Millenials:
the dark knights of industry by: alexis arnold
Millennials come under a seemingly endless stream of criticism on everything from our upbringing to our work ethic. On top of all of the other criticisms, we are blamed for not supporting industries in the traditional way. It seems as if our elders believe we ruin everything we touch. For example, millennials were credited with the decline of the napkin industry, traditional retail, diamond sales, big oil, etc. But is it a bad thing? Millennials should not be expected to support these industries in the first place. It’s not our job to ensure their survival. They should have to fight for our business and not the other way around. The generations before us were often at the mercy of the industries when it came to buying products. Consumers bought only what TV commercials and celebrity endorsements showed them. The companies that made certain products like oil or diamonds weren’t going to talk about the exploitation or environmental harm necessary to get the product to us. As a result, people continued to finance these industries in blissful ignorance. However, we don’t buy like our parents. Maybe it is because we just love taking down poor, helpless giants of industry. Maybe it is because we have so much available information, it feels almost criminal to ignore the consequences of our consumerism. Or maybe, between a skyrocketing cost of living and crushing college debt, our priorities are quite
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