HEY BABY BOOMERS! Stop taking a dump on us millennials

Laura Dupuis

I was born in 1985. That means I’m right on the edge of being a Millennial. Which also means technology has been in my life for the most part. Computers were just starting to be necessary for math class in High School and to my recollection cell phones were something only our parents had.

Now I have a smartphone and do a lot of things on it and yes, I’m addicted to it. But my parents are always on their computer so really...it’s just a different device.

People *cough* Baby Boomers *cough* like to shit on Millennial for being “entitled, lazy and ruining X industry”. Well, let me rip that apart for you!

I’ve had a job since I was 15, basically as soon as I could legally work I was. The only time I wasn’t working was the year after high school when I did a year of Bible College. I wasn’t an anomaly either; most of my coworkers at McDonald’s were in high school. So, lazy? Not so much.

Let’s look at the fun word Entitled. No one is born expecting everything to be given to them. That’s something that they’re raised to believe. So take a look at the parents raising these “entitled millennials” before you start raging on us.

Finally let us dive deep into the ruining of industries. I looked into it and while there’s a bunch of random things we’re apparently to blame for ruining, the top three that caught my eye were: Diamonds, Real Estate & Day Jobs.

I’m on my second marriage, I did have a diamond engagement ring the first go round but don’t have one now. My now husband sent me a video (Adam Ruins Everything) about why he didn’t want to get me an engagement ring and I am cool with it. If you don’t have time to watch the video right now the jist of it is that people have only been giving engagement rings since mid 19th century because the De Beers Diamond company wanted TO SELL MORE DIAMONDS. Also, side note, diamonds aren’t rare. For the record I’m not judging you if you have one, I’m just saying that it’s an industry that Millennials have clearly put in the “unnecessary” column of life and Boomers are shaking their glittering fists at us because of it.

Real Estate is industry number two and lets just be real, houses just aren’t as affordable as they were when our parents were buying them. The first house my parents bought in Calgary when I was nine cost less than $100k. The last one they bought before we moved back to BC was just over that and they sold it closer to $200k back in 2001. Now that same house (bungalow with finished basement, three bedrooms + den, large backyard that backs onto a hill so no neighbours) would easily go for $350k plus. It’s not like wages have increased that dramatically, I don’t know what my dad was making as a truck driver but it wasn’t two and a half times less than what my husband makes as an IT Professional (minimum wage has increased from $5.90 in 2001 to $15 in 2018 but after taxes you can’t live on that without roommates let alone save up for a house/apartment).

Now day jobs is a whole other thing. The short answer is some of us don’t want to sit/stand/whatever at a desk all day working for someone else. I’ve done it, I did it for almost 20 years, and towards the end I hated it with a burning passion. I was working to help someone else achieve their...goals(?) while mine were being worked on at home in the evenings. The whole concept of a “9-5” is so very Boomer and older anyway.

Some people like working for other people and that’s fine, but don’t get angry that we’re brave enough to follow our dreams so we don’t end up grumpy old people who hate life because passion for life was drained out of us over 40 years at a boring (but stable!) job.


I’m a SAHM who also is a graphic designer and can work from home. I also knit and design patterns, and I’m on the editorial team for a pretty stellar online parenting magazine. Not everyone can do that I understand that, however one of our big dreams at Candor is to help people achieve theirs.

If you’re a Boomer and are reading this and getting oh so frustrated with my tone, just know that we Millennials are too busy overthinking old conversations to pay attention to your complaints long term. We’ll laugh/cry into our boxed wine and avocado toast and hope for a better tomorrow where maybe some old biddy won’t tell us $45 is too much for a handmade knit hat.

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