You've seen them. I know you have. Those articles from major media outlets declaring that us lazy, entitled Millennials are destroying all sorts of established businesses and industries?? Don't we all love them? I am amused by these articles because a lot of what they say is true, but they spin it to make it sound like a bad thing that we're not buying as many motorcycles as our parents did (see http://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-are-hurting-harley-davidson-sales-2017-7). With a touch of humor I'd like to present some thoughts on those industries that I as an individual Millennial am hurting with pride.
Gambling Activities---- Think about it. Whenever you happen to be at a convenience store and there's a person in front of you buying a lottery ticket, how old do they appear? Retirement age possibly, smells strongly of cigarette smoke? Chances are they are not a Millennial. I don't know anyone who plays the lottery. Our age group has more education than previous generations and with it often comes more informed logical thinking and decision making. We know that you're more likely to be struck by lightning while being attacked by a polar bear in a tropical rain forest covered in cacti and used condoms than you are to win the lottery. While growing up in Florida I'd see billboards encouraging people to play the lottery so that the state could fund public education. Isn't that what our property taxes are for? Also, Bingo Halls. Your grandma might go with her friends, but once her and her friends are dead that shit's going out of style.
AM/FM Radio--- I don't listen to the radio anymore. I can't stand the repetitive commercials, most of which are advertising products that I have no interest in. Even the music itself annoys me now. All I can think about is how some company out there decides what music is made available to the national public while there are thousands of deserving artists that will never get any airplay. You're literally letting someone else chose what music you like! The most popular musicians may only have 2 or 3 songs that play on the radio even if they've been a band for decades. Once I discovered Pandora and Spotify my taste in music diversified and I can choose what to listen to without all the advertisements.
Cable----I haven't had cable since 2013. For very similar reasons why I shun AM/FM radio. Why have cable when Netflix and Hulu are so much better?
Shampoo/Conditioner----I was raised to think that washing my hair everyday was a necessity. My parents required me to bathe everyday and it was a habit I continued into adulthood until recently. A few months ago, seemingly out of nowhere, I realized that all the products I was putting in my hair go down the drain into our water supply. I know, I know, I'm being Captain Obvious. It struck me how bad that is for the environment. And I looked at the ingredients on the bottles. What the hell is Methylchloroisothiazolinone? Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride? Cocoamidopropyl Betaine?? I attempted to look up info on these ingredients and didn't find much of anything. That makes me nervous. Call me weird, but I enjoy knowing what is in the products I use and where it comes from. I haven't used shampoo or conditioner in a few months and my hair looks fine.
Department Stores----Um, yeah, I don't particularly enjoy shopping to begin with, and in stores that are that big with so many different items, it's too much visual overload. I used to have a friend I'd go to the mall with and we wouldn't even buy anything, we'd just walk around and make fun of the prices.
Church--- religion is bad for society. This discussion is for another article. Too much to say.
Fast Food--- The term 'obesity epidemic' gets thrown around quite a bit when discussing fast food. People have less time to cook and depending where you live there's only so many restaurant options. Research has shown there are strong correlations between socioeconomic status and obesity rates. Which is one reason to not support those businesses. They offer low quality food at a low price, and people who can't afford to spend more on better quality food suffer because of it. They save money on food and pay for it later with health problems. Personally I'm vegetarian, so that alone puts most fast food options off the table to begin with. Even before I became vegetarian my body had trouble digesting fast food. I could eat a Chick-fil-a sandwich and be shitting my guts out half an hour later. I feel so much better after eating something more nutritious.