Millennials...
In your experience, what are the characteristics of the typical Millenial?
I find that many of them have a chronic lack of responsibility. If they do something wrong at work, it's a shrug of the shoulders. If they screw up in life, same thing...although if they perceive the slightest wrong to them, it's drama and strops all round. Just an inability to perform simple tasks. I think this may be down to them being the children of baby boomers, and treated in a way that other generations before had not experienced.
An obsession with looks, physique, appearance. See the way gyms now focus on the body rather than training to run faster and lift more, or simple athleticism, and there are suggestions that steroid use is frequent. We live in an era when some people actually look to the likes of Roz Purcell for advice. Scary. Presumably linked to use of social media where images are so crucial to communication. Can us Gen Xers imagine the laughter if you went into school with pics of your lunch and a dozen selfies every day?
An inability to accept criticism or challenge. I had one person at the upper end of the Millenial age range recently get very annoyed at my dismissal of the gluten free fad, and say I had just told her that her parents, siblings and everyone she knew was suffering from a fad. I pointed out that the prevalence suggested both self diagnosis and over diagnosis. Cue amusing tantrum and silence. Again, probably linked to their being the children of doting baby boomers.
On the plus side, they are generally more liberal and tolerant than preceding generations...though Gen Xers may argue that they were the generation where taboos were really smashed.
Anyone note any other characteristics? Incidentally, I know that this is purely based on observation, I am not claiming this is a sociology study. Oh and us Gen Xers are aware we have flaws, pointing to them can be a matter for another thread if any Millenials would like to open one.