The millennial in the clip above, Alexis Bloomer, displays a classic case of self-hate. Or is it a right wing-inspired subliminal message from a Koch stooge? The problems millennials face that this ill-advised young woman speaks about were inflicted on them by my generation—their parents. Now she is kind enough to absorb the guilt that my generation should justifiably bear. This rant is dangerous, especially during this election year.
My generation took advantage of affordable education, and a system that invested in people. Instead of paying it forward, we elected selfish deviants who cut taxes and starved the government, leaving millennials with unaffordable education and much fewer services from society. In other words, we cut civics and many programs that taught people how to be productive Americans. In the process, we were conned into accepting an economy where we worked harder overall while receiving less, forcing mother and father to work instead of rearing kids most effectively with proper supervision. We built prisons (many of them private) to incarcerate those unsupervised kids, which instead of rehabilitating them turned them into hardcore criminals. It goes on and on. Suffice it to say: Don't blame the millennials for a situation created by their parents.
Sadly, this young woman, likely because of a comfortable life, is unable to empathize with millennials in general. She buys into the standard Randian ideology of individualism and selfishness. She is unable to see that the advantages of the previous generations were, in many instances, secured by loans. It turns out that millennials will be responsible for paying the bill with high education costs and skyrocketing medical costs, all while receiving fewer services.
So why post this? At 13 million views and counting, her video is surprisingly going viral—and one hopes there is pushback. Quite often, unanswered right-wing rhetoric becomes reality within the psyche of many. Below, you can watch my point-by-point video response to her rant.
The documentary from Dr. Richard Wolff, titled Capitalism Hits the Fan, is a must see for anyone who believes there are more opportunities now than before.
Point by point video response