Millennials: the generation everyone loves to critique. From the avocados on their toast to their reliance on technology, it seems like they have unique triggers that set them apart from the rest. Born into a world poised on the brink of digital revolution, they’ve reshaped culture with a swipe of their smartphone screens. Yet, despite their innovations, they’re often pegged as the snowflake generation.
1. Call Their Job a Hobby
Wonder why millennials always seem to be working, yet never working? Tell them their ‘career’ seems more like a cute hobby and watch their tempers flare as they defend the legitimacy of digital marketing or freelance graphic design.
2. Invalidate Their Struggles
“Struggling, really? At least you don’t have a mortgage.” Downplay the economic hardships they face by comparing them to the financial struggles from back in the ‘good old days’ when everyone apparently had it tougher.
3. Take a Swipe at Their Tech
Imply they can’t fix anything without Googling it first or ask why they spend more time on their phones than in the real world. Bonus points for accusing them of not knowing how to write in cursive.
4. Disparage Their Activism
Call their social justice efforts “cute” and suggest it’s just a phase. Tell them activism was more meaningful before hashtags and that real change doesn’t come from a tweet.
5. Ridicule Their Diet
Joke about how eating anything that isn’t organic, gluten-free, or harvested by fair-trade workers might kill them. Suggest that all their dietary restrictions are just a trendy way to seek attention.
6. Question Their Media Choices
Tell them their favorite ‘vintage’ show from the early 2000s is just recycled content from even older, better shows. Ask if they’ve ever heard of a little thing called “originality.”
7. Undermine Their Financial Intelligence
Point out that if they managed their Starbucks budget a little better, they might actually be able to afford a house. Chide them gently for their over-reliance on avocado toast as a meal staple.
8. Doubt Their Hardships
Suggest their mental health issues might just be a lack of toughening up. Tell them that in your day, you dealt with problems without needing to talk about feelings.
9. Mock Their Nostalgia
Why are they obsessed with the 90s? They were barely even conscious for it. Ask them if nostalgia really counts when you were in diapers.
10. Criticize Their Music
Insist that real music died before auto-tune and mumble rap took over. Remind them that a computer doesn’t need a concert.
11. Discredit Their Education
Laugh off their degree as a participation trophy and wonder aloud why they even bothered going to college if they just ended up in a job they could have gotten right out of high school.
12. Remind Them of Their Place
When they start talking politics or economics, remind them that they are too young to understand the real complexities of the world. Suggest a few more years under their belt might clear up their naive views.
13. Belittle Their Sports
Comment on how the sports they watch or play (think ultimate frisbee or esports) aren’t “real” sports. Real athletes don’t have avatars.
14. Denigrate Their Crafts
Refer to any artistic endeavor they’re proud of as a “little project” and suggest it’s nice they have time for such things. It’s all about that side hustle, isn’t it?
15. Satirize Their Dating Life
Make fun of their reliance on dating apps. Ask how it’s possible to find a meaningful relationship when they swipe through love interests like channel surfing.
16. Trivialize Their Travels
Ask why they feel the need to “find themselves” in another country. Couldn’t they just get lost on their way to a real job?
17. Dismiss Their Environmental Concerns
Roll your eyes when they talk about saving the planet. Accuse them of exaggerating the plight of the Earth for social media likes.
18. Underplay Their Artistic Taste
Scoff at the films they like; anything after 1990 is just special effects and fancy cameras. Real movies ended with the golden age of cinema.
19. Sneer at Their Coffee Obsession
Tease them about their artisanal coffee. It’s just beans and hot water. Did it really need a V60 pour-over to taste good?
20. Scorn Their Workspace
Make light of their co-working space. Remember when people went to an actual office and didn’t share desks?
21. Ridicule Their Commitment to Self-Care
Ask if their self-care routine really needs to include yoga, meditation, and a green juice detox. Wasn’t life simpler when people just got on with it?
Handle With Care
Tread lightly—this guide is purely for laughs. Push too hard, and you might just find out how fiercely a millennial can defend their turf.
The post 21 Ways to Make a Millennial Mad first appeared on Pulse of Pride.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Miljan Zivkovic.
For transparency, this content was partly developed with AI assistance and carefully curated by an experienced editor to be informative and ensure accuracy.
