Millennials: where do we even belong?
We might be the one lost generation.
As the second wave was in full gear, I sat downstairs, in my parents’ basement — a place which has become my private space since moving back with them — speaking to my former roommate, filmmaker, and very close friend about the big C. Not cancer, although Mahée is a Cancer — and we do love to talk about astrology — but about Covid-19 and how our lives went from being “that’s not so bad” to “I can’t take this anymore”.
We were discussing the idea that we, early 1990s kids, were now pushing our last string of patience with this isolation and how hard it must be for today’s teenagers. I mean I can’t imagine being 14, and not allowed to be with friends, forbidden to escape at the cinema, join any sports club, heck, even go to the museum.
Imagine spending your entire teenage years isolated at home?
We then ranked who had it worse by groups of people: of course, those aged from childhood to first years at university had it worse, then came us, then our parents, and so on.
But it got me thinking: before the pandemic, people were striving from home. Have you been on Tik Tok lately? — social media has been a form of escape, therapy room, and even political debate space for Gen-Zs, and this way before Coronavirus even hit.
And then I realized something: Gen-Zs are the most politically engaged and intellectual teenagers I have ever witnessed to hear and see. They remind me of a modern-day high-tech hippy generation.
If you take a look at Instagram, you will find 14-year-olds sharing short essays about the importance of preserving the environment and veganism, or 18-year-olds posting elaborate feminist manifestos.
Another thought followed in my mind: every generation has belonged to some sort of movement, life-changing ideology, or historical period besides ours. Yes, Millennials quite literally do not belong anywhere.
We are the only generation stuck between a more conservative lifestyle, where we still catch ourselves slut-shaming someone we know for sleeping around too much or dressing a certain way, and at the same time, being strongly politically engaged in today’s most progressive views.
Yes, we Millennials did birth some iconic trends such as the Juicy Couture tracksuit, and some groundbreaking celebrities that we still ideologize. But besides being the Paris Hilton and Britney Spears generation and living through the paparazzi culture, what did we do?
Gen-Zs are quite literally making a change in the world by opening everybody’s eyes to issues that we Millennials have long been sleeping on. At the same time, Gen-Xs were busy striving on the capitalist paradise they created for themselves after their Baby-Boomer predecessors were, well you know, freeing-themselves from years of sexism, close-mindlessness, wars, and being hippies.
So where do we, Millennials really belong?
Many of us are now unemployed, waiting to see our last years in our twenties being wasted in a pandemic and wondering how ridiculous will we look when we can finally go back and enjoy a night out at the nightclub.
Some are already in their early thirties, probably a little more confident in themselves and accepting of their future.
Others have already started families of their own, breeding baby Generation Alphas, which I see as I silver-lining of it all, because no other generation would’ve been born in such freedom of speech, progressive ideology, and easy access to information and educational content.
Millennials might be the one lost generation but I believe we are a generation that has reinvited itself time and time again, eager to learn and listen from both sides, and yes, problem solvers at times too who did pave the way for the next generation of content creators.
