sure how we should handle this but it's not by making blanket statements which puts the genuine people with the ones taking advantage.

 

[SomeRandom]

On no, I didn't mean you called me names or anything. I meant I can sympathise with the people who are genuinely affected because of my mental health history and that I had people look down on me or insult me, which didn't help but made me feel worse overall. So no worries about that!.

Cool.

Yeah maybe we do have the same goal. There's always going to be people who will take advantage of things and it's unfair to paint everyone the same colour because of them... Like you said in your reply to Shadow Wolf, the ones that pretend for some advantage "taints" the real people... But there's no reason to hold the bad apples as the representatives. Not sure how we should handle this but it's not by making blanket statements which puts the genuine people with the ones taking advantage.

Hmm, that's fair.
Still, I do see merit in the "tough love" approach of seemingly yesteryear as well as today's more conscientious approach. It just depends on the person I suppose.