For a long time I wasn't really convinced the Epstein files existed. Or at least not convinced they existed in the way most people imagined them, a treasure trove of blackmail material. But given Trump's attempts to kill any disclosure and his subsequent reactions make me think that, to quote Seinfeld, "they're real and they're spectacular."
And millennials? Caught in the middle, torn asunder by hope despite a murky future and cynicism despite all the good we know exists in the world. We loved Chris Nolan’s psychopathic Joker and the chaotic nihilism of Seinfeld while sobbing our way through Pixar movies while snacking on (checks notes) avocado toast? Who decided that?
We’re also attention-hungry egomaniacs (myself included), but - thanks to this balance between hope & skepticism - there’s reason to believe we’re going to be this century’s Greatest Generation.
Someone once told me that every generation is transitional between the one that comes before and the one that comes after. That describes millenials pretty closely to me, but that just may be because I'm a biased Gen Xer in this equation. You all have Gen X cynicism and pragmatism but were the ones that loved boy bands, won participation trophies and bought into sunny dot com optimism after the grunge era 90s. Gen Z just took that latter portion and ran with it to a point it's empty and vacuous now. For crying out loud, there's now literally a form of currency that is actually valueless and meaningless but people buy into it nonetheless.
I will say this in Millenials' favor-- they've endured A LOT, much of their times not in their favor either. You were the last generation to enjoy life without social media and when you look at younger gens, you wonder WTF is wrong with them. I suspect you'll be criticizing Gen Z and Gen Alpha noting how "easy they have it," and how "back your day, things were better..." and would be right to do so.
I fully expect this cycle to repeat itself ad infinitum until humanity collapses, evolves or flings itself among the stars. And that’s a good thing! People recognizing that past generations “had it harder” means that progress is being made (hope).
One of the fundamental blind spots in people is our inability to zoom out and see the bigger picture (cynicism). Not to get all anthropology-ey but the same cycles keep repeating themselves precisely because we are operating hunter-gatherer wetware in the technology age.
Anyone who thinks “this time it’s different” is deluding themselves (cynicism). The names change. The tech changes. The generations change… but we’ll keep repeating the same cycle:
Pursue progress. Gain prosperity. Wealth gap widens. Living standards fall (albeit never to where they were the century before). Wealth gap collapses. Start the cycle anew.
I have never liked musicals. I would say all, but there are a couple exceptions. Anyway, my wife and child love Hamilton. They finally got me to give it a try. I think I lasted 20 minutes. I just could not stand it . I quit watching And have no desire to try again. With that said, I'm glad I kept reading past your first paragraph or two. Rest of the articles very good and informative. Thanks 👍
P.S. I am a hard rock/ metal fan, so the Hamilton music was like finger nails on a chalk board to me.
For a long time I wasn't really convinced the Epstein files existed. Or at least not convinced they existed in the way most people imagined them, a treasure trove of blackmail material. But given Trump's attempts to kill any disclosure and his subsequent reactions make me think that, to quote Seinfeld, "they're real and they're spectacular."
Maybe.
This is a fantastic essay, that really captures the zeitgeist I’ve (as another GenX-er) also been feeling these days
And millennials? Caught in the middle, torn asunder by hope despite a murky future and cynicism despite all the good we know exists in the world. We loved Chris Nolan’s psychopathic Joker and the chaotic nihilism of Seinfeld while sobbing our way through Pixar movies while snacking on (checks notes) avocado toast? Who decided that?
We’re also attention-hungry egomaniacs (myself included), but - thanks to this balance between hope & skepticism - there’s reason to believe we’re going to be this century’s Greatest Generation.
Someone once told me that every generation is transitional between the one that comes before and the one that comes after. That describes millenials pretty closely to me, but that just may be because I'm a biased Gen Xer in this equation. You all have Gen X cynicism and pragmatism but were the ones that loved boy bands, won participation trophies and bought into sunny dot com optimism after the grunge era 90s. Gen Z just took that latter portion and ran with it to a point it's empty and vacuous now. For crying out loud, there's now literally a form of currency that is actually valueless and meaningless but people buy into it nonetheless.
I will say this in Millenials' favor-- they've endured A LOT, much of their times not in their favor either. You were the last generation to enjoy life without social media and when you look at younger gens, you wonder WTF is wrong with them. I suspect you'll be criticizing Gen Z and Gen Alpha noting how "easy they have it," and how "back your day, things were better..." and would be right to do so.
I fully expect this cycle to repeat itself ad infinitum until humanity collapses, evolves or flings itself among the stars. And that’s a good thing! People recognizing that past generations “had it harder” means that progress is being made (hope).
One of the fundamental blind spots in people is our inability to zoom out and see the bigger picture (cynicism). Not to get all anthropology-ey but the same cycles keep repeating themselves precisely because we are operating hunter-gatherer wetware in the technology age.
Anyone who thinks “this time it’s different” is deluding themselves (cynicism). The names change. The tech changes. The generations change… but we’ll keep repeating the same cycle:
Pursue progress. Gain prosperity. Wealth gap widens. Living standards fall (albeit never to where they were the century before). Wealth gap collapses. Start the cycle anew.
It’s beautiful in a way (hope).
I have never liked musicals. I would say all, but there are a couple exceptions. Anyway, my wife and child love Hamilton. They finally got me to give it a try. I think I lasted 20 minutes. I just could not stand it . I quit watching And have no desire to try again. With that said, I'm glad I kept reading past your first paragraph or two. Rest of the articles very good and informative. Thanks 👍
P.S. I am a hard rock/ metal fan, so the Hamilton music was like finger nails on a chalk board to me.